In the meadow full of tasty green grass, Arthur Lamb shares his toys and plays nicely with his friends Lucas and Puffy: kites, tag, and Baa-Ball. He snacks on grass and bonbons whenever he gets hungry.

Friends, let us tell you the tale of a very special lamb. First, a little history: for the last nine years or so, we have had a permanent collection of 20 animals who call Hazel Village home. These are the woodland friends that Jane dreamed up back in 2010, when she started sewing everything alone in her bedroom in Brooklyn.

Jane in 2013 with Gwendolyn Raccoon 

She made some changes here and there - a few animals were retired early on, like Mortimer Mouse, and a couple were added in the early years, like Lucy Owl and Phoebe Fawn - but since 2014, the residents of Hazel Village haven’t changed.

Hazel Village friends in the workshop in 2016

Jane knew there was a limit to how many animals could live in the Village, and if she ever added more there would be a clear expectation that they were simply visitors passing through. These days the animals welcome 4-5 visiting friends each year. Visiting animals might stick around the Village for a few days or a few months before departing to continue their adventures elsewhere. But a certain little lamb came along who captured everyone’s heart, and we just had to make an exception for him. 

Arthur's original announcement on Instagram

Arthur Lamb first visited Hazel Village in March of 2022. At his initial release on our website, he sold out in eleven minutes - the fastest of any limited-edition animal ever!

Our Marketing Director Raquel's launch day post on the Facebook group for our customer loyalty program

We knew immediately that this little guy was special. We restocked him over the summer, and he stuck around until that fall. When he finally bid goodbye to his friends at the Village, we were sad to see him go. So sad in fact, that after much discussion we decided to do something we had never done before: bring him back for good.  

The first order of business was for Crystal, our Director of Production, to work her magic and make sure that we could add Arthur to the production schedule for our talented artisan partners in Nepal. (If you'd like to learn more about our ethical manufacturing partnerships, click here!) Next, there was one important change to make. Although he was made using the same basic pattern that we adapt for all our animals, Arthur turned out smaller than the other woodland friends. Here's a side-by-side photo with Max Raccoon for comparison:

We learned that this was because Arthur's natural cotton sherpa fabric stretches differently than our usual organic cotton fleece. While this smaller Arthur was very sweet and special, we received feedback from our customers that his shorter stature made it difficult for our doll clothing to fit him well. Since it is important for our business and our customer's convenience that all the Villagers be able to share doll clothing, we decided to adjust this when we put Arthur back into production. So we scaled up his pattern, and reviewed several samples. 

It might be a subtle difference, but we're glad that this update will help make sure that all our doll clothing fits Arthur as nicely as it fits the other dolls & animals. We like to think that Arthur maybe just grew up a tiny bit during his time away from the Village. Now he can share his favorite outfits with all his friends! 

Jane completed two important projects to welcome Arthur as a permanent resident of Hazel Village. First, she drew his portrait. 

Our next collectible bandana will feature Arthur's portrait alongside all the other animals. This bandana is currently in production and will be available soon.

Second, she added his new home to the Village map!

When Arthur first stayed at Hazel Village, his best pal was Lucas Rabbit. Naturally when Lucas heard that Arthur was coming back to stay, the first thing he did was gleefully hop up and down a bunch. But right after that when he had calmed down a little, he insisted that Arthur move in next door to him. The woodland friends all pitched in and helped build Arthur a cozy home next to Lucas's. How welcoming! 

Arthur Lamb will be available on Wednesday, March 29th at 1PM ET. In keeping with the signature style that he brought to the Village last year, Arthur's returning outfit is a new pair of one-strap overalls.

Mossy One-Shoulder Overalls - $14

These winsome overalls were handmade in Cambodia from beautiful hand-loomed cotton fabric, made by the artisans of FairWeave with natural botanical dyes. The muted deep green is dappled with light checks woven into the fabric, and reminds the animals of a mossy forest floor when sunlight is peeking through the canopy. Single strap with a real shell button allows for ideal range of motion when romping and playing. Velcro back closure.

For this launch, there is a limit of ONE per household for both Arthur and his overalls. We will of course be restocking Arthur if he sells out, but a restock will take some time so we want to help make sure he doesn't sell too fast right away. Arthur's overalls will not be restocking. This purchase limit will be lifted after the first two days if items remain in stock. 

Welcome back forever, Arthur!!

You might also like:

All About Limited Edition Animals

Interview with Design Intern & Workshop Elf Sara

Where Are They Made? 

Feel free to email us with any questions at hello@hazelvillage.com!