Queen Elizabeth II has already received many tributes in advance of her official 90th birthday on June 11th but none more unusual than a collection of 90 corgi dog-pillows, plus one life-size pillow replica of the Queen herself.
Such, however, is the “unique tribute to a unique love affair” created by Spoonflower, a website that lets users design, print and sell their own fabric – including fabric printed with photographs of their pets and made into pet-pillow clone of their dogs or cats.
“This year,” says Polish, “marks not just the Queen’s 90th birthday but also – less remarked – the 83rd anniversary of her love affair with corgis.”
The Queen has loved corgis ever since she was a small child. The first she ever owned was called Dookie, which her father, the future King George VI, brought home for his daughters Elizabeth, age 7, and Margaret, 3, in 1933.
Spoonflower itself also has two other strong links with corgis. It is, among other things, the world’s leading source of corgi-themed fabric, wallpaper and gift-wrap designs, with almost 300 on offer. “We’re amazed by the number and variety,” says Polish. “There seems a special fascination with corgis. They punch way above their weight.”
Spoonflower is also the place to go for anyone wanting to create a replica of their corgi or other pet in the form of a pillow. “Not many people realize that you can make a replica of their pet in the form of a pillow,” says Polish. “But such pillows would become the next big thing.”
The corgi pillows are not the only 90th birthday tribute to the Queen and her corgis. The Queen herself has posed with her corgis for the cover of the latest issue of Vanity Fair magazine.
What will become of 90 corgis once the Queen’s birthday celebrations are over? The company is sending two specially produced extra corgi pillows as a gift to the Queen – one each for the Queen’s two remaining corgis, Holly and Willow.
It hopes one day to present all 90 pillows at Buckingham Palace itself. Failing that, the company may consider auctioning them in aid of one of the Queen’s favorite charities.
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