The Toad Time collection will be live on Thursday, August 10th at 1PM ET!

This collection features twelve new items of doll clothing and accessories designed especially for our dear toad friends Ella and Lewis. Arriving along with their collection will be newly designed versions of both Ella and Lewis themselves! These new toads will be permanently replacing the current style of toad on our website from 8/10 onwards.

Before this change, Ella and Lewis have always been the same base doll. We love the original toad design, but we decided it was time for each to have some special details that differentiate them. We were nervous about this at first – we didn’t want to change too much and make them feel too different. It was important for each of them to be unique while still remaining true to themselves. We are very excited about where this design journey took us, and we hope you will love Ella and Lewis just as much in their new era.

Ella’s new design features cute embroidered bumps on top of her head and a round pink spot on each side of the back of her head. Lewis’s new design features a white chest and tummy, and a round tan spot on each cheek. Fun fact: the round spots represent a toad’s tympanum, which is its eardrum!

We also slightly adjusted the pattern for their heads, so they are less flat at the back and rounder overall. This adjustment should help them have an easier time wearing certain hats, such as the two new ones in this collection. They still aren’t quite suited to wearing most hats, since their eyes are on top of their heads, but we wanted to help them get in on some of the hat fun that the rest of the animals enjoy ♥️

Read on for all the ribbet-ing details of this toad-tastic collection! 🐸✨

Ella Toad – $48

Ella Toad likes to play kickball, so she wears special red booties to shield her webbed feet from the impact. Then, when she gets hungry for waterlily bulbs, she hangs her booties from a shrub and paddles into the pond barefoot. 

 

 

  

Lewis Toad – $48

Lewis Toad really likes working on his potter's wheel. You can see how he would be good at it because of his webbed hands. But he's afraid of sparks from the kiln, because he doesn't even have any fur. Oliver Mouse finds that part warm and cozy, though, so he is happy to help.

Cute puff-sleeved dress with twelve different bugs (and a snail!), screen-printed by hand in Colombia onto crisp white cotton. The deep teal ink makes Ella think of how the lake looks from her houseboat in the early mornings. Pleated skirt, velcro back closure. Fits any Hazel Village doll or animal. Original bug artwork by our wonderful workshop elf Sara Tanikawa.

Neat collared shirt in crisp white cotton, screen-printed by hand in Colombia with lots of bugs. Lewis tells us the blue-on-white print reminds him of the pottery shards he finds sometimes. That might be why he likes it so much, although he also just really loves bugs. Front velcro closure. Fits any Hazel Village doll or animal. Original bug artwork by our wonderful workshop elf Sara Tanikawa.

Dainty slippers in sage green fine wale corduroy, hand-embroidered with yellow flowers. Ivory cotton trim, real shell button closure. One might wear these slippers to an elegant dinner party in a grove lit by fireflies. They were designed for a toad’s webbed feet, so while any other animal could also wear them, they might look a little funny.

What a perfectly charming chapeau! A toad can wear this straw hat because it sits perched on the back of their head, rather than covering the top where their peepers are. Woven in northern Peru by skilled craftspeople, it is both sturdy and flexible which makes it perfect for play. Ivory cotton twill ties fasten in a bow under your animal’s chin. Finished with a hatband of pale periwinkle grosgrain ribbon from Japan. Fits any Hazel Village doll or animal.

 

 

Ella tells us Frog Ball is less about the rules, and more about enthusiasm. Naturally, it’s crucial to have the proper footwear. These excellent boots have a rich red suede upper, caramel-colored leather toe and sole, and oatmeal cotton binding. The brown waxed cotton laces are a little short for a bow because Ella prefers to tie them in a sturdy knot instead – all the better for energetic kicking. Made Particularly For Frogs, and as such might fit funny on animals who don’t have webbed feet.

(If you would like to learn how the animals play Frog Ball, scroll to the bottom of this blog post!)

Ella’s raincoat is what might be considered swamp-colored. “As it should be,” says Ella. Olive green waterproof jacket is equipped with two front pockets and a cotton-lined, wide-brimmed hood. Perfect for rainy day adventures with your froggy friends! Handmade in Colombia and will fit any Hazel Village doll or animal.

This dress brings to mind misty mornings on the lake and dewy patches of clover flowers in the meadow. A certain toad told us she feels “Ella-gant” when she wears it. Dusky lavender silk, hand loomed and naturally dyed in Cambodia by the artisans of Fair Weave. Three-tier ruffled skirt, cross-back pinafore top, velcro back closure. Fits any Hazel Village doll or animal.

 

 

 

Only the finest in botanically-inspired millinery! Five golden-yellow silk petals frame Ella’s face and flap gently as she hops and sails and scores an awesome Frog Ball trick. This silk was hand loomed in Cambodia by the artisans of Fair Weave, and botanically dyed with mango leaves and marigold flowers. Green linen base with five sepals and a fetching pointed crown. Matching green linen ties fasten in a bow under Ella’s chin. Fits any Hazel Village doll or animal who would like to feel flowery.

 

Lewis spends a lot of time working with clay at his pottery wheel – did you know making pots on the wheel is called ‘throwing’? As the name suggests, it can get messy, so a practical pair of overalls is very important. Sturdy bisqueware-colored twill with a big front pocket to hold Lewis’s tools. Gray and white Oxford stripe cotton binding, velcro back closure. Fits any Hazel Village doll or animal.

Lewis often wears his shop coat on chillier days, or if he’s working on a particularly ambitious piece. Sturdy bisque twill just like his overalls, with a pop of matching gray and white stripes under the collar. Two big front pockets for stashing his potholder mitts and maybe a tasty snack to keep his energy up. Two real shell buttons, stitched on with blue accent thread. This coat is the perfect armor for any project! Fits any Hazel Village doll or animal.

Sometimes Lewis gets a little nervous working with a hot kiln, so he likes to wear these cozy mitts over his webbed hands. Stone gray striped cotton quilted over an ivory cotton lining. Binding at the cuffs is a lovely black cotton with fine white dots and delicate red accents. Lewis says he would be happy to lend these mitts to any of his friends who are helping him work, but they might not be as snug a fit on someone with paws.

 

Lewis made this beautiful stoneware bowl and plate set for the table at the Lodge, so all his friends can enjoy eating from it. He is very proud of his work! We just love these tiny dishes - in reality they're handmade by our ceramicist friends in Chulucana, Peru. Natural clay color with blue moths stamped around the bowl and a blue snail stamped into the plate, all finished with a clear glaze. Because the clay body is a strong stoneware, these tiny pieces are sturdier than you would expect. Still, we can only recommend them for decorations because we can't do the testing to certify them as food safe.

 

Shop this collection on Thursday, August 10th at 1PM ET! 

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BONUS CONTENT: HOW TO PLAY FROG BALL! 

When we were writing up all the product names and descriptions for this collection, we asked Jane how the animals play Frog Ball. After taking a moment to contemplate, she quickly sketched out this diagram of a Frog Ball pitch and began explaining how she imagines it. Here are the highlights:

• Kind of like kickball, but not particularly competitive. You could kick the ball or you could bop it with your snout.
• The four bases aren't numbered; instead they're named for different flowers that one might find in a field.
• Hurdles between each of the bases. They’re made of wicker and festooned with flowers and ribbons. The animals take a lot of care decorating them. You have to jump over the hurdle on your way between bases.
• There is a slight hill in the middle where two animals stand to roll the ball at you and scamper off.
• Behind dandelion base is a hoop festooned with more ribbons and a bell. You want to get the ball through the hoop, and if you hit the bell it’s like a hole-in-one and that's very exciting. If you get a hole-in-one, the animals call it "the full bouquet".

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