"By the sea, an oak tree green, a golden chain upon that oak. And day and night the learned cat walks round and round upon the chain..."
These lines open Alexander Pushkin's poem Ruslan and Ludmila, and the cat in them is a storyteller: walk right and he sings, walk left and he tells a fairy tale.
Back in 2011 one good person needed that cat very badly. Fluffy, soft and about 70 cm long. They sent us their sketches, and we sewed this cat with glasses plush to order, for them alone. We don't keep finished toys on a shelf. Every one starts from somebody's idea.
A professor, not a kitten
The sketches showed a black cat with grey trim, so that's what he got. Long black faux fur on the body. Grey eyebrows, a big grey beard and moustache, grey paws and a grey tip on his tail. Pink ears and a pink nose. Pale blue eyes that look up at you over a pair of gold wire glasses.
The glasses do most of the work. Put them on any cat and he turns into someone who has read every book in the house and has opinions about all of them.
Velcro on the paws
His paws carry Velcro patches. Our guess at the time: so he can be hung on the oak tree. A cat who walks a golden chain should be able to hold on.
Your sketch, your cat
A drawing on a napkin, a few views of one character or a clean model sheet all work. Send what you have, tell us the size and what the toy has to do (sit, lie down, hang, pose), and we'll quote it. You see photos of the finished plush before it ships. More toys sewn from drawings are in Plush From Drawings, and other storybook heroes in Book Character Plushies.
Twelve years later the learned cat came back to us as a very different toy: a ginger cat over 1.5 m tall, made for an exhibition stand. See the giant learned cat mascot.
This cat is built from a pattern drawn for him alone, following the customer's sketches.
- Long-pile black faux fur on the body and head
- Grey faux fur for the eyebrows, beard, chest, paws and tail tip
- Pink fabric ears and a soft pink nose
- Pale blue eyes with dark pupils
- Gold-coloured wire glasses, bent by hand to sit on his nose
- Velcro patches on the paws
The filling is premium and hypoallergenic, so he stays soft and squashy, as the customer asked.
Want your cat with wire in the legs so he can pose, a different coat colour, or a book under his paw? Say so in your first message. Those choices go in while we sew.
A cat this size usually takes 2–4 weeks. We'll confirm the date in your quote. Extras like poseable limbs can add a few days.
First comes the pattern from your sketch. Then the fur is cut and sewn, and last comes the face: the eyes, the brows and the beard, which take the longest. On this cat they decide whether he looks wise or just grumpy.
The time frame keeps a small reserve for handmade surprises. Need him by a set date? Tell us at the start.
We ship worldwide. Delivery usually takes 7–20 business days, depending on your country. Around the holidays parcels move slower, so give yourself a little extra time.
A storybook cat makes a good present for a teacher, a reader or anyone who grew up with Pushkin. For Christmas, order by November 1.
Before we pack him, you get photos of the finished toy. If he's meant for a birthday or the last day of school, count back from that date: sewing time plus shipping time.
We've been sewing custom toys since 2009. A toy made from someone's sketch has to match the picture in their head. That's why you see him before we ship.
You approve the photos first. If you don't love the plush, you get a full refund within 14 days, for any reason.
Want the whole Lukomorye, with the cat, a mermaid or a wizard? We can sew a set in one style. The price is per toy.
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Custom toys start from $350.
A bigger size or extra details can cost more.
Why?
No ready-made pattern. Your photo or drawing doesn’t come with one. Our artist builds the pattern from scratch and turns a flat picture into a 3D toy. It’s the hardest and slowest part.
Materials picked for your toy. The right color, fur length and texture. Sometimes we order fabric just for one project.
Sewn by hand. Every piece is cut, sewn, stuffed and finished by hand. The face takes the most time: move an eye a millimeter and the character changes.
You approve it first. When your toy is ready, we send you photos. Something looks off? We fix it before shipping.
One toy, not a thousand. A factory spreads design costs over thousands of copies. Here, all that work goes into one toy: yours.
That’s why prices start at $350. And on a personal order, if you don’t love your toy, you get a full refund.
