Royal Doulton | Bunnykins | Cricket & Wheelbarrow Race Child's Mug | Fine Bone China | England, Late 20th Century

Royal Doulton | Bunnykins | Cricket & Wheelbarrow Race Child's Mug | Fine Bone China | England, Late 20th Century

Two of the most English things imaginable — a wheelbarrow race and a game of cricket — and the rabbits have taken to both with complete conviction.

Bunnykins was introduced by Royal Doulton in 1934, drawing on illustrations by Barbara Vernon Bailey, known as Sister Mary Barbara, an Augustinian nun. Her early designs established the character of the range, which continued under other illustrators. The 1936 copyright date appears on later backstamps and should not be confused with the manufacturing date of an individual piece. Within the range, the single-handled mug forms a distinct variation, taller in proportion than the twin-handled form and suited to a later stage of childhood use.

The mug is of gently tapering cylindrical form with a single loop handle, wider at the rim than the base. One face carries the wheelbarrow race scene: a group of rabbits compete in pairs across a grassy field, each holding the legs of the rabbit in front as they scramble forward. A rabbit in blue leads at centre, with others in red flanking the scene, while a rabbit in yellow has already come unstuck in the foreground. Small mushrooms dot the grass, and stylised clouds rise against a pale blue sky.

The reverse presents the cricket scene: a rabbit in a red jacket strides across the grass carrying a bat and a full complement of cricket equipment, accompanied by two mice — one in yellow and one in blue — each helping to manage the load. 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 — Wheelbarrow Race and Cricket scenes
• Form: Single-handled child's mug
• Material: English fine bone china
• Backstamp: "Bunnykins" ® / © Royal Doulton Tableware Ltd 1936
• Diameter: 7.4 cm
• Height: 9.1 cm
• Length (including handle): 9.4 cm
• Weight: 171 g
• Condition: Mint; unused

Collector Appeal

The two scenes give the mug a narrative on either side, with the cricket and wheelbarrow-race illustrations linked by the familiar Bunnykins border. The decoration remains clear and the mug is in unused condition.

Other Bunnykins pieces from the shop: two-handled mug, earthenware cereal bowl, dinner plate, beaker and baby plate and porridge bowl.

The mice carrying the knee guards and wickets are the ones doing the real work — as they tend to be.