Awesome Handmade Toys: Jennifer Muskopf

The post is part of an occasional series called "Awesome Handmade
Toys." These posts feature toy makers whose work I think is
particularly fresh and inventive. You can see previous posts in the series here. I also pin toys to my Inspiring Softies pinboard on a regular basis if you're looking for more inspiration.

I like handmade dolls and I like fantasy characters like monsters and robots (and robot monsters), but what I really love are handmade stuffed animals. When I see someone who can truly make them well, I fall in love.

Come see what Oakland, CA artist, Jennifer Muskopf, is making. It's so good it hurts.

Elephants by Jennifer Muskopf

The interaction between this big and little elephant, the curves of the bodies, the bright pop of color underneath…I love these guys. They're beautifully crafted, they tell a story together, and I just want to pick them up and look at all their seams.

What first drew me to Jennifer's work was her ability to capture movement in plush form.

Polar Bear by Jennifer Muskopf

Again, with the bright underbody. And look at the movement here. Where's he headed? These toys tell a story.

I first found Jennifer's work many years ago (2007?) when I stumbled across her website and found her series entitled, "Animal Interactions." I've never been quite the same since. Take a look:

Animal Interaction by Jennifer Muskopf

Predator and prey relationships. There's death…

Animal Interaction by Jennifer Muskopf

…and birth.

Each toy is alive and in the midst of living a real animal life, but at the same time they're so clearly sewn from fabric. You can imagine these fabrics as upholstered chairs, but they're effectively used here as animal skin.

Jennifer can set a scene like nobody's business.

Plush scene by Jennifer Muskopf

I just want to live in there. And in here:

Plush scene by Jennifer Muskopf

The mud, the baby elephant, the big elephant bending down…this is just incredible.

I did a Q&A with Jennifer about her fabric birds in last chapter of The Artful Bird (along with Ann Wood and Abigail Brown) if you'd like to check it out. She makes great birds.

When I see work like this I remember why I do what I do. These stuffed animals makes me so happy. They're beautiful, original, and superbly crafted. I'm inspired and ready to get back in the studio now. I hope you are, too.

Visit Jennifer's website to see more of her plush animals.