Work entitled, right, “Samuel Eastgate” (2009)

You also make those dolls; plush felt and wooden versions. Where did the idea for those little guys come from? (Are they in rabbit suits?)

I read an article in “Creative Review” on the plush toys that were being produced by designers from all over the world. I had also started looking at the beautiful vinyl toys that were online. When I saw some felt squares in my local art shop, I decided to start making my own toys. The first ones were very basic and they slowly progressed from there. I got the idea of putting them in little suits from the music video for “Poor Leno” by Royksopp. Oh, how I wish I could make my own vinyl toys!

You took part in this year’s Design Indaba. How was that?

Awesome! It was a great experience. and the exposure I received was amazing.

What more can we expect from Haasbroek Art this year?

At this point my day job is taking up most of my time, so I have to make time for my own work. However, when I make new artworks, I really enjoy it. I am looking at making some new toy designs, and maybe printing some of my illustrations onto T-Shirts. Also, I want to just have fun and explore different processes, maybe even make some music or short films. It’s an exciting time.

If some weird evolution spurt happened and rabbits really did land up having to wear pants, and you were ordered to design a special type of pants for them (lest they go about in half-naked in shame!), what would the pants be about?

Hahaha! Probably jeans, in a variety of colours. But only if they were comfortable enough for the rabbits.

You can check out more of Jaco’s work on his Flikr page and Facebook group.