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, based on the drawings of Sister Mary Barbara Vernon, a Dominican nun whose scenes of rabbit families in domestic, outdoor and imaginative settings became one of the factory’s most enduring designs. The copyright was registered in 1936 — a date carried across decades of production. 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

Golden Jubilee Bunnykins pieces from 1984 mark a defined moment within the long production history of Royal Doulton, commemorating fifty years of one of its most recognisable designs. Two-handled mugs remain among the most consistently sought-after forms in the range, and examples featuring more animated or narrative-driven scenes, such as this, tend to stand out within standard production. In unused condition, with clear and unfaded decoration, they continue to hold steady appeal among collectors and buyers alike.

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