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Bunni was my first and will forever be my most treasured companion.

He came into my life when I was a child, at a time when things were not always

easy.

I don't remember thinking of Bunni as a toy.

To me, he was a real person.

I would sit with him and tell him everything. I would tell him about the things that made me happy, the things that worried me, the things I didn't understand, and the secrets I couldn't tell anyone else.

I trusted him completely.

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I would often say to him:

"I know you can hear me. I know you can respond. I promise, if you reply to me, I won't tell anyone."

I truly believed, and perhaps part of me still does, that one day he might answer.

 

Although he never did, he always listened.

 

Looking back now, I understand that Bunni gave me something very precious: a place for my imagination, my feelings and my thoughts to exist.

I could give him whatever emotion I was feeling. I could make him happy when I was happy, sad when I was sad, and brave when I needed someone to be brave for me.

He became whatever I needed him to be.

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Years later, as I began making dolls, I found myself returning to that feeling.

I didn't want to make dolls with expressions that told you how they were feeling.

I wanted to leave that part open.

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Leave the story to the person holding them.

 

And perhaps that is why I make dolls the way I do.

 

Because I know how powerful it can be when a little doll is not simply a toy, but someone you can talk to, confide in, imagine with and love.

 

Bunni was my first companion.

 

My dolls are made in the hope that they might become someone else's.

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