“Sleepyhead, close your eyes. Mother’s right here beside you.” – Lullaby and Goodnight (Brahms’ Lullaby)
The dozing eyes of each Wee Little Wild Ones lovey suggest long days of imaginative playing. “The closed eyes started because I was looking for a dreamy look for our lovies,” explained maker Sherry O’Neill. “I liked the look, so I have done them all that way.” I like anything that encourages my kiddos to nap.
Based in Minnesota, Wee Little Wild Ones focuses exclusively on plush loveys and stuffed animals. “The bunnies are one of my favorites. They have such a sweet look and are fun with their long ears,” O’Neill said. “I think the mouse mini stuffy was really popular. In fact, all the woodland creatures of our recent Forest Friends drop sold out pretty fast!” Each plush friend is constructed from high quality, silky soft materials and most of them measure approximately 16” in length. And, the Wee Little Wild Ones eyes are not their only distinctive feature. “All of our creations have a heart sewn on their butts. This is something we started in honor of my little niece who was born with a severe heart defect and spent almost seven months in the NICU. We almost lost her but thankfully she is home now,” O’Neill shared. “Our hope is to find an organization that helps heart babies and make donations or do auctions to help them as their expenses are so great.”
O’Neill opened up shop this past summer. “I have been making stuffies and lovies for years for my own kids, grandkids and friends. Everyone kept telling me I should open a shop, so finally I did,” she recalled. “I love to create things that kids can play with and take on adventures. My kids and my grandkids draw different designs and then I create them in stuffie or lovie form.” The Wee Little shop name was also inspired by O’Neill’s wild littles. “The shop name is something we thought was cute. It can mean animals, monsters or any creature we can imagine!”
As a fledgling shop, O’Neill is learning the ropes of the small shop community. “I have learned so much even though I have only had a few drops so far. People should not underestimate how much work goes into the whole process. Every maker works very hard, much harder than I realized,” she said. O’Neill herself is hard at work on new holiday releases. “I am super excited because my grandkids have some fun drawings I plan to make, including several monsters. I can just let my imagination go with those. One will be making its debut in stuffy form soon!”
Pick out your own snuggly lovey from the Wee Little Wild Ones website and join the shop’s VIP Facebook group for details on other upcoming drops.
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