Looking Back on a Year at Hazel Village – 2024

12-21-24 |

Hazel Village News

What a year it has been, friends! Let's do some reminiscing!

The year began with the launch of the Slumber Season Collection in January: cozy pajamas, slippers, and sleeping bags to keep the animals snuggly for their winter snoozing. Our mini gray cat dolly was released in this collection and is still available – you can even still get the mini sleeping bag to keep her cozy.

In February, Marnie Chicken arrived at Hazel Village for a visit. She helped the woodland friends with lots of projects that involved hammer stuff and saw stuff. Marnie enjoyed living in the Village Guest House for quite some time – she departed in October, promising to send the other animals a postcard from her next locale!

Here is a behind-the-scenes fact: Marnie's launch was a big deal for our team here in Brooklyn because we had only JUST moved in to our new workshop when she arrived. It was the first launch we'd had in years where we weren't working practically on top of one another, but instead had all the space we needed. Incredibly exciting, as you might imagine!

Soon after Marnie Chicken arrived, it was time for the animals to update their wardrobes with some new spring attire. The Day Meadow Collection brought a light and airy color palette to the season's fashion! Many of these clothing items are still available, and you can shop them here.

Arthur Lamb was this year's Egg Day Bunny! The animals celebrate Egg Day every spring – you can learn more about it in our blog post about the animals' holidays and festivities. Egg Day Arthur sported a special floral ear lining to commemorate the springtime meadows where he loves to play. He also shared some of his favorite outfits, and three new mini animal dollies (a chickadee, a snail, and a fish).

Arthur's chickadee costume is still available, in case you are interested – he tells us it is good for all seasons.

In late March we released a very exciting brand new product: the Map Tapestry Play Quilt, depicting the animals' homes and key landmarks. We love so many things about this quilt, but most particularly all the magical little details in Jane's watercolor illustration. If you are fond of Hazel Village lore and enjoy thinking about the animals in their cozy forest home, this is a must-have item for you!

In April we released three functional sets, designed to encourage imaginative play and to celebrate some activities that the Hazel Village animals love: making art, caring for the earth, and playing fun games with friends. The Gardening Set, Art Set, and Toy Set are all still available now – shop them here!

On May 1st, naturally, the animals celebrated May Day! This is Emma Rabbit's favorite holiday, and always involves much festooning of ribbons and many twirling dances. The Billowy Shirt was released in this collection, and there were many requests to bring it back after it sold out – perhaps you might see it again next year...

Later in May, the Villagers welcomed back their friend Augustus Wild Boar! Augustus, who first visited in 2019, was quite chuffed to see his old pals again. If you haven't yet invited Augustus to join your Village, we highly recommend it! He has been enjoying a lengthy visit and is still available now. You might be surprised at what a gourmet palate a little boar can have – he will undoubtedly prepare many delicious sandwiches for your picnics.

With summer's arrival in June, it was time for the Villagers to throw their annual Firefly Ball. They gathered in the Night Meadow at dusk to play their instruments (led by the Village orchestra conductor Phoebe Fawn), and dance with their firefly friends.

Next came the Juneberry Festival. The items in this collection were designed to represent all the different parts of the juneberry tree, from its branches and leaves to its white blossoms and reddish-purple berries.

The Juneberry Picking Play Set is still available now! It includes everything an animal needs to gather juneberries: a beautiful hand-woven water hyacinth basket, a doll-size wooden ladder, a tiny paper map of Hazel Village (marked with the location of each juneberry tree), and a leather carrying strap embossed with a juneberry leaf.

In July, Clara Otter splish-splashed her way into the Village for a visit. She taught the other animals how to dive for freshwater mussels which might have pearls in them, and showed them how she practices her headstands and flips on the lake beach. Quite impressive, Clara! Our riverine friend stayed in the Guest House until October, when she packed up her dry bag backpack and swam off for her next adventure.

Before she left, Clara kindly taught her friends how to sew a little shell pouch for their favorite trinkets. Read our craft tutorial to learn how you can make your own!

In August we released a micro-collection of three items which, when worn together, become the perfect berry-sharing celebration outfit. Whenever the mood strikes them, the animals of Hazel Village will gather in the Lodge Field for a berry-sharing celebration. They play games like Berry Toss, and sometimes they practice berry oratory – on one memorable occasion, Max Raccoon made an impassioned speech on behalf of the mulberry.

All three items were sustainably handmade at our Brooklyn workshop, using a stash of old fabric from days gone by. In this photo you can see Claudia working on the pants!

Later on in August, the animals performed in their puppet theater! This collection included a Lokta paper puppet theater play set, and four embroidered wool felt puppets inspired by characters of Hazel Village legend. Both the theater and the puppets were brand new product designs for us, and we think they were a lot of fun.

The Scary Tiger and Bluebell Hero Pig puppets are still available now! They are designed to be worn over the paws of the Hazel Village animals, but can also function as a finger puppet if you yourself would like to perform.

As September arrived and the back-to-school season with it, we were delighted to debut a new design for the Village's most academic animal: Lucy Owl! Lucy's new look (a permanent change) was accompanied by a library-themed collection, complete with a set of mini books. How scholarly!

When autumn came to Hazel Village, the animals celebrated the Squash Festival. They dressed up in squash-themed costumes, gathered all the late season vegetables from their garden, made preserves to be stored in their cellars for the winter, and cooked tasty dishes for a special feast to celebrate the year’s harvest. This year, Florence Bat returned to join the animals in their festivities. Florence is quite the popular bat - she stuck around for just three weeks!

In October, the animals introduced their four new dollies: the mini night creatures! Mini bat, barn owl, opossum, and raccoon were delightful diminutive pals for the autumnal season. “I too am a creature of the night, so we get along beautifully,” said Florence.

In late October, a most magical friend alighted on the Hazel Village sledding hill: Cyril Dragon! It is not often that mystical creatures visit Hazel Village, but Cyril is such a special guy that we just knew you had to meet him. He generously shared the trinkets and treasures from his hoard with his new friends, and taught them how to make toasted campfire bread. How kind! Cyril departed the Village in late November.

As we moved into the holiday season, the animals once again needed to update their wardrobe. Many items from the Festive Foraging collection are still available now – you can shop them here if your Villagers need some new seasonally appropriate attire! Or perhaps a mini moose...

The Cozy Layers collection launched in late November, so the animals could be all bundled up and ready for winter. Zoe Rabbit tells us it is important to be properly dressed for wintry activities, such as practicing ice skating on the frozen pond. Quite right, Zoe!

As per Hazel Village tradition, our final collection of the year celebrated the Icicle's First Twinkle. On the longest night of the year, when the pond is cold enough to skate on, the animals have a twinkly lantern ball. Then they stay up all night long in the Lodge, drinking cocoa and singing songs. They take turns sneaking outside to the Present Tree, to decorate it with beautiful decorations, birdseed treats, and presents for their friends. In the morning when the sun comes up, they open their presents together.

This swirling snow dress, printed with our original watercolor artwork, is still available – the perfect fanciful gown for icy festivities!

Thus ends another cheerful and industrious year of Hazel Village! We are so grateful that you chose to spend it with the animals and with us. Take good care!