A perfectly formed tiny needle felt bird sculpture, this diminutive wool toucan is 1:12 in scale, measuring just over 5.5cms long from the end of his tail to the tip of his proudly held 2cms long beak. That brightly coloured distinctive beak features in a Brazilian folk tale, as the toco toucan stood in a hole and showed off his big bill to the other birds in order to be crowned King of the Birds. When he climbed out of the hole and the birds all saw how small his body was they deposed him and derisively called him ‘all nose’!
Gripping its driftwood perch with tiny wire and yarn-wrapped blue clawed legs, his miniscule 1mm twinkling glass eyes cheekily glint from behind the big yellow beak. The wings and tail are made from individual tiny wool feathers, whilst his body is sculpted only from wool with the natural plumage patterns of the iconic South American bird.
Each tiny toucan comes in a miniature glass bell jar that is 9cms tall with a 6cms diameter cork base, containing both Whitstable beach-combed driftwood, collected on my daily bird-watching beach walks, and a plush hand-crafted bed of wool and plant-fibre leaves and grass, with some added local, foraged and dried plant details.
As spring tentatively arrives in the UK, bringing the warmth of occasional sun to break the monotony of grey cloud and the still stinging winds off the East Kent coast, I am inspired by the riot of colours and huge variety of species amongst the distant tropical birds of the world. Particularly for me that means I get out all the amazing books illustrated by the Kent-born Victorian artist Elizabeth Gould, and pour most especially over her fantastically posed and painted toucans. Her birds bend and flex on the branches, showing the dazzling colour of their pantomime dame-like plumages.
In this collection celebrating the wonder of Gould’s toucans, out of the 51 species of toucan to choose from around the world, the focus is on the Toco Toucan. Why you might ask, is this the most recognizable breed of toucan to the British public… well, it owes its recognition to beer. The Toco Toucan was chosen by John Gilroy for his fantastic Guinness advertising mascot, introduced in 1935. The cheeky, smiling cartoon birds were part of a famously successful ‘Guinness is good for you’ campaign, which was accompanied by catchy slogans written by a golden-age titan of crime fiction, Dorothy L. Sayers.
Gould, Sayers, and Guinness – all wrapped up into one tiny exotic bird!
Miniature needle felt Toco Toucan in a tiny glass bell jar
Mainland UK (not including Northern Ireland)
Postage is by Royal Mail Tracked 48 services or you can choose a Tracked 24 for a faster delivery at the checkout.
The Rest of the World (see exceptions below)
Postage will be charged at a set fee to cover most costs for that sized item, and a refund will be offered if your parcel can be sent for less than anticipated for your specific part of the world. Additional purchases in the same parcel create savings on postage costs overall, compared to ordering each item separately.
If the postage is considerably more than anticipated, I will reach out to discuss next steps with you as soon as possible.
(This is the easiest way for me to ensure I get you the best deal whilst still covering my costs at this time.)
Mainland Europe and Northern Ireland
Unfortunately I am not currently able to send my birds here, due to new EU regulations.
I feel very sad about this, so do check out my Collection information below if you are ever in the UK
Mainland United States of America
Items that are eligible for posting to the USA will have any applicable tariff charges included in the postage costs quoted. Other internal taxes or duties liable on your order will not be visible to me and so those costs will need to be met by the purchaser.
