Royal Doulton | Bunnykins | Two-Handled Child's Mug | Fine Bone China | England, 1984 — Golden Jubilee Celebration

Royal Doulton | Bunnykins | Two-Handled Child's Mug | Fine Bone China | England, 1984 — Golden Jubilee Celebration

The rabbit tied to the pole appears unconcerned — which suggests she has been through this particular game before.

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. In 1984, the fiftieth anniversary of the range was marked with a Golden Jubilee Celebration issue, of which this mug forms part.

This example carries one of the more animated and theatrical scenes in the series, drawing on a child’s interpretation of frontier adventure.

The mug is of the classic twin-handled form, with a gently tapering cylindrical body set between two loop handles. The principal scene depicts a staged “Wild West” play: a cowboy rabbit in a yellow hat and red cape rides a grey rocking horse, arm extended with a toy pistol, while a rabbit in a blue dress stands tied to a post behind him. To the right, two rabbits in costume leap and dance in the background, adding to the sense of movement and play. Two mice watch from the foreground.

The reverse carries a second scene, showing the same cowboy figure riding across an open sky, cape lifted behind him, reinforcing the sense of imagined adventure. The leaping hare border runs continuously above both scenes.

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

Key Details

• Maker: Royal Doulton
• Pattern: Bunnykins — Wild West scenes
• Form: Two-handled child's mug
• Material: English fine bone china
• Backstamp: "Bunnykins" ® / © Royal Doulton Tableware Ltd 1936 / Golden Jubilee Celebration / 1984
• Length (handle to handle): 13 cm
• Bowl diameter: 8.5 cm
• Height: 7.5 cm
• Weight: 237 g
• Condition: Mint; unused

Collector Appeal

The 1984 Golden Jubilee issue commemorates fifty years of Bunnykins. This two-handled mug combines the traditional nursery form with a lively Wild West scene, retaining clear decoration and an unused condition.

Other Bunnykins Golden Jubilee pieces from the shop: two-handled mug (railway scene), cereal bowl and breakfast bowl.

A scene like this depends less on accuracy than on imagination — and that has not changed.