“This bear’s study is his little dream house. It contains all his treasures, his life’s favourite moments captured in objects and pictures. It is a treasure chest of all the memories he has saved up over a lifetime and where he plans his future adventures. The room was made to be one of these ‘perfect little spaces undisturbed by the real world’. This idea conjured up the whimsical thought of a creature with a room of dreams, where his favourite things make him think of all the best bits life has offered.
Brown bears are mostly solitary creatures and tend travel widely across their habitats in the northern hemisphere. They are also known to return home from these long wanders. Brown bears appear frequently in Children’s stories throughout the centuries and this little bear is very pleased to have travelled to the Museum of Childhood.
Making the room was a real treat for Mister Peebles and his right hand woman Helen. All the room’s textures including the floor and furniture, pictures, book covers and wallpaper are all hand painted using Mister Peebles’ usual watercolour pencils. It also gave the chance to experiment with other materials, like needle felting and using polymer clay for the little pots and treasures. One or two of the tiny items are things Mister Peebles has collected over his adventures and a couple of bits are from Helen’s own childhood dolls house, so it holds some memories for the maker as well as the resident bear.”
Mister Peebles and his associate, Helen McGinley, are illustrators who make one-of-a-kind animal prints and designs. Mister Peebles draws on a playful approach to illustrations, creating clever characters like “Owl Capone” and “David Meowie.”