Royal Doulton | Bunnykins | Child's Beaker | Fine Bone China | England, c.1936–1990s

The Punch and Judy show has been running since the seventeenth century; the rabbits in the audience look as though they have been waiting just as long.

Bunnykins was introduced by Royal Doulton in 1934, based on the drawings of Sister Mary Barbara Vernon, a Dominican nun whose scenes of rabbit families in domestic, outdoor and festive settings became one of the factory’s most enduring designs. The copyright was registered in 1936 — a date carried across decades of production. Alongside the more familiar handled forms, the range included simpler vessels such as this beaker, its clean shape suited to everyday use.

The beaker is of gently tapering cylindrical form, wider at the rim than the base, with a plain cream interior. One face carries the Punch and Judy scene: a green-and-white striped puppet booth with gold finials stands at centre, with a rabbit Punch figure visible in the window. In front, a group of young rabbits gathers on the sand — a pink balloon and a blue ball scattered among them — while to the right a father rabbit in a red jacket stands with a programme, beside a mother in a blue dress.

The reverse presents a beach scene: a rabbit in a red jacket holds two ice creams aloft, while a mother rabbit reaches towards him. In the foreground, a mouse in yellow holds its own ice cream, with a sand spade and bucket nearby. The familiar leaping hare border runs around the upper body, linking both scenes.

There are no chips, cracks, or crazing. The printed decoration remains vivid and well-preserved throughout, with no fading to either scene or the border. The piece is in mint, unused condition.

Key Details

• Maker: Royal Doulton
• Pattern: Bunnykins — Punch and Judy and Beach scenes
• Form: Child's beaker
• Material: English fine bone china
• Backstamp: "Bunnykins" ® / © Royal Doulton Tableware Ltd 1936
• Diameter: 8.6 cm
• Height: 9.4 cm
• Weight: 189 g
• Condition: Mint; unused

Collector Appeal

Beakers form a quieter part of the Bunnykins range, lacking the handles of the more familiar mugs but offering a simpler, more direct form. Examples combining multiple narrative scenes, such as this, provide a broader visual interest and are less frequently encountered than standard single-scene pieces. In unused condition, with clear and unfaded decoration, they hold steady appeal for collectors of Royal Doulton nurseryware.

A form like this leaves little to interrupt the surface — just a continuous scene, turning slowly as it is held.