Category Archives: Kaye Webb

Badges, Badges, Badges

Jill McDonald, Kaye Webb, Puffin Badge, Puffin Club

I’ve promised these for a while, so here they are! I found myself sitting next to Kaye Webb at one of the Commonwealth Institute Puffin Exhibitions and was stunned to see her sporting not just one, but three badges! I asked her how I could get them and where they were from.

She told me that the Gold Badge (no.4) was for founder members or those who had done something particularly special.

The Green Badge (no.3) was the members badge in Australia (though Kaye was wearing her Founders Green Badge that looked a bit like her Gold Badge.

The remaining badges are the standard White Badge (no.1) that I have found in different versions – The earlier badges were genuine enamel made by the Davis Badge company of London. Later versions were made with a plastic insert instead of enamel. (You will see a lot of these on ebay).

The last badge is the Black Badge (no.2) that was earned for being a member for four years – these were only ever made in enamel and the quality varied from well finished and ground to rough and distinctly ropey.

The members badge was of course the Puffin Logo designed by Jill McDonald when Kaye Webb became editor of Puffin Books in 1961.

Other classic button badges were made for the various events. I collected a pile of these and some survived better than others. Watch for these in future posts.

As a small addition – I have since learned that there was one solitary badge of gold that was made for club President, Yehudi Menuhin. This was a special gift from Kaye Webb. I assume it is still with the Menuhin family.

The Most Gigantic Tiny Notebook…

Jill McDonald, Kaye Webb, Puffin Club, Puffin Exhibition

Something a bit different. I got this notebook at one of the Puffin Exhibitions – I can’t remember if they were free or not, but I ended up with two or three of them. The print registration was pretty poor on the original, with the orange leaving gaps of white around the left hand edges. I’ve tidied this up and kept the texture of the card (about 240gsm for the pedants out there).

As an added point of interest, Kaye Webb had a rubber stamp of the same design without the text, that she used to stamp autograph books and fly sheets of autograph hunters.

This is a pretty rare item as many kids ended up throwing them away after filling them with scribble. I remember seeing loads of them being swept up at the end of the exhibition, sans cover or contents. There may be a few out there that were used as impromptu autograph books – if so, I would love to hear from you.

The Most Gigantic Tiny Notebook…

Jill McDonald, Kaye Webb, Puffin Club, Puffin Exhibition

Something a bit different. I got this notebook at one of the Puffin Exhibitions – I can’t remember if they were free or not, but I ended up with two or three of them. The print registration was pretty poor on the original, with the orange leaving gaps of white around the left hand edges. I’ve tidied this up and kept the texture of the card (about 240gsm for the pedants out there).

As an added point of interest, Kaye Webb had a rubber stamp of the same design without the text, that she used to stamp autograph books and fly sheets of autograph hunters.

This is a pretty rare item as many kids ended up throwing them away after filling them with scribble. I remember seeing loads of them being swept up at the end of the exhibition, sans cover or contents. There may be a few out there that were used as impromptu autograph books – if so, I would love to hear from you.

I suppose I’d better get started…

Jill McDonald, Kaye Webb, Puffin Club, Puffin Post

After much ‘putting it off’ and not really doing anything about it, I’ve decided to put some of my thoughts and memories online about the wondrous entity that was the Puffin Club of the late 60’s , 70’s and 80’s. This is partly a love of the old club and partly a continuing admiration of the work of the late Jill McDonald and Kaye Webb.

I was a member of the club from the mid seventies till the mid eighties, alongside my younger brother, and being the bookish obsessive type, I took a keen interest in the early history and culture of the club.

I would love to hear from previous members of the Puffin Club – particularly founder members – with their memories, stories, anecdotes and photo’s.

Those of you with school age kids will probably be aware of the current school club that is the surviving face of the old club. Things are going to change – but I’m not going to be the one to spread spoilers!! If you want to know more, register on www.puffincountdown.co.uk for more information.

I will be posting cleaned up images from my collection of Puffin Post, leaflets, badges , stickers and other ephemera. Please respect the copyright of these items – they are for fun, not profit!!

I must add that Puffin Post is copyright Penguin books and that no copyright infringement or financial gain is intended or inferred. (Glad I got that out of the way!!)

I hasten to add that I am not affiliated with Penguin, Puffin or any other group attached to the old club (other than being an old member).

I suppose I’d better get started…

Jill McDonald, Kaye Webb, Puffin Club, Puffin Post

After much ‘putting it off’ and not really doing anything about it, I’ve decided to put some of my thoughts and memories online about the wondrous entity that was the Puffin Club of the late 60’s , 70’s and 80’s. This is partly a love of the old club and partly a continuing admiration of the work of the late Jill McDonald and Kaye Webb.

I was a member of the club from the mid seventies till the mid eighties, alongside my younger brother, and being the bookish obsessive type, I took a keen interest in the early history and culture of the club.

I would love to hear from previous members of the Puffin Club – particularly founder members – with their memories, stories, anecdotes and photo’s.

Those of you with school age kids will probably be aware of the current school club that is the surviving face of the old club. Things are going to change – but I’m not going to be the one to spread spoilers!! If you want to know more, register on www.puffincountdown.co.uk for more information.

I will be posting cleaned up images from my collection of Puffin Post, leaflets, badges , stickers and other ephemera. Please respect the copyright of these items – they are for fun, not profit!!

I must add that Puffin Post is copyright Penguin books and that no copyright infringement or financial gain is intended or inferred. (Glad I got that out of the way!!)

I hasten to add that I am not affiliated with Penguin, Puffin or any other group attached to the old club (other than being an old member).