'Fat Puffin' photo appeal launched to save Thame book shop mascot

Fat Puffin has seen better days

The owners of a fiberglass puffin that has stood outside a bookshop for more than 50 years have launched a campaign to get him restored.

The Book House in Thame, Oxfordshire, has appealed for pictures taken of the puffin over the years.

They hope the beloved bird, known as Fat Puffin, could get a makeover on BBC programme The Repair Shop.

Luise Pattinson said previously unseen photos could show how "fundamental" it had been to the town.

Mrs Pattinson, who runs the shop with brother-in-law Brian Pattinson, said: "He is so special, he's quite embedded in the history of Puffin Books and the history of the town, so he's a very special gentleman indeed."

Fat Puffin was ransomed by students in 1984 and dangled from the town hall

Fat Puffin, who measures more than 1m high (3.2ft), was gifted to the shop by Puffin Books in 1972, as it was one of the few children's bookstores in the country.

But his condition has deteriorated over the years through wear and tear, being knocked over and a kidnapping by students in 1984, which left him dangling from the town hall by a rope.

"They presented us with a demand for £3m which we promptly paid and he was returned," Mr Pattinson joked.

'Breaking apart'

He no longer has his wooden plinth, part of his foot has broken off and his head is prone to toppling, despite attempts to mend him with car repair kits.

"He's had too many bumps," Mrs Pattinson explained.

"His head cracked open once and he had a big split which we tried to repair ourselves.

"When we shook out all the ballast we found a load of money so people obviously thought he was an RSPB collecting box when he had the split in his head.

"So he's all chipped and all his joints are now creaking and splitting, so he needs a really good makeover because he's just breaking apart bless him."

He announced the shop's reopening after the first Covid lockdown in 2020

Fat Puffin used to be sighted outside the shop with a fellow puffin called Muffin, who he "married" in 2004.

Mrs Pattinson said: "They're celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary this year.

"Poor old Muffin is not quite as heavy and portly, so she abandoned her place by the front door quite a while ago because she had a tendency to fly off down the High Street with every puff of wind, and wasn't quite so stable.

"Fat Puffin needs very clever reconstruction, which we just can't do, so we think The Repair Shop team might be able to repair him, and hopefully Muffin too so they can be reunited."

In order to make an application to the programme she is "really hoping for pictures people have taken over the years - the older the better really - to prove how much a part of everyone's lives he's been".

Muffin and Fat Puffin "married" in 2004

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