Polish Puppets
by Hanka Kosmicka

"Hand & Finger Puppets" is a totally Australian owned company and we have exclusive rights for representing the manufacturer and importing "HANKA" Puppets to Australia.

"HANKA" Puppets are designed by a very talented and creative Polish artist - Hanka Kosmicka. 

All puppets are handcrafted in her workshop in Gdansk, Poland . They are displayed and sold in her Gallery nearby as well as other galleries across the country.

These Puppets are also being used across Europe (including Norway, Finland and Germany) and in America, as a valuable and effective educational tool for children. Various child psychologists recommend and use them, in particular when working with children with disabilities and learning difficulties.

Over the years Hanka Kosmicka has won numerous awards for her work, recently her puppets were recognised by the Children's Rights Protection Committee in Poland.

In 2003, Hanka Kosmicka was commissioned to create puppets for an exhibition in the Grand Palais in Paris. She created puppets based on the characters of Marc Chagall's paintings. The exhibition was an extreme success, and she is now considering widening the puppet selection to include this new line.

Finger Puppets
by Margaret Somerville MBE

Margaret Somerville was born in Lismore, NSW in 1912, the daughter of a methodist minister. In 1941 Margaret took up missionary work in the methodist church and went to work as a cottage mother to Aboriginal children on crker island in the Northern territory.

During the war because of the threat of an invaision by Japan the 95 children and staff had to be evbacuated fron the island to otford in NSW. there they spent the rest of the war in safty. Their journey accross the centre of Australia, travelling 3000 miles, took six weeks. Some completed on foot, walkung across desert to be picked up by truck and taken to the railway. Margaret wrote about this epic journey in her book " They crossed a continent"

After the war margaret and the children returned to Crocker Island, where she served as a cottage mother for the next 20 years. margaret was awarded the MBE for her work on crocker island. The work on Croker Island was moved to Darwin in 1968 and continues to care for underprivileged children under the name of Somerville Community Services.

The Somerville Homes in darwin, which care for handicapped young people are also named in honour of Margaret. Margaret was the first Australian woman to be presented with the battle of Australia medallion in 1991.

For the last 30 years Margaret has been making little finger puppets. During this time she has made more than 50,000 puppets and has raised thousands of dollard for charity.

Wooden Toys
by Les Starkie

In his forties, Les was made redundant from his job. Though a Fitter and Turner by trade, Les turned to woodworking, an interest he inherited from his father, a wood turner. As a hobby, Les started making small wooden train sets, which he then painted in bright colours and sold at craft markets. His range of toys steadily increased over the years with over 20 different items currently available.

Les's motto became "affordable, well made wooden toys, brightly painted".

Les resisted going into business when he realised that to compete with cheap plastic and imported wooden toys he would have to automate the making of his toys, which meant losing their uniqueness.

After 14 years, Les still enjoys toy making and spends many hours a week on creating these unique handcrafted items.

Hobby Horses
by Jackie Reynolds

Jackie started making hobby horses about 15 years ago after she bought a hobby horse for her 3yr old son at a market, before she had even left the market the horse had lost an eye and an ear was falling off. The horse was falling apart because it was held together with glue! Disappointed, Jackie, who always enjoyed making things, knew she could do better. By using brightly coloured fabrics and hand stitching her horses, Jackie has recreated a beautiful old fashioned concept which allows children to enjoy colour, creativity and imagination while encouraging their gross motor skills and they are galloping good fun.

Jackie works in a childcare centre and a tennis centre running programs for children and continues to make hobby horses because of the joy they bring to children.

Baboolia Bunny
by Ariel Korobacz

After completing an Art Diploma in Sydney in 1995, Ariel went to New York to extend her studies into the Performing Arts. In 2000 she returned to Australia to teach, a profession she saw as ideal for combining her love of the arts with her love of children. Unfortunately she suffered renal failure and was unable to continue. Whilst waiting for a kidney transplant she turned her creative focus to making gifts for children of friends and family, and so the first Baboolia Bunny was born. Modeled on Nonna Rabbit , a favorite of her own childhood days, made for her by her Grandma. The first Baboolia Bunny was made from vintage chenille and dressed in unique cotton creations from her grandma's overflowing fabric cupboard. Today's Bunnies are made from a combination of vintage chenille and soft cotton bodies, face feature felt appliqué and embroidery. The garments are made from new and vintage fabrics. The bunnies contain allergy free filling and can be washed gently in warm water.

Children's Toys and Furniture
by Neil Griffiths

Neil began working with wood when he was just 8 years old and has always had a passion for making things. A shoemaker by trade, Neil came to Australia from England in 1970 and settled in Melbourne. However jobs in that industry were scarce at that time and he found a job building boats. As he didn't have any furniture, he set about making some. When his children became teenagers, Neil felt he should be around home more and so he began making furniture and children's toys for a living and has been doing it ever since.

Black & White Mobiles
by Tina Matthews

Tina Mathews likes making art that moves. Originally a puppet maker, she worked for the Marionette Theatre of Australia, Henson's Muppet Workshop in London, the ABC and Bananas in Pajamas. During these productions she also produced two children and found she needed something to keep them happy and occupied while she worked sculpting and constructing puppets on the kitchen table and thus the Black and White mobile was born. Tina self published them in 1992 and they have been printed in Marrickville ever since. Both the cardboard mobile and the sleeve are made from recycled paper.

Baby Toys
by Susan Leigh and Sue Gibson

Susan Leigh designed and made clothes for her dolls and has been making her own clothes since she was a teenager. She began making collectable Teddy bears in 2000 and in 2006 won first and third place for Teddy bears at the Royal Easter Show. Sue now designs her own Teddy's and sells them in kit form for people to make themselves or takes orders to make them up. Sue is a member of the Gorden Handcraft Association.

Susan Gibson started by designing and making clothes for her Barbie doll and has been making her own clothes since she was thirteen. During her first pregnancy, Sue began making baby clothes and soft toys. She designed and made a baby mobile for a friend's baby and started receiving orders for others. Sue is also a member of the Gorden Handcraft Association.

Sue Leigh and Sue Gibson were both born in Durban, South Africa but met each other through the Gorden Handcraft Association in Australia. A strong friendship formed as they shared the same interests and love of cute whimsical soft toys. They decided to team up and work together and for the past 12 months have been producing a range of children's clothes, soft toys, handcrafted gifts and educational toys. They intend to introduce a range of Montessori style educational toys in the near future.

Kembo Blocks

The 'Kindergarten Project Blocks' are proudly made in Australia . They are part of a system of wooden blocks developed about a century ago, and a small specialist firm has been making them in Sydney for over 35 years!

Kembo blocks are made from high-grade plantation timber from Australia and New Zealand . They are natural timber finish, not lacquered or oiled. They are cleverly designed and carefully made to give your child endless hours of enjoyment. Playing with Kembo Blocks helps encourage skills in design, balance, co-ordination, imagination, pattern and creativity.

One more thing: since Kembo Blocks are accurately made to modular dimensions, playing with them is actually 'playing with maths' - very useful for later on!

Carefully made of quality materials, Kembo Blocks will give your child many years of enjoyment.

Dinkum Drums

Great sound - Parent friendly!

Our drums are sturdy, have a great resonant sound and are lots of fun. Originally we started making them for playgroups. They have a brightly covered tin body with a rubber top and bottom which is laced together with cord that does not lose its tension. Each drum comes with double-ended drumsticks and the neck strap is easily removable. Multi-coloured drumsticks also available separately.

A classic toy that helps develop a good sense of rhythm. Everyone is happy!

We hope your child has lots of fun with the Dinkum Drum. Please keep out of direct sunlight and use with parental supervision.