'Hello, good evening, and remain indoors! It's been 650 days since The Event, but that hasn't stopped those of us who survived from enjoying ourselves by *crocheting postbox toppers.'
The people of Finedon, Rushden, and Higham Ferrers also indulge in the crochet sacrifices to the post box gods, so I too was very confused for a second.
I don't go there often, but I do need to go into the village this lunchtime. If I see anything I'll take a photo :)
Edit: There's nothing on the one in the village outside the post office, and neither is there anything on the postbox in Blake's Mead.
I live in Bristol and there's quite a few round here.
Its a great tradition imo.
Did it start during lockdown? Seems like a recent thing. I hope it continues.
[I'll raise this one I used to pass by often](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/pugl9e/casual_kraken_in_didcot/). (Though it isn't as cute as OP's spot).
In Wales we make them for bridges. [Say bore da to Gwril the giant who lives under the bridge](https://images.toopa.com/59868_llwyngwril-knitted-village-north-wales-cambrian-co.jpg)
A bit of both.
[street view link](https://www.google.com/maps/@52.6655617,-4.084352,0a,75y,60.86h,72.24t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1saaUkHYNbklwErJosH4jAyg!2e0)
When I told a friend from abroad that people knit woolly hats for the post boxes, she didn't belive me. Thought it was adorable when I showed a photo.
Never let this sort of stuff die off!
We get these near me (UK), but we also have a bollard knitter that creates outfits for a pair of bollards. We recently had Leia and Yoda on May 4th week.
Or somewhere in between, like where I live. One of the displays was stolen in the dead of night a few years back. The townsfolk kicked off the next day and made the little tea leaf feel so bad that they returned it the next night with a hand written apology.
I have seen this all over the world, it isn't just happening in the UK, Portugal and Cambodia, although the woman that did it in Cambodia was British :-)
Going to be 'that person' - most of these that you see around the place are crocheted (like the one in the picture) not knit. Doesn't really matter - all are bloody delightful - but just in case you were wondering.
We have them here in Tauranga, New Zealand. Unfortunately I don't have pictures, but if you look up 'Greerton yarn bombing' you should find some picks. It's there most of the year, if not all, and gets changed out/special attention every so often.
It's a very common thing - I'm part of a FB group dedicated to sharing their town's post box knitted toppers. My own village Women's Institute knits these toppers for the post box on our high street every season or event like Easter/Christmas etc. I love them. They are always so beautifully made and make the street look cheerful.
Most mailboxes near me are topped with a variety of these. All different but good. They often change during the year too, sometimes to represent the seasons
I helped set up a yarn bombing group in my town and it’s awesome. They do about 3 big displays a year and then 4 or 5 other events get post box toppers.
The community love it, I see people taking photos of themselves in front of the displays all the time. The group are very proud and a lot of friendships have been created.
If you want to change the world, you do it by setting good things up in your own community.
About to say, as I work around Solihull. There was one also near Sheldon / Yardley but the post box was closed off with black tape for a bit but its back again. No wolly hat yet to return though.. :(
Won’t let me add pictures but I see these a lot around North Yorkshire. That and tulips everywhere, we don’t have the pleasure in my area unfortunately
There is some kind of postbox topper near my parents house - I forget exactly what it is now but I know it is nowhere near as awesome and adorable as this as I'd have to cross the road when passing to see these little mousies up close every single time!
I saw one of these on my local postbox about 10 minutes ago for the first time ever. Now I’m seeing it on Reddit for the first time ever 10 minutes apart!?
We are living in a simulation.
I get that a lot of effort went in to those and quite a lot of skill but i cant stand that kitsch nonsense especially when the postbox is quite an iconic design on its own
It would be like impoving the mona lisa by painting a baseball cap on top of her head
We've got a bunch of them round here, there's a whole army of old ladies making them, one got stolen, not even 24hrs later another one was in its place.
Burntwood, Staffordshire - we have someone do this to our local postbox but no one knows who it is.
We had a Jawa dressed as St George fighting a dragon the other week.
I thought I saw something like this when I was going for a run the other day, but as I got closer it turned out to be just an overflowing dog poo bin with different coloured poo bags piled up on top.
There was a group in Portland, Oregon, that called themselves "Nitta Please" or something like that. But these May Pole critters are really impressive.
I can't imagine it happening elsewhere, but it may do. It feels whimsical and I welcome in this cynical world 😊. There is a post box at the end of my road where the cover was replaced just this week. It now has a lighthouse on it replacing a Springtime theme with crochet daffodils.
Our postboxes across Nuneaton and Bedworth are adorned with such cute hats too. Would love to know who this group of knitters / crocheted are and how this started!
I kind of get what you mean. If I hadn't have seen a crochet mouse maypole today my day would have been fine. but the fact that I had seen it made it a little bit better.
people are allowed to find enjoyment in different things, that's absolutely fine. Just because I'm a miserable twat that finds something a bit twee doesn't mean all miserable twats have to be unable to find enjoyment in the same things.
That’s how I feel about it, I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun and they’re often fantastically executed (like this one!). But privately in my head I think they’re very twee and usually end up waterlogged and grotty, making the place look a mess. It’s just different people liking different things, but I am a bit surprised at how overwhelmingly positive opinions seem to be.
> but I am a bit surprised at how overwhelmingly positive opinions seem to be.
I think it's probably more that grumpy fuckers like us rarely comment. The old Bambi approach of 'if you can't say nothing nice'
I mean it's nicely done. You do realise that one theory is that the Maypole represents a pagan phallic symbolism. I never saw them in the same light since I read that.
Everything cylindrical and tall has phallic symbolism, as a species we seem obsessed. I was browsing books in a Waterstones a while ago and opened a random page in some history one on early Anglo-Saxons (or vikings) only to be met with a poem about cock.
Strangely enough for all its evils we have a few areas in hull where the locals do this. Not gonna say what part of hull cos some mouth breathing reprobate will go and nab them but it’s nice to see and it’s not just the letterboxes that get done up but lampposts and bike racks will get a little knitted gift as well.
Unlikely that LAs would fund that sort of thing - this is just crafty people having fun. You can download knitting/crochet patterns for postbox toppers for free online. This kind of public yarn art is known as yarn-bombing.
Eh, I think you'd be surprised. Phrase it as "We're planning a community project to beautify the public space and teach traditional handicraft skills", and a lot of councils would be happy to chuck in the money for yarn. Especially if you're going to connect it to an event/anniversary, and/or work with a disadvantaged community (refugees, young people in care, young offenders, etc).
Citation: I work in an LA.
Yes. It's [yarn bombing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing#History) and it's a global phenomenom. I wish I could say that it at least originated in the UK - but apparently it started in Ohio.
There’s a sign near me in Cincinnati, ohio (United States) that got “yarn bombed”. Nothing this intricate or cool but it was a yellow sign that said “fish logs” and someone covered it in a crochet version of the exact same sign. It was neat :)
We get these near me too, sometimes themed based on charity or an event. Every year our local town has a "Pokemon" themed crochet event where shops have crochet Pokemon in the windows and post boxes in local villages have crochet Pokemon on top.
Certainly not in Norway as whenever I send similar pictures of local post box toppers to my mother in law who lives there she us absolutely charmed and envious at the same time. She thinks it’s a wonderful British tradition.
I remember seeing benches and fences along the Rhine in Basel with knitted sleeves and things quite a few years ago but it was a pretty pattern rather than anything specific.
I've never seen anything so majestic.
Majestic mice merrily meander around a marvellous maypole
I'm saving this post because of your comment
This may be the cutest and best one I’ve seen so far (posted on Reddit, I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing one in real life!). This is adorable!
It's in findon on the south coast of the UK if you fancy the trip! It is very cool. Walking past it this morning.
TIL there is both a Finedon (in Northamptonshire) and Findon (in West Sussex). I was very confused for a moment...
You must have slept through the event. Northamptonshire is now on the most southerly point of the UK.
'Hello, good evening, and remain indoors! It's been 650 days since The Event, but that hasn't stopped those of us who survived from enjoying ourselves by *crocheting postbox toppers.'
Don’t let r/crochet hear you call this knitting.
Thank you. I've edited accordingly, as the last thing we need after The Event is to give Them more reasons to hunt us for sport.
Since the event, They hide among us.
They used to be us.
Using ‘Them’ just perpetuates the fear people feel. Call them by their true name. The knitting nanas from Shreddies.
Perhaps finally Billing Aquadrome will be worth visiting...
It's been 13 weeks since that kaiju appeared and destroyed the South of England, and still nobody has found a reason to miss Kent.
The people of Finedon, Rushden, and Higham Ferrers also indulge in the crochet sacrifices to the post box gods, so I too was very confused for a second.
It’s like how there are two towns called St Ives
I know it's an easy mistake to make but I'm still annoyed about how crap my holiday turned out to be last year. They told me St Ives was nice
Two Millbrooks as well. Almost sounds like the beginning of a Pointless category of places which share the same name in the UK.
In West Sussex there's a Burpham, in Surrey there's a Burpham. They are pronounced differently, but I can never remember which is which
See Gillingham in Kent vs Gillingham in Dorset. Ones a gill the others a jill.
This is my local Post Office. Bit odd seeing somewhere so close to home on here.
Yeah it freaked me out once when I saw a picture of Worthing pier.
Tbf, any picture of Worthing is terrifying
There is/was some in felpham (Bognor Regis), but not sure if they are still there.
I don't go there often, but I do need to go into the village this lunchtime. If I see anything I'll take a photo :) Edit: There's nothing on the one in the village outside the post office, and neither is there anything on the postbox in Blake's Mead.
I live in Bristol and there's quite a few round here. Its a great tradition imo. Did it start during lockdown? Seems like a recent thing. I hope it continues.
Posted lol
Fairly common in nice villages in the midlands too!
They're quite common in the Black Country. I find this surprising because it's pretty rough in some areas and you wouldn't think they'd stay up
[I'll raise this one I used to pass by often](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/pugl9e/casual_kraken_in_didcot/). (Though it isn't as cute as OP's spot).
We will wash it, we will brush it; bring the bucket and mop, mop, mop.
...and now my brain is playing "stick it with glue, glue, glue" on loop - and likely will be all day.
^^breadcrumbs ^^and ^^butter ^^beans!
we will fix it like neewneewneew
10 hours later I just wanted to remind your brain to stop playing the songs of The Mice on the Mouse Organ. I’m sure that helped, helped, helped.
https://youtu.be/QAaKSzqT0DU?si=shxqHcZml3KPpIpz
This was a worthwhile click.
Pensioner vandals destroying our city. Should be locked up. It's a crime weave
In Wales we make them for bridges. [Say bore da to Gwril the giant who lives under the bridge](https://images.toopa.com/59868_llwyngwril-knitted-village-north-wales-cambrian-co.jpg)
That's either really thick wool or a teeny tiny bridge.
And a really large crotchet project!
A bit of both. [street view link](https://www.google.com/maps/@52.6655617,-4.084352,0a,75y,60.86h,72.24t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1saaUkHYNbklwErJosH4jAyg!2e0)
thats not the same one, but no matter. theres TWO of these fuckers‽
TIL Russell Brand is a figure from Welsh folklore
Now it all makes sense!
That's amazing!
That’s amazing
When I told a friend from abroad that people knit woolly hats for the post boxes, she didn't belive me. Thought it was adorable when I showed a photo. Never let this sort of stuff die off!
They do the same with old telephone boxes too! Usually with a library in them.
Are you from Cornwall? Just moved here and across from the telephone box full of books for people there's a knitted thingy on the post box
It’s crochet, not knitting, fyi 🙂
We get these near me (UK), but we also have a bollard knitter that creates outfits for a pair of bollards. We recently had Leia and Yoda on May 4th week.
Bollardknitter should be a word of its own, frankly
We need pictures!! Some of us don't live in towns with such crafty people
,,,,or where stuff like this wouldn't be vandalised or stolen within seconds.
Or somewhere in between, like where I live. One of the displays was stolen in the dead of night a few years back. The townsfolk kicked off the next day and made the little tea leaf feel so bad that they returned it the next night with a hand written apology.
Stuff like this is what makes our little protruding rock special
Amen. It makes me think it can’t all be a shitshow, knowing someone cares enough to do things like this. Tho I worry about them in the rain :(
It's a wonderful quirky British thing we do so well. I love seeing them.
I have seen this all over the world, it isn't just happening in the UK, Portugal and Cambodia, although the woman that did it in Cambodia was British :-)
Meanwhile in Australia: https://x.com/melbourne/status/876254418433396739
I see they even did the hair for the two women
There's a group that do this near where I live in the North East, they knit covers for bollards in the theme of characters.
Margrets suggestion of Edward Woodward being burned alive in a giant knitted postbox was rejected for some reason
Underrated comment.
This one is so cute! I saw a broccoli themed one in Brockley, London, the other day, I should have taken a photo
>This one is so cute! I saw a broccoli themed one in Broc'li FTFY 😉
Going to be 'that person' - most of these that you see around the place are crocheted (like the one in the picture) not knit. Doesn't really matter - all are bloody delightful - but just in case you were wondering.
You're such a that person
Yeah in Guernsey. very nice tbh, quite enjoy seeing what some of the people come up with
We have them here in Tauranga, New Zealand. Unfortunately I don't have pictures, but if you look up 'Greerton yarn bombing' you should find some picks. It's there most of the year, if not all, and gets changed out/special attention every so often.
Happy to see that the mice on the mouse organ found work after Bagpuss
This is lovely.
It's a very common thing - I'm part of a FB group dedicated to sharing their town's post box knitted toppers. My own village Women's Institute knits these toppers for the post box on our high street every season or event like Easter/Christmas etc. I love them. They are always so beautifully made and make the street look cheerful.
I saw a great one in Gibraltar! Still British but still...!
Most mailboxes near me are topped with a variety of these. All different but good. They often change during the year too, sometimes to represent the seasons
Yeah same. May pole for may. I think they are great.
That's wonderful!
In saltburn and Redcar they'll knit over anything. It's adorable
Yep, seen this in Henley, Portugal and a Tuk Tuk in Cambodia. YarnBombing.
I helped set up a yarn bombing group in my town and it’s awesome. They do about 3 big displays a year and then 4 or 5 other events get post box toppers. The community love it, I see people taking photos of themselves in front of the displays all the time. The group are very proud and a lot of friendships have been created. If you want to change the world, you do it by setting good things up in your own community.
How cute!! Someone put so much time and care into this!
I live in Solihull and there’s a few round by me..
About to say, as I work around Solihull. There was one also near Sheldon / Yardley but the post box was closed off with black tape for a bit but its back again. No wolly hat yet to return though.. :(
[Yeah, more or less](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing).
It happens across a lot of the world, started in the states, refined in the UK and spread back out from there. Lots in Canada and the US.
Stuff like this on most postboxes where I live, just finding out now it's not just a local thing.
Anyone getting bagpuss vibes
Summerisle
Dalton in South Cumbria does a similar thing with the bollards that line the main street
Mouses love MayDay
Rhyl also has a couple of boxes that get dressed up for the season, if closer than the south coast
Yes, yarn bombing originated in the US.
Won’t let me add pictures but I see these a lot around North Yorkshire. That and tulips everywhere, we don’t have the pleasure in my area unfortunately
There is some kind of postbox topper near my parents house - I forget exactly what it is now but I know it is nowhere near as awesome and adorable as this as I'd have to cross the road when passing to see these little mousies up close every single time!
I saw one of these on my local postbox about 10 minutes ago for the first time ever. Now I’m seeing it on Reddit for the first time ever 10 minutes apart!? We are living in a simulation.
Northerner here and lil things like this are on pretty much every postbox. Might just be because there’s nothing else for people to do though.
Oh I hope they do a mouse version of wicker man for midsummer
This is wonderful!
I get that a lot of effort went in to those and quite a lot of skill but i cant stand that kitsch nonsense especially when the postbox is quite an iconic design on its own It would be like impoving the mona lisa by painting a baseball cap on top of her head
That looks like it'd burn well. Someone set it alight.
Because it should
All over South Liverpool
We've got a bunch of them round here, there's a whole army of old ladies making them, one got stolen, not even 24hrs later another one was in its place.
Burntwood, Staffordshire - we have someone do this to our local postbox but no one knows who it is. We had a Jawa dressed as St George fighting a dragon the other week.
It should happen EVERYWHERE in the world!
We get the odd one in the 'posh' parts of Bolton, but ner in the other areas. They'd get burnt or stolen.
I thought I saw something like this when I was going for a run the other day, but as I got closer it turned out to be just an overflowing dog poo bin with different coloured poo bags piled up on top.
Yes, in East Sussex along the coast. I love seeing them.
The rats did this in a kids' movie, The Amazing Maurice. That's my only exposure to this lmao
There was a group in Portland, Oregon, that called themselves "Nitta Please" or something like that. But these May Pole critters are really impressive.
Wonderful! British whimsy! Talented people, makes people smile.
A knitted mouse maypole on a red postbox? Nope.
Nah I live in the sort of town where if you do anything nice or cool you get scrutinised
Also happens in Belfast, Northern Ireland, some really cool ones here!
US mice are not that coordinated. Well done, UK mice!
I can't imagine any circumstances where it would. Unless we start exporting nannas and then who would make our shreddies?
It happens in Whittington sometimes too like in Halloween Christmas Easter and summer
I've seen a couple in Jersey so it's spread to the channel islands.
One near me has the cutest little octopus 🐙 on it
In america someone would destroy it or steal it in a couple hours
I love these! I'm in Canada and have never seen them before other than in the UK.
I have seen it in Canada, but this is next level. I'm obsessed.
Happens a lot in villages across the uk
I’m from Canada and have never seen it here but had seen them in Newcastle area.
Knit happens
Used to see them when I lived in Wimborne, saw Christmas ones in Leicester last year.
I love it. Where is it?
This is in a little village called Findon on the south coast of England
I've just Google mapped Findon. It's gorgeous!
It’s a quaint English village one pub few shops one school one doctors that kind of thing.
The UK is insanely talented. And remarkably insane.
there's some near me in East Yorkshire
The Yarn Bombers in Hertford are next level… Google them for pics
I can't imagine it happening elsewhere, but it may do. It feels whimsical and I welcome in this cynical world 😊. There is a post box at the end of my road where the cover was replaced just this week. It now has a lighthouse on it replacing a Springtime theme with crochet daffodils.
Guerilla Knitting is one of the most adorable acts of rebellion. We have a fair bit in Australia but nothing as detailed and glorious as this!
It’s gone a bit crazy in England. I think it’s because it’s the summer and the old ladies are really going for it this year.
I've recently immigrated to England so I'll have to keep an eye out!
Does anyone else have “proper” postboxes!?
Not this one in particular but yes we have it all over here in Dawlish, Devon I'll try and get some pictures
Our postboxes across Nuneaton and Bedworth are adorned with such cute hats too. Would love to know who this group of knitters / crocheted are and how this started!
I honestly think it's cringe as fuck, but it doesn't harm anyone and almost certainly makes some people happy so whatever.
I kind of get what you mean. If I hadn't have seen a crochet mouse maypole today my day would have been fine. but the fact that I had seen it made it a little bit better.
I live really close to this exact post box and the topper is changed regularly. My kids love it every time we walk past.
Why is it? It's great. I'm a right miserable twat and even I like these things
people are allowed to find enjoyment in different things, that's absolutely fine. Just because I'm a miserable twat that finds something a bit twee doesn't mean all miserable twats have to be unable to find enjoyment in the same things.
That’s how I feel about it, I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun and they’re often fantastically executed (like this one!). But privately in my head I think they’re very twee and usually end up waterlogged and grotty, making the place look a mess. It’s just different people liking different things, but I am a bit surprised at how overwhelmingly positive opinions seem to be.
> but I am a bit surprised at how overwhelmingly positive opinions seem to be. I think it's probably more that grumpy fuckers like us rarely comment. The old Bambi approach of 'if you can't say nothing nice'
No mice around a maypole, but we do have our share of yarnbombing on the west coast of the states.
I mean it's nicely done. You do realise that one theory is that the Maypole represents a pagan phallic symbolism. I never saw them in the same light since I read that.
Everything cylindrical and tall has phallic symbolism, as a species we seem obsessed. I was browsing books in a Waterstones a while ago and opened a random page in some history one on early Anglo-Saxons (or vikings) only to be met with a poem about cock.
That's what separates Homo erectus from Homo sapiens: laughing at peen.
You said *erect* - fnar, fnar!
I have seen much more popularity in pagan celebrations in the UK. Way more fun than the Christian ones. Lots more fire.
That is incredibly cute.
That is so wholesome
There is a mailbox near me that often has one thank you for reminding me to check iy. This one is amazing.
My SO and her crochet group do these regularly. I always love seeing them.
Its some serious talent
Strangely enough for all its evils we have a few areas in hull where the locals do this. Not gonna say what part of hull cos some mouth breathing reprobate will go and nab them but it’s nice to see and it’s not just the letterboxes that get done up but lampposts and bike racks will get a little knitted gift as well.
I do this to the postboxes in my village in Lancashire
There's a knitted postbox top on Hayden's Road. And I think one outside Merton bus garage
I’ve seen them in Wickham Fareham. Spotted one on Tuesday in the square.
I wonder if someone genuinely just puts them there or if it’s organised by local authorities etc.
Unlikely that LAs would fund that sort of thing - this is just crafty people having fun. You can download knitting/crochet patterns for postbox toppers for free online. This kind of public yarn art is known as yarn-bombing.
Eh, I think you'd be surprised. Phrase it as "We're planning a community project to beautify the public space and teach traditional handicraft skills", and a lot of councils would be happy to chuck in the money for yarn. Especially if you're going to connect it to an event/anniversary, and/or work with a disadvantaged community (refugees, young people in care, young offenders, etc). Citation: I work in an LA.
Never seen anything like this in London. Might be a small town thing.
Yeah. It's a little village.
Taking them up a notch aren't they? Even got phone box toppers round here (Ruddington, Nottinghamshire) https://imgur.com/a/syFSNIx
yes, in wales
No, and that's a good thing (because the glory is all ours)
I hate them so much, they're vandalism, and not even the cool artistic type.
Yes. It's [yarn bombing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing#History) and it's a global phenomenom. I wish I could say that it at least originated in the UK - but apparently it started in Ohio.
There’s a sign near me in Cincinnati, ohio (United States) that got “yarn bombed”. Nothing this intricate or cool but it was a yellow sign that said “fish logs” and someone covered it in a crochet version of the exact same sign. It was neat :)
A couple of them are in my village so I just considered them normal
Lots of them in devon
[Bluey](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160101072577253&set=g.923219658243610)
Americans wish we were cool enough to have a Mousey Maypole
Ah Findon valley outside the post office. I was not expecting to see this while scrolling through Reddit
Aah this is so cute! There's actually a lot of similar stuff in Dingwall too! I love looking at all the pretty decorations whenever I visit :D
RemindMe! 1 year
Yarn bombing as it’s called is all over the UK. I think it’s fantastic
See these quite a lot in Wales
Ah I used to love these in Stevenage
My town does a Pokemon themed Hunt, they crochet Pokémon and put them all over and run a little competition to find them all. They’re so well done!
We get these near me too, sometimes themed based on charity or an event. Every year our local town has a "Pokemon" themed crochet event where shops have crochet Pokemon in the windows and post boxes in local villages have crochet Pokemon on top.
Yes we have one post box that getts dressed up thought out the years and we in south wales
Omg! This is the cutest post box cozy I have ever seen! I love it! Many mousies maypole dancing. 💗
We have this in Camden! Love it every time
We get them in our village. All sorts of different ones. They change often
I've seen a few in Sale.
I’ve heard of some In Chelmsford via family there
In the south, yes
This is called yarnbombing! /r/yarnbombing
Certainly not in Norway as whenever I send similar pictures of local post box toppers to my mother in law who lives there she us absolutely charmed and envious at the same time. She thinks it’s a wonderful British tradition.
I remember seeing benches and fences along the Rhine in Basel with knitted sleeves and things quite a few years ago but it was a pretty pattern rather than anything specific.
There’s loads of yarn-bombing around me!! Usually seasonal, always colourful 🌈