Summary
Plush grey and white Koala hand puppet known as 'Handy Koala'. Part of an archive of unsold stock samples donated by the manufacturer.
Jakas Soft Toys was a Melbourne-based company which designed and manufactured genuine high quality soft toys from 1956. Their range included teddy bears, golliwogs, animals and birds. They ceased production in the late 1990s outlasting many local toy manufacturers competing with cheaper overseas imports.
With children's health and safety in mind, the toys were made from wool and synthetic plush, quality fabrics, non-allergic filling and 'safety eyes'. The Jakas range of soft toys came with care and washing instructions and could be handed down for generations.
Physical Description
A plush grey and white koala hand puppet with two-toned black/brown coloured plastic eyes and an oval shaped black plastic nose. Most of the body is grey with a white front and white inner ears with white tufts of fluffy material extending from each ear. There is a black piece of material attached to the ends of the two upper limbs and black plastic attachments as 'claws' sewn into the ends of the two lower limbs. A white fabric label is sewn into the back of its right lower limb with the Jakas Soft Toys brand name and 'Australian Made' logo embroidered in green.
More Information
-
Collection Names
-
Collecting Areas
-
Acquisition Information
Donation from Ms Pam Schwarz, 19 Jun 2000
-
Manufacturer
Jakas Soft Toys, Unit 1, 85 Lewis Road, Wantirna South, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1990s
-
Inscriptions
Embroidered in green on white fabric label: 'JAKAS SOFT TOYS / MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA' with the 'Australian Made' triangular logo embroidered on the right hand side of the label.
-
Brand Names
-
Classification
-
Category
-
Discipline
-
Type of item
-
Overall Dimensions
300 mm (Width), 160 mm (Depth), 350 mm (Height)
Width measurement taken to include the fluffy tuft extensions on ears.
-
Keywords
Toys, Australiana, Small Businesses, Australian Design, Australian Manufacturing Industry, Koalas, Puppets