About
You’re In. You’ve made it. WELCOME TO THE POLKA DOT CLUB!
Handmade with patience and care, the POLKA DOT CLUB is a collection of heritage toys created by second-generation teddy bear maker Jen Murphy. Each piece is made using natural materials and techniques employed by the finest toy makers over 120 years ago, all the while adding contemporary elements bringing heritage toy making into the 21st century. These are bears that pay homage to the past but are wholly modern playthings for today. They are heirlooms for now & forever.
My mother taught me how to design patterns and sew teddy bears when I was eleven years old. She coveted antique mohair teddy bears but was unable to afford them, so she taught herself the craft and then a few years later, taught me. Throughout my childhood we traveled the country selling her beautifully crafted pieces. For as long as I can remember this is what we did: We made things.
In my twenties and early thirties I successfully carved out a business making one-of-a-kind teddy bears and animals for collectors worldwide, but once I had my two children I questioned why I was making “toys” intended for adults. These beautifully made playthings were often relegated to a shelf and designated as decorations. I wanted the objects I made to be animated by play and imbued with the love children give their favorite toys. In 2012, I launched the Polka Dot Club with this in mind and in the intervening years I’ve seen how that simple act of learning to sew all those years ago, has so deeply impacted the way I live, work, and parent. I wanted to reinforce the idea that everything in our home was crafted and didn't just appear on a shelf ready for us to enjoy. Each object came from someplace and someone, which is a very powerful idea- one that I’m committed to. It feeds the Less Is More ideas about consumerism and quality but it also empowers everyone to become a maker themselves.
My Studio here in Minneapolis is where I continue to work and design all the pieces for the Polka Dot Club. In 2014 we expanded the studio to include a small group of sewers and knitters in Lima, Peru. This collaboration has been a powerful one. It’s not fast, inexpensive, nor easy to work in Peru, but it is meaningful. The history of craft is threaded throughout the Peruvian culture and I’m learning so much from working with Carmen, Liz, Veronica, Pilar & Kristine. In 2022 our sewing partnership came to an end, but new hand knit pieces are the works. These patterns and finished hand knit toys and decor will make their way into the shop in later 2024.
In 2023 I began a new partnership with a small artisan group in India. I've long sourced many Polka Dot Club fabrics directly from India so to have begun production in this textile rich country with artist block-printers and sewers has been an extension of what we've been building over the last 12 years. The first collection will be available early 2024.
