The Real Animals Behind How the Platypus Became

When illustrator Ffion and I began shaping the story, we knew the animals that gifted their traits to the platypus had to feel real and memorable. We wanted each one to embody the very best of its kind - the qualities that other animals might admire or even envy. Together, we explored species whose features could inspire both awe and imagination.

🐱 The Cat - Norwegian Forest Cat

The Norwegian Forest Cat’s thick, weatherproof coat and majestic ruff became the model for the platypus’s warm fur. These cats thrive in cold, wild landscapes and carry an air of mystery. That resilience and presence made them the perfect inspiration for a coat that other animals might covet.

🦆 The Duck - Ruddy Duck

Few creatures are as eye-catching as the Ruddy Duck, with its chestnut body and bright, almost impossibly blue bill. That flash of colour gave us the idea for the platypus’s beautiful bill - something both practical and striking. In our story world, it’s exactly the kind of feature that would make the ducks proud and other animals a little envious.

🐸 The Frog - Dahl’s Aquatic Frog

Living its entire life in water, Dahl’s Aquatic Frog is a master of swimming with its powerful, webbed feet. We wanted the platypus to inherit this amphibious gift, gaining agility and adaptability. These are traits that make the frog a quiet marvel, and in our tale, a contribution worth boasting about. It’s also just so quintessentially frog-like and already looks like something out of a children’s picture book. An added bonus is that it’s a native of Australia, the platypus’ home. 

🐟 The Fish - Arowana

The Arowana glides like liquid gold, with scales that shimmer as it moves. Revered across cultures for its beauty and luck, it gave the platypus the ability to slip through water with grace. Having lived in Asia for ten years, I’d seen many of these fish and their striking appearance was really irresistible to include in the book. Ffion and I loved how the Arowana’s elegance added a sense of magic to the transformation - the kind of talent other animals would long for. 

For us, choosing these animals was more than a design exercise; it was about blending reality with folklore. Each species represents something extraordinary in nature - traits that others might wish they had for themselves. By grounding the characters in real animals, we hoped children (and their grown-ups) would discover a little more wonder in the world around them. It was also a great deal of fun for myself and Ffion - and a great excuse to spend many hours reading about cool animals. 

“Which of these animals would you most like to borrow a trait from? The cat’s coat, the duck’s bill, the frog’s feet, or the fish’s glide?” 

You can purchase “How the Platypus Became” here.