POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Puggle soft toy in bag by Mattel Toys

Object No. 2009/74/1

Puggles are the young of Australian marsupials: platypus and echidnas. Soft toys based on them were part of a range of toys and literature that were sold in toy shops in the early 1980s, and then at a chain of themed gift-shops/children's party facilities in Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America, that immersed children in a mythical world set in the Australian bush. The gift shops were called The Lost Forests, and they were located across New South Wales, Victoria, Melbourne, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia Between 1988 and 1994. There were also three stores in the United States of America and one store in New Zealand during that period. The concept for the Lost Forests books, themes and merchandise were the brainchild of the late Australian rock legend Billy Thorpe and his guitar player from the days of Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Tony Barber. Thorpe and Barber wrote a series of children's books: 'The Puggle Tales' and 'Tales of the Lost Forests' in the early 1980s while they were residing in the United States of America. Inspired by the success of the books, Barber set up the Lost Forests company and became its director; however, the intellectual rights for the Lost Forests has been retained by the company's financial backers. All of the Lost Forests stores had closed across Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America by 1993; however, the owners of the intellectual property, The McDonnell family, re-established the company as an on-line business in 2006. Puggles toys are an example of the movement - which became most apparent in the 1980s - toward giving commodities an Australian flavour, but not just for the Australian market. This trend coincided with the United States's interest in Australian culture due, in large part, to the first two 'Mad Max' and 'Crocodile Dundee' movies and the popularity of Paul Hogan, and Men at Work's chart success in the United States with their song 'Land Down Under'; and also the 1988 Australian Bicentenary - a celebration of European settlement in Australia from 1788. Other more obvious examples of this Australianness in goods are Ken Done's products, and Jenny Kee's fashion designs. This trend - of making goods uniquely identifiable as Australian - and of the United States's particular interest in Australia, waned in the 1990s. In addition to the closure of the Lost Forests stores, Olivia Newton-John's once highly successful Koala Blue chain failed in 1992. Globalism and the flood of North American popular culture have homogenised Australian products since then. Damian McDonald July 2009

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Summary

Object Statement

Puggle soft toy in a bag, red / blue, synthetic textile / plastic / metal, Mattel Toys, United States of America, c. 1983

Physical Description

Soft toy, Puggle in a bag, cloth / plastic / metal, made by Mattel Toys, United States of America, c. 1983 The Puggle is covered in soft, red cloth. Two plastic buttons represent the eyes, and plastic whiskers are sewn into the snout. The Puggle is filled with small synthetic beans to give it shape. The sleeping bag is made from soft, blue fabric. It has a hole cut into one side, reinforced with a metal ring. When placed in the sleeping bag, the Puggle's snout can be pulled through the hole. A red cloth tie is present - it has been removed from the top hemming of the sleeping bag.

DIMENSIONS

Height

180 mm

Width

130 mm

Depth

120 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

This toy was manufactured in the United States of America by Mattel Toys, c. 1983. The Puggle is a character in a series of books called 'Puggle Tales' written by the late Australian rocker Billy Thorpe and guitarist Tony Barber. Thorpe and Barber consulted for Mattel toys on the design of Puggles toys.

HISTORY

Notes

This Puggle soft toy was given to the donor when she was in her late teens. She was at a stage in life when she could appreciate the cuteness of the toy, but was too old to actually play with the toy. Although the Puggle was displayed on a shelf with other toys of the donor's childhood, it remained in good condition - having never really been handled in the manner a younger child would. The donor gifted the toy, along with other objects from her childhood, to the Powerhouse Museum in 2009.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Gift of Nicole Balmer, 2009

Acquisition Date

14 September 2009

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