HolzWald Goose Girl

She is a standing storybook figure who tends geese, at home in farmyard and fairy-tale play alike. At 14.6cm tall she stands among the taller HolzWald figures, giving her clear presence beside the smaller animals she looks after.

She stands 14.6cm high, 6.7cm across the base and 2.5cm deep. The broad, flat footing keeps her standing unaided on a shelf or table, while the tall upright shape makes her easy for a child to find and lift as the lead of a story.

She is a natural companion to the HolzWald wooden animal toys, minding geese, walking the sheep home, or leading a block-built farmyard. As an open-ended figure she has no set task, so children decide what she is doing each time they play.

The Goose Girl echoes the old fairy tale of the same name, carved as a young keeper of geese. She works both as a farm character and a storybook figure, so she bridges everyday barnyard play and imaginative fairy-tale scenes.

She is painted with natural Biofa dyes and polished with oil, so the colour sinks into the grain rather than sitting on a glossy surface. Her edges are rounded over several sanding stages, leaving a smooth, warm figure that stands up to plenty of handling.

She is handcrafted in a small Georgian workshop that has carved wooden figures since 1997 and employs people from the local community, including workers with disabilities. Each Goose Girl is finished by hand, so the grain and dye differ slightly from one to the next.

Wipe her with a dry or lightly damp cloth and dry her promptly. Keep her away from water and the dishwasher, and store her out of long direct sun so the natural dyes hold their tone. Stand her on a stable shelf so the tall figure stays upright.