Celebrating Wellies

On the anniversary of the rainiest day in the history of the U.K., today’s Doodle celebrates Wellington boots, or “wellies,” a rainy day staple for centuries. Over the course of 24 hours on this day in 2015, an area of the northwestern county of Cumbria, England, recorded over 34 centimeters (13 inches) of rain. What better way to commemorate this deluge than to pay homage to the wellie, for keeping feet warm and dry during the heaviest downpours?

Conceived by Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, in the early 1800s, wellies evolved from modified military issue Hessian boots. By asking his London shoemaker to make a shorter boot that would be easier to wear with trousers and to switch from polished to waxed calfskin leather, a stylish waterproof boot was created.

Named after the Duke, the Wellington boot was further revolutionized with the arrival of vulcanized rubber in the mid-19th century. Rubber’s waterproof capabilities made the wellie a must-have for the typical British weather and its popularity soon spread across the world.

Today the wellie sparks joy in the hearts of children as they think about all the puddles they can jump in, and can be found in all the colors of the rainbow to make the grayest days bright and cheerful. Hopefully, not as gray and rainy as it was in Cumbria on that record-setting day.

Rain or shine, have an O so lovely time!

 

Doodler Q&A with Matt Cruickshank

Today’s Doodle was created by Doodler Matt Cruickshank. Below, he shares some thoughts on the making of the Doodle:
 

Q: What was your creative approach for the Doodle in celebrating wellies? Why did you choose that approach?

A: My approach was to try something lighthearted and capture the unadulterated fun of jumping in puddles, especially from having wellies myself as a childhood staple while growing up in England. Therefore, animation was a must!
 

Q: Do you have any technical tips or tricks to share with up-and-coming artists/illustrators?

A: The wellie Doodle is a simple design—only the two O’s are moving. Sometimes, less is more.

 Q: What do you hope people will take away from this Doodle?

A: We can’t control the weather; we should just try to make the most of it!

Early sketches and drafts by artist Matt Cruickshank