Beatrix Potter Jemima Puddleduck Soft Toy

I've always been a huge Beatrix Potter fan, so it stands to reason that over the years my children have been bought numerous toys from the 'brand'. This Jemima Puddleduck soft toy was a gift to Hollie a couple of years ago, bought from a small gift shop in Stratford-upon-Avon for around £10.

She stands around 14" tall and is a bonafide soft toy with no beanie aspect. Jemima is well stuffed, the stuffing is soft but there's lots of it in there so she's kept her shape surprisingly well over the years - none of the stuffing has compacted to create hard patches and she's still very much Puddleduck shaped.

Jemima looks very authentic with her blue bonnet and pink cape, these clothes are non-removable so there's no worry about anything becoming lost over time. She's wipe clean only, and while I don't usually take much notice of this instruction something about the make up of this toy tells me she wouldn't last two minutes in the washing machine. There is an minimum recommended age of three years although for the life of me I cannot see why this would be the case, unless it's because of the hard plastic eyes - these seem to be extremely well attached to Jemima's face though and I doubt they'll become unattached at the hands of a toddler!

Jemima is a fairly bulky soft toy, her height and general build makes her quite difficult for Hollie to carry around and therefore she doesn't get as much play time as such a beautiful toy deserves. We tend to keep her displayed on a shelf, which considering the whiteness of her body and the pale colours of her clothes is probably the best place for her! Sometimes she joins in with Hollie's tea parties but as she doesn't sit very well unless she's leaning against something even this minor activity can become a bit of a nuisance.

I'd say Jemima's main role is as a bedtime companion, and this she performs brilliantly. Hollie doesn't really recognise Jemima as such an important literary character as she is, to her she's just a very pretty and motherly duck - she also has a Squirrel Nutkin toy and even though I've explained the connection and read her the books she still doesn't quite 'get it' enough to create the sort of games an older child might. This will come in time I suppose, but it'd be nice to see her recreating the fabulous Beatrix Potter tales with her toys.

All in all I think this is a beautiful soft toy, something you could buy for an adult or a child and it would be gratefully received. It's not quite exquisite enough to be a collectors piece and is obviously a playable soft toy, but I'm sure any Jemima Puddleduck fan would be pleased to receive her.