The Wee Forest Folk factory is located outside Concord, Massachusetts, in a town called Carlisle.
    Annette Petersen, creator of Wee Forest Folk, started sculpting 30 years ago, making a wonderful collection of all sorts of animals. Her earlier creations (now very sought after pieces) included pigs, bears, frogs, and many other animals. Everything was hand-done and the bases on each piece were slices of wood, chunks of bark, flattened pieces of glass, etc. Today these pieces continue to be hand-done in her studio (referred to as "the Mouse Factory").
    Annette's husband Pete developed the original formula for the composition used in her molding and in 1979 William (Willy), their son, started working with Wee Forest Folk. He embellished on the formula and became more involved in the business. Willy carries a very heavy load as he creates and manages a large portion of the production.
    Their daughter, Donna, has also followed in her mother's footsteps and has been creating since 1983. The Petersens have another son, James, who is not involved in the business and lives in Michigan.
    Annette is a very talented lady but rather reserved in her demeanor. She obviously has a wonderful sense of humor as you can see in the charming sculptures she creates. Annette is a very caring person and is a delight to talk to and visit with. When tours are available at the Mouse Factory, visitors often get a chance to talk with her. You leave with a wonderful feeling of truly knowing the artist. If you are lucky, Willy and Donna may be around to visit with as well. Each year the dates for the tours vary, however if your travels take you to the Concord, MA area you should call ahead and make reservations for a tour. (It is wise to book months ahead, and once in a lifetime please!) Kathy, Pat, and Nancy are in the office and are the nicest people you could ever talk with on the phone. In fact, everyone who works in the factory is extremely personable and loves their job and, of course, Wee Forest Folk.
    Willy has unique talents in every direction. He sculpts and is the 'brains' behind the molding process. He can make every piece work, no matter how difficult or intricate the detail might be. Willy is a true artist and draws and paints, as well as sculpts. (All the Wee Forest Folk catalogues are designed by him.) Willy designs new pieces each year and has a wonderful imagination. He has created numerous special pieces, and most recently, a limited edition mouse called At the Mouseum, honoring Annette's 25th Anniversary of creating Wee Forest Folk. Willy also gets full credit for creating the Wee Sea Folk collection, which was introduced about three years ago. The finely detailed pieces are created to have the look of scrimshaw (carved ivory) and are entirely different than the Wee Forest Folk. Check our page under Wee Sea Folk. Willy is married and has two daughters, who are probably the inspiration for some of his creations. I understand that "Her Big Hug" was created because one of his daughters wanted to see the mommy holding a girl in a dress, not the one created the year before called "A Big Hug" with mommy hugging a boy. Willy has his home on the once-farmland acreage of Mom and Dad, just minutes away from the factory.
    Donna is known for the fabulous detail that she creates on her many pieces. Most of the Halloween collection are her creations and she loves this fun holiday. Usually you can't tell Donna's mice from Willy or Annette's, but Annette's mice have fuller faces, Donna's are a little slimmer, and Willy's faces are the thinnest. Donna, as well as Annette, does a lot of research on period clothing, etc. when creating. Much of her energy is in the details and she sometimes helps Annette with the tiniest of details in her pieces. Donna is married and has a daughter. Her family also lives relatively close to the factory.
    The uniqueness of Wee Forest Folk is that it is not found in every shop, as the family limits the number of stores they sell to. The line is so fine that the demand is far greater than they can accommodate. Therefore, they represent their products from their factory and there is no middle person. As with all collectibles there is a secondary market, and it is usually active. Wee Forest Folk have a very active collector base and it has been our finest line for a very long time. I am unaware of anyone losing money on this collectible. They always bring a smile to every face that stops to appreciate this wonderful mouse line. However, we never recommend buying any product as an investment: buy only what you like and the pieces that have a meaning to your life.