Royal Doulton | Bunnykins | Punch and Judy Child's Beaker | Fine Bone China | England, Late 20th Century

Royal Doulton | Bunnykins | Punch and Judy Child's Beaker | Fine Bone China | England, Late 20th Century

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, 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. 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

The beaker’s gently tapering form provides an uninterrupted surface for the Punch and Judy and beach scenes. Both remain clearly printed, with the running-rabbit border intact and the piece in unused condition.

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

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