Alexander Opossum and his collection will be live on our site this Wednesday, November 5th at 1 PM ET! There is a purchase limit of 1 per household for all items, which will be lifted 24 hours after launch.

WELCOME, ALEXANDER!! We could not be more excited to introduce you to our opossum friend. Alexander will be the final limited-edition visitor of 2025! 

We started planning for Alexander's visit almost a year ago. In the time between then and now, it just so happens that "opossum" has become the number one Hazelnut request for a new animal friend. As the enthusiastic calls for an opossum have poured in over recent months, we've been quietly amazed at how the timing worked out. We hope you'll love Alexander as much as we do!

Read on to meet Alexander and explore his greenhouse gardening collection. At the bottom of this blog post we included a bit of behind the scenes about Alexander's design, as well as a free printable of his garden pen pal correspondence ♥️

Alexander Opossum – $54

Limit of 1 per household

Alexander Opossum wants to tell us about the best fruits to grow and eat, in his opinion. Based on books he has read, his trials in his fruitarium greenhouse, and his correspondence with garden pen pals. Such expertise!

Alexander is handmade from white, charcoal gray, and light brown organic cotton fleece, and stuffed with hypoallergenic polyfill. His face is hand-embroidered with cotton thread. His ear linings are dark brown linen, and he has dark pink claws stitched on each front paw.

Goldenberry Shirt for Dolls – $14

Limit of 1 per household

Alexander Opossum’s everyday shirt is crisp navy cotton with a print of tiny scattered goldenberries and green leaves. It buttons in the front with two corozo buttons, which also look quite a bit like goldenberries. Handmade by our artisan partners in Cambodia.

 

 

Patched Trousers for Dolls – $16

Limit of 1 per household

A good pair of overalls is essential gear for any gardener, and Alexander Opossum favors these suspender pants. They are made from earthy brown woven cotton, high-waisted and gathered for a roomy shape. Alexander has reinforced the knees with some corduroy patches. Velcro back closure with a thoughtful tail hole. Handmade by our artisan partners in Colombia.

Cozy Flannel Pajamas for Dolls – $28

Limit of 1 per household

As a creature who prefers to sleep in the daylight hours, while most animals are noisily going about their business, Alexander Opossum relies upon his cozy pajamas to help him get good rest. They are made from soft cotton flannel in pine and navy plaid. The shirt fastens in front with two real shell buttons, and the pants have an elastic waist with a comfortable tail hole. Happy snoozing, Alexander! Handmade by our artisan partners in Cambodia.

Maypop Balaclava for Dolls – $22

Limit of 1 per household

This balaclava makes Alexander Opossum feel right at home when he is nestled amongst the maypop vines, studying their magnificent blossoms and checking the wrinkliness of the fruit to see if it is ripe yet. Knit from bright green woolen yarn, with thoughtful ear holes and an artful flower that sits atop Alexander’s head. Handmade by our artisan partners in Nepal.

 

Potting Smock for Dolls – $24

Limit of 1 per household

Alexander Opossum wears this smock to keep his shirt from getting grubby when he is working in the greenhouse. It features three of his favorite fruits to grow and eat: maypop, persimmon, and pawpaw. Made from dark brown linen, with truly splendid hand-stitched linen appliqué. Fastens with two plum-colored corozo buttons. Handmade by our artisan partners in Cambodia.

Pineapple Appreciation Vest for Dolls – $24

Limit of 1 per household

A cozy golden-yellow sweater vest with a spiky green collar and a pleasantly bumpy texture. The tummy pocket means Alexander Opossum can snuggle with his fruit bat dolly while he gardens – how nice! Made from the softest baby alpaca yarn, with yarn button closure at the back collar. Hand knit by our artisan partners in Peru.

Mini Patchwork Fruit Bat – $18

Limit of 1 per household

Alexander Opossum calls his fruit bat dolly Flappy. (Flappy was a thoughtful gift from Alexander’s pen pal, Jeremy Owl.) She is made in patchwork style from scrappy bits of brown linen, navy corduroy, and Liberty of London floral cotton. Handmade by our artisan partners in Cambodia.

Greenhouse Gardening Tote for Dolls – $18

Limit of 1 per household

Alexander Opossum can fit lots of important stuff in this bag: gardening tools, packets of seeds, his potting smock, and even his fruit bat dolly. It is made from dark brown linen with light green trim, and has seven outer pockets. Hand-embroidered with a heart-shaped turnip motif to represent Alexander’s love of gardening. Handmade by our artisan partners in Cambodia.

Shop our visiting friend Alexander Opossum and his limited-edition collection on Wednesday, November 5th at 1 PM ET! 

 

Garden Pen Pal Correspondence 

We think Alexander's garden pen pal correspondence could inspire some exciting imaginative play, so we put together a PDF that you can print out at home! This free printable also includes a portfolio envelope to neatly store the papers. You can find it here, and it will be linked on Alexander's product page as well.

 

Behind the Scenes

Back in 2020, we auctioned off five custom Hazel Village animals to raise money for Every Mother Counts. One of the auction winners chose an opossum! After talking through her hopes and dreams and sketching up the perfect opossum for her, we created this one-of-a-kind doll: 

We think this custom opossum turned out very special, and it was a helpful starting point when it came time to design an official Hazel Village opossum friend. Here is Jane's first sketch of Alexander:

There were several rounds of sampling and revisions before we settled on Alexander's final design. If you enjoy this kind of behind the scenes insight, stay tuned for our YouTube video about Alexander and his collection! 

Below is Jane's final watercolor artwork for Alexander's postcard, in which he is inspecting a maypop fruit while wearing his maypop balaclava ♥️