PLANET WONKY
Welcome to Planet Wonky, my name is Rachel and I am the creator of Planet Wonky, I designed and made the toys shown in this website apart from the creations that came from childrens drawings of course, those were a collaboration! My background is arts based and quite theatrical, I have worked as a childrens drama teacher and have developed workshops to teach children to sew, create stories and characters and have fun exploring their own imaginations.
I created 42 toy characters over the years, inspired both by my incredible son and the desire to raise awareness of endangered species and protect the planet. The Planet Wonky characters are all here to help make the world a better place, teach children how to care for the environment, and defend the safety and security of animals and people. For example, Loki and Nulpi the tree monkeys are working to conserve the forests, species and insects. Ruffalo the Reindeer is educating the children about recycling, re-using and reducing. And then we have Akita the flutterfairy who looks after gardens and teaches children how to grow herbs plants and vegetables, also there is Marilaine the dance teacher! who is planet wonky's fitness expert and nutritionist. It's a fun way to teach and engage children. Currently I am in the process of writing stories that will cover nine vital topics that are top of the list for childrens concerns (I know this also through projects I have worked on with children whilst volunteering for the Hackney Pirates charity in Hackney)
In my workshops I will be reading stories, teaching skills and exploring these topics through practical creative projects.
The ultimate goal of Planet Wonky is to reduce suffering of all species, to protect human rights and improve quality of life for people in vulnerable situations. Peace and harmony is what we want, and for this we need to respect each other and respect our planet. I hope to take Planet Wonky as big as it can, to reach as many people as possible with its messages. I think animated movies and books are the way forward so currently I am taking every opportunity to gather knowledge in stopframe animation and armature puppet making and have written the first draft of the first book 'Tonka and Tumelo arrive in Planet Wonky' with the goal to make a series that will help enrich childrens lives and the world we live in, we will learn together that a peaceful world is possible.
I created 42 toy characters over the years, inspired both by my incredible son and the desire to raise awareness of endangered species and protect the planet. The Planet Wonky characters are all here to help make the world a better place, teach children how to care for the environment, and defend the safety and security of animals and people. For example, Loki and Nulpi the tree monkeys are working to conserve the forests, species and insects. Ruffalo the Reindeer is educating the children about recycling, re-using and reducing. And then we have Akita the flutterfairy who looks after gardens and teaches children how to grow herbs plants and vegetables, also there is Marilaine the dance teacher! who is planet wonky's fitness expert and nutritionist. It's a fun way to teach and engage children. Currently I am in the process of writing stories that will cover nine vital topics that are top of the list for childrens concerns (I know this also through projects I have worked on with children whilst volunteering for the Hackney Pirates charity in Hackney)
In my workshops I will be reading stories, teaching skills and exploring these topics through practical creative projects.
The ultimate goal of Planet Wonky is to reduce suffering of all species, to protect human rights and improve quality of life for people in vulnerable situations. Peace and harmony is what we want, and for this we need to respect each other and respect our planet. I hope to take Planet Wonky as big as it can, to reach as many people as possible with its messages. I think animated movies and books are the way forward so currently I am taking every opportunity to gather knowledge in stopframe animation and armature puppet making and have written the first draft of the first book 'Tonka and Tumelo arrive in Planet Wonky' with the goal to make a series that will help enrich childrens lives and the world we live in, we will learn together that a peaceful world is possible.
Here are a few of the 42 Wonkies designed over the years. Many inspired by creatures in danger of extinction or unusual representations of any animal, insect bird or fish. The Wonkies celebrate how different we all can be and our imperfections too.
