History
The Mouse Factory started in 1960, when parishioner Dorothy Duket
was looking for a craft to make and sell at our annual St. Nicholas
Faire. She made 25 little "mice" dressed as elegant ladies, but
had some misgivings as to how they would sell. They were quickly sold for
$1.00 each. The next year she made mice dressed as members of the
choir. At the faire she was asked if the mice from last year were
available, and she realized she had a collectible item going.
Parishioners were enlisted to help in the production and it became a fund
raising effort to provide funds to restore and maintain the buildings at The
Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle's campus.
Today, we
have approximately 55 volunteers, who do their part to create about 3000 mice
per year, with a new character added each year. Ideas for the characters
come from the volunteers as well as the many people who collect the mice. The mice
are created using an assembly line type production. The pieces are cut
using punch dies at a local factory, then they go to
the hands of our workers. The pieces are sorted and packaged,
they then go through the various hands of sewers, stuffers, assemblers, facers,
and dressers. There is a second "line" of people who make the
clothing and props.
Orders are
taken each year in December through February for distribution the first week in
December and at our St. Nicholas Faire on the first Saturday. We ship
mice all over the United States, and even have customers overseas.