The Magical World of Beatrix Potter

Posted on February 28 2022

Helen Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist; who was best known for her children's books featuring animals, particularly for The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Born in 1866, Helen Beatrix Potter created the much loved characters of Peter Rabbit, Jeremy Fisher, Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Tom Kitten, Flopsy, Benjamin Bunny, Squirrel Nutkin, Mr Tod and more...

Beatrix Potter created tiny books, which she designed so that even the smallest children could hold them, using simple language that also held dry North Country humour, with illustrations in the best English watercolour tradition. The Peter Rabbit illustrations were all done by Beatrix Potter herself - and, even today, they are instantly recognisable and incredibly loved.

The adventures of Peter Rabbit and his friends were inspired by Beatrix Potter’s love of nature and are still to this day, much loved by children all over the world.

Educated at home, Beatrix taught herself to draw and paint by watching the household pets very carefully. But it wasn't until she was 27 that Beatrix wrote an illustrated letter about one of her pet rabbits to an ex-governess' little boy...

My dear Noel, I don't know what to write to you so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits whose names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton‐tail and Peter.

Later, Beatrix tried to find a publisher for her Peter Rabbit story and illustrations - but the manuscript was turned down six times.
She decided to publish it herself, printing 250 copies. These sold so well that the publisher Frederick Warne made another offer.

By October 1902, The Tale of Peter Rabbit was a bestseller. Since then, it has never been out of print and has sold over 40 million copies worldwide. The book has come a long way since that early print-run of 250!

In the last 30 years, the World of Peter Rabbit was launched on TV (1992), in 2006 Miss Potter, the movie was released on the big screen, in 20212 the Peter Rabbit TV series was launched and in 2018 the Peter Rabbit movie was released followed by its sequel in 2021.

So what is it that we love so much about Peter Rabbit and his friends?

The Beatrix Potter stories are gentle and whimsical and Peter Rabbit himself is a cheeky, plucky character that we can’t help but love. Children and adults alike are drawn to animals, especially the Beatrix Potter characters as they are cute, unpredicatable, brave and witty. What’s more, the animals all wear clothes, live in houses and have human emotions. We can all relate to their stories and challenges and we all like to get up to a little mischief once in a while, just like the characters in Beatrix Potter’s books.

Finally, what’s more fun than a rabbit in a little blue coat with brass buttons, or a hedgehog in a pink dress and a frilly bed cap or a duck with a blue bonnet and pink cape? Beatrix Potter lovingly created all of her characters, and it is that love and the magic of her imagination that endures today.

2022 is a birthday celebration for Peter Rabbit! This year marks 120 years since the Tale of Peter Rabbit was first officially published. The timeless tales of Beatrix Potter are still as popular today as they were back then and we are delighted to share the magical world of Beatrix Potter with you with a beautiful range of garden decorations.