Magical creatures
Stuffed animals sold in Charlottetown bringing Wild Island Magic around the world
“It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can create very beautiful businesses out of very simple things that are sustainable.” Cindy Burton
There’s an island just north of P.E.I. where magical animals have lived for a thousand years.
Cindy Burton, founder of Wild Island Magic, says the island is invisible.
“That’s probably why most people haven’t heard of it.”
Since 2013, the cats and hounds of Wild Island have been reintegrating into our society in their true magical forms.
“Bringing magic back to the human world.”
Burton has been helping. She knits new bodies for them and helps find them new homes.
She can often be found knitting on a bench outside St. Dunstan’s Basilica, on the corner of Great George and Dorchester streets in Charlottetown. She sells her knitwear, which includes products like hats, mittens and socks.
But it’s the Wild Island animals that people come for, tourists and Islanders alike. Since last June, she has sold about 100 animals to people from all over the world, like Germany and China.
“They all find homes, usually as fast as they are created.”
She started the business after knitting some stuffed animals for her son.
“I realized I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to do it.”
She’s knitted and sold about 1,700 animals since. The small business is her only job, for which she feels very fortunate.
“It’s awesome fun,” she said. “We live very simply, my son and I, but I love it.”
The animals are made almost entirely with used materials, the only exception being the stuffing. Because of this, she never knows what kind of yarns, buttons or ribbons she’ll come across, making each animal unique.
“My materials are all odds and ends,” she said. “You can create really beautiful things out of stuff other people throw away.”
Burton gives each animal ita own name, making each one even more unique, she said.
“They really do come to life in a way.”
She keeps track of wherever they end up on the business’s Facebook page. She’s also been creating children videos online to expand on the Wild Island lore and grow her business.
Creating a business doesn’t necessarily require lots of money or capital, she said.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can create very beautiful businesses out of very simple things that are sustainable.”