HISTORY:
Yes! These items of Royal Doulton Bunnykins melamine have a history (for us at least) ... let me tell you the story ...
When one of our daughters was very young, she wanted a pet rabbit and she loved & cared for a Mini-Lop over many years. It was her "baby" and terribly spoilt, having it's own little bedroom inside the house for sleeping at night (the laundry) and a free run of the backyard during the daytime. At night, her baby (which was strangely called "Teddy' (go figure) needed water and as we had a number of these Bunnykin melamine items in my wife's collection, one of the child's bowls became the rabbit "drinking bowl" - talk about high class!
I don't know what happened to that original child's bowl (although if I recall correctly, Teddy loved to eat EVERYTHING so it probably got chewed up over the years) but here is some of the other Bunnykins melamine that my wife now regards as surplus to her collecting needs.
This is NOT the original "Rabbit bowl" I speak of above as we had a few of these melamine items "once upon a time"
ROYAL DOULTON - Child's Bowl & Dinner Plate
These two items are offered either separately OR both together (with an automatic discount applied for giving the two a new home)
Circa 2000's
Material: Melamine
Semi-translucent, if you hold the bowl or plate up to a strong light source you can faintly see your fingers through the plastic material.
BUNNYKINS -Nursery Rhyme Series
Royal Doulton Bunnykins
WWRD Barlaston (Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire England)
Manufactured by Tree Toys (Registered trademark)
Country of manufacture was either China or, because the production of these was moved out of China in later years, Indonesia.
Child's Cereal Bowl
Seesaw Margery Daw,
Johnny shall have a new master,
He shall earn but a penny a day,
Because he can't work any faster
This is a folk nursery rhyme dating originally from the 1700's
Design: SeeSaw (modified)
The original illustration released by Royal Doulton in the mid 1930's differs from this design in a number of ways. Where do I start? Lets start with two pictures of this design, the original and this one that I am offering ...
SF17 Original illustration This bowl illustration
The colouring of the rabbits clothing (and so gender) has been completely changed, as with the two mice near the log. The positions of the bunnies on the "upside" of the seesaw have been dramatically altered and what's that up in the sky near them? It looks to me like a Blue butterfly - there was no butterfly in the original illustration. But wait, it doesn't stop there ... the house in the background is of a completely different style with no chimney smoke.
This is authorised and licensed product from Doulton Bunnykins but at some point someone has made these alterations to the artwork transfers on the melamine. Yes, it depicts a seesaw scene but it truly bears little resemblance to the original illustration!
DIMENSIONS: 165mm diameter (edge to edge) or 120mm diameter (actual bowl area) x 30mm deep
Child's Dinner Plate
Ring-a-ring o' roses
A pocket full of posies
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall down!
This is a very dark English folk nursery rhyme, it is best that the real meaning is not mentioned to the children! There is plenty of information online about the history of this folk song/nursery rhyme which dates from the 14th Century in England. Yes, it is "Black Plague" time and the lyrics are said to relate to the symptoms of the plague and subsequent death.
Design: Ring a Ring o' Roses (modified)
The original illustration SF21 released by Royal Doulton in the mid 1930's differs from this design in a number of ways. Where do I start? Lets start with two pictures of this design, the original and this one that I am offering ...
SF21 Original Illustration This plate design
The colouring of the rabbits clothing has again changed somewhat, with the two participating female rabbits having swapped positions. More dramatic is Mama rabbit who is now holding a baby in different coloured clothing and the other baby rabbit holding a balloon has given up getting Mama's attention and disappeared completely! However the two mice (which often feature in these illustrations) have magically appeared, they were not in the original illustration. Once again the house in the background, while similar in design is actually quite different (chimney placement for example)
This is also an authorised and licensed product from Doulton Bunnykins but at some point someone has made these alterations to the artwork transfers on the melamine. Yes, it depicts a Ring a Ring o' Roses scene but it truly bears little resemblance to the original illustration!
DIMENSIONS:220mm diameter (edge to edge) or 140mm diameter (actual central area) x 18mm deep
I only point these things out in case you place these side by side the older china designs, the differences will jump out at you!
These nuances will be of no importance to a child, they will still enjoy those cute little rabbits having fun at play
IMPRESSED (STAMPED INTO THE MELAMINE) BACKSTAMP DETAILS (BOTH ITEMS):
Difficult to read because this is a non-coloured stamp or impression into the plastic ...
COSMETIC CONDITION:
USED (Barely, if at all)
My wife obtained these pieces in "as new" condition and they has been sitting in her display cabinet ever since ... unused since she purchased them
CLEAN
NO damage to the melamine at all
NO damage to any of the graphic transferware
NO discolouration to the Creamy melamine
NO hideous marks or scratches, particularly to the central area (where the food goes - knives and spoons eventually leave marks)
As this lengthy description and photo session has now finished, I have sealed each piece within clear plastic to maintain the condition and they are now sitting patiently in our spare room waiting to bring delight to a child (or a rabbit!)
