Frequently Asked Questions

What is Suzy’s Zoo Studios?

Suzy’s Zoo Studios is the home of all things Suzy’s Zoo!!!! The company was established in 1968 as a manufacturer and distributor of darling paper products featuring the whimsical characters created by award-winning artist, Suzy Spafford. No longer producing or distributing our own line of products, we work with an array of companies, both domestically and internationally, who have licensed with Suzy’s Zoo for the opportunity to apply our artwork onto their goods. You can review the list of our licensing partners under Resellers and Licensees.

What is “Little Suzy’s Zoo”?

“Little Suzy’s Zoo” is our infant and toddler brand, introduced in 1999. It features the yellow baby duck Witzy, and his stuffed animal friends Patches, the brave giraffy; Lulla, the musical bunny rabbit; Boof, the old well-loved teddy bear; and Ellie Funt, the chenille elephant. In Witzy’s world there are also backyard bugs, lots of green grass with dandelions, puffy clouds, and brightly colored laundry hanging on the clothesline.

The inspiration for Witzy comes from Suzy’s early childhood memories of her four-years-younger brother Johnny. When he was a baby, he had wispy blond hair, and in many ways resembled a dandelion. Their mama Betty used to put Johnny and his stuffed animals in the laundry basket to keep an eye on him as she hung the wash out to dry in the back yard. Big sister Suzy used to make up stories for him. Now, the art she has created from those early memories decorates a wide variety of products for infants and toddlers.

There are many superb licensing partners that sell Little Suzy’s Zoo images on such products as infant clothing, bedding, books, tableware and games. These products are sold primarily in the mass market, but can also be found in specialty stores.

Can I buy Suzy’s Zoo and Little Suzy’s Zoo Products over The Internet?

Yes! You can find Suzy’s Zoo Products at www.suzyszoostore.com.

Are There Suzy’s Zoo Books?

Yes, there are lots of Suzy’s Zoo children’s story books and coloring and activity books! Suzy’s Zoo self-published Suzy’s first two titles, ALPHABETICAL SOUP and WITZY AND ZOOM ZOOM, in the 1990’s. Since then, Suzy has worked with a variety of publishers including Lyrick, Scholastic and Paradise Press in the USA as well as publishers overseas. Currently you will find an ever-increasing selection of Suzy’s books published by Bendon in the US and sold through Target Stores and Dollar Tree Stores. They publish books starring Witzy and his friends as well as stories featuring Suzy Ducken and her Duckport pals which are geared for 1st and 2nd grade level readers. In Japan, the publisher of Suzy’s Zoo stories about Witzy, Boof and their friends is BL Publishing.

How Can I Take A Tour of Suzy’s Zoo Studios?

At this time, no tours of the studios are available.

Does Suzy do all of the art?

Up until 1986 Suzy did it all! Since then, there have been other talented illustrators who trained with Suzy to work in her hand. Four artists in particular who concepted and illustrated some of the greeting cards and 4 other talented artists who helped with the design of items like stickers, gift wrap, stationery. Much of the design work is done on the computer but Suzy still does most of the original illustrations by hand. Each year the calendars feature Suzy’s own delightful and imaginative scenes.

What medium is used in the art?

Almost all of the art is done in art markers, with occasional touches of colored pencils. Sometimes Suzy uses transparent watercolors. The book WITZY AND ZOOM ZOOM is drawn in watercolor for example, as is the book FALL IS FOR FRIENDS. Some of the greeting cards are also created in watercolor. Look inside each greeting card — many of the illustrations are done in graphite (pencil). The same holds true with the art for the variety of calendars.

We also use the computer to create patterns, some backgrounds, and many of the graphic designs.

How many characters are there in Suzy’s Zoo, or in Duckport?

As of the last census, there are about 576 citizens of Duckport and The Beak Isles (however it’s been a while since Norm took the census so there’s probably more!) Of those, we know the names of about 200 characters. You will get a chance to meet most of them on this site….