Netherland children's stamps - with dandelions

 

I have a this lovely set of stamps in the Dandelion Archive. They are Dutch with the title Voor Het Kind - For the Child, dated from 1940 and designed by D van Gelder. 

The Children's stamps started in the Netherlands in 1924 and have been issued ever since (apart from 1942 - 1944 due to the Second World War). 

This set shows a young girl with a doll holding a dandelion clock collected from a plant by her knees. Sweet.

Wilko Weed Killer

 

While you could get Mattress Toppers upstairs at Wilko's with pretty photos of dandelions on the packaging, you could also get weedkiller downstairs to wipe them out from your garden path (see previous post).

The dandelion is almost exclusively used to represent all 'weeds' on weed killer products. Some people think that dandelions should be eradicated from their lawns and paths, and will use chemicals again and again to kill them off. 

What's so 'bad' about the dandelion? The dandelion is vital as an early source of nectar and pollen for insects, they are incredibly beautiful in both their flower and seed head stage, and pretty much every part of the dandelion is edible.... but they are common, resilient, persistent and perennial. Is that the problem? Be proud the dandelion has taken root in your lawn! You are helping pollinators by leaving them where they are.

Mattress Topper Dandelion

Dandelion seed heads are often used on the packaging of items - pleasing images used to prompt you to buy. 

I'm not entirely sure the connection between dandelions and mattress toppers... fluffy? Anyway, I saw this in Wilko's (how I miss that shop).

Model Dandelions

Who'd have thought you can buy tiny model dandelions for your train set!? 

This pack of 30 dandelions are made by German company Busch - and you put them together yourself (which I've not done yet - I might keep them in the original pack maybe). They must be the smallest dandelions in the Archive. 

Dandelion Socks

 Look at these beauties! Dandelion Socks.

I got these ages ago and they don't seem to have any labels, but they are bamboo (with cotton, polyester, nylon and elastane too). It says they are 'designed in Britain' but they are manufactured in China - so they've come a long way. They are now in the 'clothing and textiles' section of the Dandelion Archive.