Wendy

Wendy Ornament

he Wendy of my childhood has many faces. Mom and dad come to mind first, as we read countless books as a family in the living room. Secondly, my grandmother, as she told me countless times the story of “El Gallo Pelon” (The Hairless Rooster). Thirdly, there was also my nanny Edra, who would recite poems and Venezuelan folk tales. And finally, my sister Laura, a few years older than me, who always assumed the motherly role when babysitting us. Needless to say, I had to include Wendy as part of the Peter Pan figurine Collection.

Wendy Ornament Design Process

In designing the Wendy ornament, I wanted to capture the motherly instinct that personifies this character. There is nothing extraordinary identifying Wendy besides the maternal and sheltering instinct she exhibits as she takes care of her brothers, Peter Pan, and The Lost Boys. I chose to represent Wendy’s special tender nature by giving her a leather-bound book titled Peter Pan. The book stands for the bedtime ritual that Wendy establishes when she becomes The Lost Boys’ mother. Storytelling, a skill Wendy had learned from her mother, was a nightly magical event that helped The Lost Boys to remember those precious memories from when they lived at home with their mothers.

As I think of the word mother, blue comes to mind, therefore, Wendy is dressed in a long blue Victorian style nightgown with a white lace trim at the hem and a long blue sash. Her ginger hair is tied on the back in a half loose ponytail with a blue ribbon that matches her sash. To complete her outfit, I gave her a short cloak to wear, a traditional Victorian garment. The importance of Wendy’s cloak is that Peter Pan wears it to disguise himself as he rescues Wendy and her siblings from the treacherous Captain Hook. Matching her blue nightgown, Wendy is wearing blue leather booties or slippers.

I captured her sweet tender expression in her hand painted big brown eyes. Finally, Wendy wears Peter Pan’s kiss, an acorn, as a necklace, a symbol of their timeless and everlasting friendship.

Specifications

Year Designed

2020

Size

Actual size may vary, approximate 3.0” x 3.0” x 5.0”

Materials

Fabric, lace, yarn, paper, cardboard, wood shapes and knobs, acorns, notions, paint

Note:  Given the handmade nature of the ornament, all ornaments are different.  The pictures depict just one sample of the ornament.