Patch
In March of 2017, Teri Baker, Izabela Bzymek and Jonica van Rikxoort put the finishing touches on what would be the design for our dear bunny, Patch. Spending hours refining his look, our lovable and homely looking bunny came to fruition. Just over a year later, we were able to announce that Patch had been brought to life with the help of Mary Ann from Mat Puppets and Gary Owen.
“Mary Ann had been working tirelessly for the months to ensure everything from our design and initial drawings could be found in this larger than life puppet she has created.” – Jonica van Rikxoort, Creative Director
Patch is definitely at the heart of our story, with Marcie as our strong female protagonist. Patch represents the unwanted, different and uniqueness we find in this world, while Marcie showcases how easy it is to become overwhelmed, perhaps biting off more than she can chew. Our story is filled with valuable life lessons for children of all ages, and it’s through Marcie and Patch that kids will find that link they can identify with.
We would further like to give thanks to Gary Owen, for providing us with his professional and technical input to create Patch. Gary is himself a well known ventriloquist and coach, and also the road show producer for American’s Got Talent winner Darci Lynne.
Teri Baker, Author (1928-2019)
The obituary you are about to read is not to make you feel sad. Teri would not have wanted that! Instead, I hope you will feel you know her a little bit better.
I wanted to capture the essence of Teri’s life from all the stories she shared with me over the years in this mini biography. It is a very sincere and true account of an immensely beautiful soul whose less than ideal start in life did not define who she became, or indeed, how she ended her earthly journey.
My mother wrote on many subjects but was best known by family and friends for writing about magical fairy folk. I truly believe it was because she was always very child-like herself. ‘Mom loved to read and write. It was her connection into the world. She was innocent and saw the world through children’s eyes.’ More often than not Teri exuded a very playful nature – she would laugh when sometimes she should cry, and always had a twinkle in her eye that seemed to say, ‘I can be mischievous too!’ My mother was a pure joy to be around!
Tina Tsonis
✨🧶 How Marcie Came to Life: A Whimsical Tale of Yarn, Serendipity, and Square Poo 🐰📚Hi! I’m Tina, a self-taught crochet artist from the beautiful Okanagan Valley. What began 5.5 years ago as a cozy hobby of crafting blankets quickly grew into a passion for wearable art and intricate Amigurumi. My proudest project? Bringing Marcie to life – a whimsical crochet doll inspired by the children’s book “What if Bunny Poo Was Square?” written by Teri Baker and illustrated by Izabela Byzmek.
This magical journey began when Jonica van Rikxoort, Creative Director of Teri Tales Productions, co-author of the book, and daughter of Teri Baker, posted on Facebook Marketplace looking for someone to help create a doll. Out of all the responses, Jonica chose me – and we soon discovered we lived in the same town! Jonica has poured heart and imagination into Teri Tales Productions, and I’m honored to help bring that world to life, one stitch at a time. At Teri Tales Productions, stories don’t just live on the page – they twirl, giggle, and wear yarn. 💫
Jonica van Rikxoort, Co-Author & Creative Director
Jonica, aka “Jonxy”, is the Creative Director, co-author and daughter of Teri Baker. She has made it her mission to help turn her mother’s dreams into a reality. You will find her managing all Social Media for Teri.
Izabela Byzmek, Illustrator
Izabela is a talented artist, illustrator and animator who has worked on several children’s books and movies, including: The Angry Birds Movie (2016), Storks (2016), and the Nut Job (2014). Izabela won first place at both the AMD Animation Festival (2003) and The Yorkton Film Festival (2008) for her work. Her talents are evident, as the illustrations are what helps bring this book to life!
Gary Owen, Creative Advisoror
Teri Tales Productions is very excited to have Gary Owen on our team as our Creative Advisor and supporter of ‘What if Bunny Poo was Square?’.
With the aid of Mary Ann from Mat Puppets, who has created our very own Patch Puppet, Gary will be helping us build a plan to bring Patch to life.
Gary is best known as coach and road tour producer for Darci Lynne, the 13 year old ventriloquist who won America’s Got Talent, Season 12.
Born and raised in Hollywood, California, Gary’s interest in ventriloquism developed during early childhood, when he was influenced by the popular talents of Paul Winchell, Señor Wences and Jimmy Nelson, of “Nestle’s Quick” fame.
Jeremy Hoffman, Composer
Jeremy is an award-winning pianist and composer with a background in performance coaching and music education. Jeremy completed his ARCT in piano performance at the age of 15 and has since dabbled in numerous genres including pop, rock, classical, hazz, ragtime, and Broadway. Select musical direction and keyboard credits include: Cabaret, Beauty and the Beast, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, SUDS: A 50’s Rockin’ Musical, Glorious: A Florence Foster Jenkins Musical, and Clue: The Musical.
Lisa Willard, Public Relations / Media Coverage
~When life inmates art! A mother of four can confirm, biting off more than you can chew~
Mom, wife and storyteller are only a few of Lisa’s attributes.Lisa has been an avid supporter and advocate of Teri Baker’s poems and has been helping in this journey over the past 8 years. Her relationship is more than just getting the word out there about Teri’s Tales… she has become family.
As Public Relations and Media Coverage Manager, Lisa is here to ensure you all hear about and see the great things that are happening at Teri Tales Productions.
You can reach Lisa through email >>here<<
Jonica and Her Mom Teri
In loving memory of my mom, Teri Baker, November 5th, 1928 – January 14th, 2019. My mother passed away on January 14th, 2019, and it still seems very surreal. This whole website had been created whilst she was alive and together we had a lot of fun creating all these magical moments for you!