Punkinhead Explained

Punkinhead, "the sad little bear", was a rubbery toy bear with a tuft of unruly orange hair. He was designed and developed into a storybook character by Canadian cartoonist Charles Thorson.^{[1] [2]} The bears were manufactured by Merrythought company.^[3]

Punkinhead was the main character in a series of children's books published by the T. Eaton Company, a large department store in Toronto, Ontario. To promote the sale of the stuffed bear and the books, the store created a song about him and sold recordings of it.^[4]

Punkinhead became associated with Eaton's Christmas advertising.^[5] In 1947, Punkinhead appeared in Toronto's Santa Claus parade. The character also appeared on many of Eaton's toys,^[6] accessories and clothing.^[7] Among them were kitchenware items such as bowls and mugs, furniture such as chairs and rocking horses, and clothing such as toques and mittens.^[8]

The Punkinhead doll and books have become collectors' items.^[9]

Books

• Punkinhead, the Sad Little Bear
• Punkinhead in Santa's Workshop, 1950
• Punkinhead and the Christmas Party, 1952
• Punkinhead and His Toy Workshop Adventure, 1954
• Punkinhead in Animal Valley, 1955
• Punkinhead and Jock the Jumper, 1960

Further reading

• Punkinhead's progress. Maclean's. Deziel. Shanda. 31 March 2003. 13 November 2020.

Notes and References

1. Book: Audrey Greer. The Santa Claus Parade Story: 100 Years of Great Parades in Toronto. 2006. J.B. Greer. 978-0-9781978-0-3. 26–.
2. Book: Gerry Bowler. The World Encyclopedia of Christmas. 23 October 2012. McClelland & Stewart. 978-1-55199-607-3. 756–.
3. Web site: PUNKINHEAD . Canadian Animation, Cartooning and Illustration . 4 December 2021.
4. Book: Doug Taylor. Doug Taylor (historian). Arse Over Teakettle: An Irreverent Story of Coming of Age During the 1940s in Toronto. November 2010. iUniverse. 978-1-4502-0531-3. 330–.
5. Bruce Allen Kopytek. Eaton's: The Trans-Canada Store, Page 322
6. Book: Hockey Night in Canada Junior. 2011. Lulu.com. 978-1-257-81680-4. 108–.
7. https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/eatons/punkinhead.aspx "Punkinhead - Santa's Very Special Little Bear"
8. News: The little bear from Eaton's catalogue of dreams. MacGregor. Roy. The Globe and Mail. 24 December 2007. 13 November 2020.
9. Book: Judith Cowan. The Permanent Nature of Everything: A Memoir. 1 September 2014. MQUP. 978-0-7735-9624-5. 83–.