Who was May Gibbs?
May Gibbs was an English-born Australian children's author and illustrator, famous for the gumnut babies Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, characters inspired by the Australian bush, first published in 1918.
Born in England in 1877, Gibbs moved to Australia as a child and grew up in South Australia and Western Australia. She studied art in London before settling in Sydney.
Her 1918 book Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie introduced two gumnut babies who travel through the bush with their friends, such as Little Ragged Blossom. The characters were based on eucalyptus gumnuts and blossoms.
The Banksia Men
The villains of the stories are the Big Bad Banksia Men, inspired by the gnarled, hairy cones of banksia plants. They frightened and delighted generations of Australian children.
Gibbs also drew comic strips, including Bib and Bub, which ran in newspapers for decades. Her work encouraged children to love and protect native plants and animals.
She lived at Nutcote, her house in Neutral Bay on Sydney Harbour, which is now a museum. When she died in 1969, she left the copyright of her characters to charities supporting children with disabilities, Northcott and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
Did You Know?
Australia Post has issued stamps featuring May Gibbs's gumnut characters.