GUMNUT BABIES
Australian Folklore
Began 1914 by Cecelia May Gibbs
A type of Fairy
In the folklore of European Australia, these fairy beings were the creation of Cecelia May Gibbs. (Gibbs was born in Kent, United Kingdom, in 1877and moved to Perth, Australia in 1881, where she died in 1969). The GUMNUT BABIES first made their appearance in January 1914 and like the FLOWER FARIES of England, swiftly became an enduring part of the lore of children and their parents.
The GUMNUT BABIES may be described as tiny, chubby elves or a type of FLOWER FAIRY, each dressed according to the flower it personifies. In the case of the eucalyptus flower, the females wear flower stamen skirts, while the males wear operculum. They have blond or red hair formed from the stamens or seed capsules of the flowers. The most famous are BIB & BUB, SNUGGLEPOT, CUDDLEPIE, RAGGED BLOSSOM, NARNYWO, NITTERSING, and CHUCKLEBUD. The GUMNUT BABIES inhabit GUMNUT TOWN in the Australian bush, where their attendants are the insects to be found there. Like most Trooping FARIES, they are communal in their activities and especially love music and dancing. They can exist in any environment and may often visit their friends in the air or underwater. Their adventures with the BLOSSOM BABIES, FLANNEL FLOWER BABIES, BORONIA BABIES and WATTLE BABIES all seek to avoid the evil BANKSIA MEN.
Source: Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins Encyclopedia