8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Stephanie’s husband grew up toting his stuffed dog Henry everywhere he went. When he found that the vintage ’70’s “Henry” design had gone back into production, he bought a new Henry for his 18-month-old daughter for Christmas. Strephanie commissioned this portrait of the two Henries as a Father’s Day gift for her husband. I must admit that my favorite thing about this project is that researching these toys led me to discover the origins of my own childhood favorite lion! I was struck by the familiar yellow fur and distinctive black belly-button, which the Henries share with my “Hubert.” Sure enough, like the classic Henry, my lion was made in the ’70’s by Animal Fair. Animal Fair became Princess Soft Toys, which is evidently in the process of being absorbed by Melissa and Doug. The lions were given away with new accounts at Chicago-area Harris Bank in the earlly ’70’s, which is where my parents got mine. Portraits of Hubert are here and here, and a painting of an identical Harris bank lion can be seen here. This was my first opportunity to paint old and new versions of a classic toy together, and I think it’s wonderfully symbolic of the parent and child who love them!

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