This soft toy is a representation of Jemima PuddleDuck, a character first introduced in Beatrix Potter's children's book 'The Tale of Jemima PuddleDuck'. It was first published by Frederick Warne & Co in July 1908. It tells the tale of a farmyard duck and a fox who wants to eat her. Beatrix Potter almost certainly chose the name in honour of Jemima Blackburn, an ornithological painter and illustrator whom she met in 1891. After the book was published in 1908, it became an instant success and inspired a variety of merchandise including this soft Jemima doll manufactured by Farnell.

J.K. Farnell was a family business founded by John Kirby Farnell in the Notting Hill area of London in 1840. The company started off by making small household items such as pin-cushions before moving their business to Acton where they begun to produce soft toys. Farnell quickly established itself as one of the leading manufacturers of teddy bears and registered the Alpha trademark in 1925. Its factory was destroyed twice, once by fire in 1934 and once by bombing in 1940. It survived both these disasters but eventually ceased trading in the 1960s. Farnell created many popular cuddly animals, including this Jemima PuddleDuck, many dressed in beautifully made outfits.