Ocean Animal Gifts for Aquarium and Museum Shops

Aquarium, museum and coastal gift shops can stock hand-painted wooden ocean animals as decorative, giftable pieces at two scales: large shelf centrepieces such as a whale shark or great white shark, and small pieces such as a sea turtle that suit the till. Keep the range small, tell the story of each animal on the shelf card and treat the pieces as decorative items rather than toys.

What do aquarium and museum shop customers look for?

A visitor shop has a particular kind of customer. They have just seen something they enjoyed, they are often with family or friends, and they want something that reminds them of the day. They are not looking for a practical object. They are looking for a memory that fits in a bag, and for a present for someone who was not there.

That makes animal figures a natural fit, provided they are linked to what the visitor has seen. A shark, a turtle or a whale shark has an immediate connection to a trip to an aquarium or a coastal museum. A hand-carved, hand-painted piece in wood appeals to the adult buyer who wants something that will look good in a home.

Visitor shops also have a mix of price points to fill. A range that includes a small piece for the till and a larger statement piece for the shelf lets you serve the child with pocket money, the adult looking for a keepsake and the visitor choosing a gift for a collector.

Which wooden ocean animals are in the range?

Two large pieces make the centre of a display. The Whale Shark is a large spotted whale shark, 27 cm long, made as a shelf centrepiece for aquarium, museum and coastal shops. The Great White Shark is also 27 cm long and is described as a bold statement piece for ocean and aquarium gift shops.

For smaller pieces, the Sea Turtle is a hand-painted turtle available in two sizes, with the small size measuring 6 × 5 × 3 cm. It is good for coastal gift shops and beach-house décor. The Lucky Tortoise is a hand-painted tortoise and a traditional symbol of luck and long life, which suits housewarming and retirement gifts; it is listed in our ocean group, so consider it if your shop sells to visitors who want a gift with a meaning.

This is a focused range of four pieces. That is an advantage for a small visitor shop, because it can be displayed neatly without taking over a whole bay.

• Whale Shark: 27 cm long, shelf centrepiece
• Great White Shark: 27 cm long, statement piece
• Sea Turtle: two sizes, small size 6 × 5 × 3 cm
• Lucky Tortoise: 9 × 5 × 4 cm, a luck and long-life gift

How do you display ocean animals so that they sell?

Put the two sharks on a shelf at eye level, where they are the first thing a visitor sees, and place the smaller turtle and tortoise on a lower shelf or at the till. The contrast in size helps the smaller pieces look like affordable gifts and the larger ones look like the main attraction.

Use colours from the sea. Blue cloth, driftwood and shells are all natural partners for painted wood. Keep the display uncluttered so that the hand-painted detail can be seen, and put a small card in front that names the animal, gives one interesting fact that your own staff have checked and says that the piece is hand-carved and hand-painted.

Safety and clarity are worth a line. The pieces are decorative items, not toys, and a short note on the card avoids confusion in a shop where children are often present.

What should the shelf card say?

A shelf card does most of the selling in a visitor shop, because staff are often busy and visitors are often in a hurry. Keep the wording to three short lines: the name of the animal, a plain description such as hand-carved and hand-painted wooden whale shark, and the size. If you add a fact about the animal, check it with your own curators or aquarists first, because visitors to these shops tend to know their subject.

Do not add claims that have not been confirmed for the product. We describe the pieces as decorative items, hand-carved and hand-painted, and as shipping from our UK warehouse. If a visitor asks about materials or finish, check with us and answer from what we have told you in writing, rather than guessing.

A second, smaller card for the small pieces helps with impulse buying. A line such as a small gift to remember the visit gives the visitor a reason to pick up the Sea Turtle at the till, and it costs nothing. Keep the card in the same style as the others so that the whole range looks like one collection rather than a set of unrelated items.

How can ocean pieces fit into a wider range?

An aquarium or museum shop usually sells more than ocean items, and some visitors will want a different animal. Many of the other pieces in the range work well alongside the ocean group. The Elephant, Trunk Raised is an old symbol of good luck, carved from linden wood and painted by hand, and the Faceted Panda is a small, friendly desk piece. Choose the animals that match what your own visitors see in your exhibits.

If your shop supports a particular exhibit or a seasonal event, ask whether a few extra pieces can be added. Mention the plan in your enquiry, so that we can tell you what is available.

How do you place a trade order for a visitor shop?

Send a trade enquiry and say that you run an aquarium, museum or coastal shop. Tell us which animals you are interested in and how you plan to display them. We reply with trade prices, which are not published, and the next steps. Pieces ship from our UK warehouse.

To see everything that is available, browse the collection, or read the wholesale page for the kinds of business our trade service is for.

Frequently asked questions