There’s something undeniably charming about a hedgehog in a bonnet or a rabbit in a little jacket. These are what we call anthropomorphic animals – a fancy word for creatures who walk upright, wear clothes and tend to their vegetable patch with tiny garden tools.
The moment an animal is dressed in little clothes or goes about very human tasks – writing letters, riding a bike, baking pies – something inside us softens.
We’ve been drawn to these characters for generations. Beatrix Potter painted her sweet animals with such care and observation that they felt real, even though they were hedgehogs, bunnies and ducks in waistcoats and aprons. Lewis Wain gave us exuberant cats in collars and coats, gleefully pulling Christmas crackers and causing merry chaos.
Festive cats by Lewis Wain, circa early 1900s.
Later, Brambly Hedge brought us the quiet, seasonal routines of field mice living in tree-hollow homes, and Foxwood Tales offered us a whole host of country-clothing-clad wildlife enjoying seasonal adventures.
But why do we love them so?
Perhaps it’s the mix of the familiar and the fantastical. These animals are like us - to an extent - but gentler. They move through the world with care and neighbourliness. They remind us of a slower pace, a kinder world; one where friendship, thoughtfulness and the turning of the seasons matter more than anything else. There’s something deeply comforting in imagining a mouse who keeps a tidy pantry, or a rabbit who writes Christmas cards and delivers them in the snow.
These ‘human animals’ allow us to imagine a world without harshness - a world softened by kindness, friendship and gentle routine.
Illustration from Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1901).
These stories don’t just serve to entertain - somehow they offer us something we’re often lacking in today’s busy world. A sense of timelessness, of belonging to a thoughtful community. A feeling that the small everyday moments are important and worthwhile.
Brambly Hedge continues to delight with its intricate scenes and lovingly dressed mice. You can find a range of products here at Ava Loves Rosie.
Foxwood Tales captures the same gentle spirit, with a whole host of woodland animals living in beautifully illustrated harmony.
These illustrations invite us into a world where the kettle is always on, friends are never far away and even the smallest creatures live with great care and kindness.
And really — what could be lovelier than that?
I’d love to know… Do you have a favourite animal character from childhood, or one you’ve loved more recently? From Tufty to Basil Brush, The Muppets to Roland Rat…Leave a little note below if you’d like to share.
4 comments
What a lovely blog 🥰 such a lovely read x
I loved the Brambley hedge books as a child and in the infants at school, I remember playing in the bushes pretending there were little animals in kitchens and living rooms . I think imagining the animals have this secret world that we can’t see is the pull that keeps us coming back even in adulthood. It’s like our childhood toys coming to life when we’re asleep. 43 years after I got my Carebear , I still think he gets up when I’m asleep to move my belongings that I then spend ages trying to find the next day . There can’t be any other explanation.
Lovely blog – animals have personalities just like us ❤️. I like to think my cat is the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland!
Very interesting! Love it Xx
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