1996, Peter Markey
Happy Clapper, designed by Peter Markey While I was in San Francisco, browsing in a shop, I came across some funny wooden kits to make automata. They were made in the U.K. As luck would have it, the British Crafts Council had a booth at the San Francisco Gift Fair and I asked there how I could contact the artist. Back in Paris, a couple of weeks later, I received a letter from the Crafts Council with Peter Markey's name, address and telephone number. I phoned Peter and he told me that he only made one-off pieces and limited editions. For the production work (the kits), he told me to call his neighbor, Alison Williamson. Alison and her husband had set up a little business to make and sell Peter's wooden models in kits. Alison did not have innate business skills (to say the least)! It was a challenge to get my first order. But once we finally got rolling, the Happy Clapper and the Kissing Machine practically became Tumbleweed trademarks! We sold the automata both in kits and alre
