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. The bears were manufactured by Merrythought company.
Punkinhead was created by the T. Eaton Company, who were hoping to emulate the success Montgomery Ward had with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Once the Eaton's marketing department had developed the initial concept, Thorson was commissioned to flesh out the idea. Thorson chose the name 'Punkinhead' as it was his nickname for his son.
In 1947, Punkinhead made his debut in the Toronto Santa Claus Parade. As Eaton's had been the longtime sponsor of the parade, Punkinhead was quickly declared the parade's mascot. When cheers for Punkinhead got as loud as the cheers for Santa, Punkinhead soon got to ride in Santa's sleigh alongside Santa Claus. Punkinhead's popularity began to wane by the early-1960s, but Punkinhead remained the parade's mascot until Eaton's ended their involvement with the parade in 1982.
Punkinhead became a fixture of Eaton's Christmas advertising.Bruce Allen Kopytek. Eaton's: The Trans-Canada Store, Page 322 The character also appeared on many of Eaton's toys, accessories and clothing."Punkinhead - Santa's Very Special Little Bear" . Archives of Ontario website Among them were kitchenware items such as bowls and mugs, furniture such as chairs and rocking horses, and clothing such as toques and mittens.
Punkinhead had a song written about him and Eaton's sold recordings of it. Wilf Carter even recorded a version for his Christmas album.
Eaton's briefly resurrected the character in 1992, hoping to play on nostalgia.
The Punkinhead doll and books have become collector's items.
Books The storybooks were a key part of the Punkinhead merchandising push, with children being given a free copy when they visited Santa at Eaton's. Punkinhead, the Sad Little Bear, 1948 Punkinhead and the Snow Fairy,, 1949 Punkinhead in Santa's Workshop, 1950 Punkinhead and the Magic Wishes, 1951 Punkinhead and the Christmas Party, 1952 How Punkinhead Came to Toyland, 1953 Punkinhead and His Toy Workshop Adventure, 1954 Punkinhead in Animal Valley, 1955 Punkinhead and the Clock that Fell Asleep, 1956 Punkinhead and the Christmas Skates, 1957 Punkinhead and the Little Princess, 1958 Punkinhead and the Lollipop Man, 1959 Punkinhead and Jock the Jumper, 1960
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Further reading