Saturday 22 October 2011

A SylvaC Bunny that watched me being born…


This SylvaC bunny sat on the mantelshelf of the fireplace in Mum and Dad’s bedroom. Having had enough of hospital hospitality when GB was born Mum decided to have me at home – despite dire warnings from the health professionals about all the risks involved. Once she set her mind on something Mum would not easily be shifted!

I don’t know if bunny was turned to face the wall or whether she watched the whole grisly process but she was certainly there!

SylvaC bunnies were produced from the 1930s to the 1970s and fakes continue to be introduced to the market to this day.


The original bunnies were produced in a variety of colours and sizes. The catalogue shows Mum’s to have been the smallest of those produced and it sold (wholesale) for three shillings a dozen – i.e. three old pence each.


(Thanks to Wendy for permission to use this picture of some of her collection).

14 comments:

  1. Now that's a voyeuristic bunny!

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  2. We had a green one when I was a kid, wonder if every home had one.

    SP

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  3. Looks like at some point in her life she's been biting her nails (claws?)!

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  4. I wonder whether anything of when I was born is still around - apart from my mum. The old building of the hospital where I was born was pulled down and a new, modern one built in the 1970s. So, if I should ever happen to become famous, they won't be able to fix a memorial plaque to my place of birth.

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  5. Fascinating. I think I had a pink one... it certainly looks very familiar. I wonder what happened to it?

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  6. Librarian - the building where my sons and daughters were born has also been replaced but if one of them becomes famous I'll make sure they out a plaque on the pavement!

    It looks like every house had one - a bit like the three ducks on the wall or the china dog in the hearth of the previous generation? Anyone remember those?

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  7. I got mine from my Gran, looked like every house had one. Your home looks fabulously equipped with cat, woodburning stove and Bunny. Hope all is well and thanks for using my photographs so beautifully :-)
    Wendy x

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  8. Good to see it CJ. It still sits in my bedroom. It must have seen a lot over the years!

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  9. Gosh!
    I do remember those bunnies very well from my childhood in Essex.
    How lovely to see one again.
    I do hope you are feeling a bit better. So wretched to be unwell.
    Came to you via Barbara of Ramblings.

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  10. I don't think I've ever seen one of those bunnies, they can't have been popular where I grew up. But my grandmother had the three ducks on a wall, which I always thought were very elegant. Your mother must have been a very strong minded woman to take on a home birth back then. One of my siblings wasn't born in hospital but that wasn't planned.

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  11. My tiny frog didn't see me get born like the adorable bunny, but my teacher gave it to me when we were moving from that city. I still treasure it.

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  12. Actually your tiny blue bunny is probably by Denby - the SylvaC ones have the eye glazed in dark brown and are usually a semi gloss glaze. The SylvaC ones are about the same size - she is still cute though!

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  13. I have a 5" Fawn SylvaC bunny which was my Grans. Its got some damage and I've often wondered whether it would be worth having it restored. I didn't know they did different sizes. I might just have to collect her some friends.

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