Why "The Butterfly Pig"?
As we are approaching the release of our original book, The Butterfly Pig, I thought I’d share some more background behind this whimsical animal and how the idea originated and grew into this unique business.
I think it’s safe to say that we have all felt the desire to “fit-in” at some point in our lives, and certain situations can still cause those feelings to resurface quite easily! Wanting to fit-in is really just the lack of feeling comfortable enough to be yourself – whether the people around you aren’t being open and inclusive, or whether you’re afraid of how they will perceive you as different.
And with the increase in social media influencing our lives, it is easy to get drowned in societal norms and feel pressured to be something other than yourself.
Children as young as 3 have been shown to have this innate desire to fit-in, changing their actions to mimic the majority of kid’s around them (Li, et. al). This is a natural part of learning, and can even be a good thing if they are mimicking manners or new ways to imagine and play. However, this mindset of wanting to “fit-in” can be especially difficult when children feel different due to their appearances or abilities.
Having low self esteem is a learned characteristic, and we can try to combat that by intentionally promoting self-love and inclusion in early childhood.
Although we can’t change our children’s natural tendency to conform to norms rather than their own preferences, we can make a conscious effort to discuss differences in a positive light and have these conversations early on.
Children learn best when they enjoy the way the content is presented to them, so books and toys are great ways to facilitate conversations about self-love, inclusion, and diversity. This concept is ultimately how I came to write The Butterfly Pig.
At the start of our book, Billie feels like he doesn’t fit-in with the other piglets. Billie’s pressure to fit-in ultimately pushes him to take a risky adventure, trying to find where he feels like he belongs. He unexpectedly meets some diverse new friends that help him realize the beauty in being himself! After his new friends help him get home safely, the piglets learn to be more inclusive, recognizing the beauty in everyone’s differences.
This book is a great way to introduce children to the concept of inclusion, and the beauty in being you.
Although this book was written several years ago, I finally got the push to get it illustrated and published while I was on maternity leave in 2020. I read an article that internal bias can manifest in babies as early as 6 months old (Xiao). They really are sponges!
So here I was, mid-pandemic with an infant, realizing that she would get no interaction with our amazing and diverse community around us. We didn’t want her to have screen time that young, nor was she interested in TV anyway – so we turned to books and toys to help introduce her to the concepts of diversity early on.
This made me spiral, realizing how important representation is in books, toys, and media, but noticing how underrepresented so many people are. I actually dipped my toe into this concept when I worked in Pediatric Oncology. I used to make stuffed animals with matching IV’s for my patients when I worked in Pediatric Oncology, and it meant the world to those kids to see themselves represented and to feel seen. But what was new to me, now having a child, was realizing how important it is for all of our children to have exposure to people different than them EARLY on.
Normalizing differences at a young age is what will help build the foundation for a more inclusive next generation.
From there, I began the journey of opening up a business specializing in diverse dolls and doll-sized medical accessories. It really felt like the perfect fit for my passion in being an RN to collide with the underrepresented world of inclusive toys, and my lifelong desire to do something creative!
Furthermore, I had already written The Butterfly Pig, which explores the concepts of self-love and inclusion in a fun and unique way – so that is naturally how I ended up naming the business after my book. Although the store is currently focused on learning through doll play, we have plans to expand our collection to include more diverse toys and books that teach these same ideas.
Opening The Butterfly Pig has been one of the most rewarding experiences, and the journey has introduced me to so many incredible people. Although this whole business idea was inspired by simply wanting to raise a good human, this process has absolutely helped me to become a better person as well.
So now, here we are, finally in the last steps to publishing The Butterfly Pig, written by Mary Jenner (me!) and illustrated by the amazing Ilona Sula. It truly feels like a dream come true to be able to share this story with you all. Once we have an exact release date, we will post updates on the book page, as well as our social media platforms.
Follow us @TheButterflyPig on Facebook and Instagram to be a part of our journey!
References:
“Young Children Conform More to Norms Than to Preferences,” Leon Li, Bari Britvan, and Michael Tomasello. PLOS ONE, May 26, 2021. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251228.
Xiao, Naiqi G., et al. “Older but Not Younger Infants Associate Own-Race Faces with Happy Music and Other-Race Faces with Sad Music.” Developmental Science, vol. 21, no. 2, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12537.