Parents in Merseyside were left shocked after discovering that cute paper hedgehogs handed to children in local shops were made from pages of an explicit erotic novel. The hedgehogs, crafted by an older man from donated books to raise funds for charity, initially seemed like a kind gesture. However, upon closer inspection, some parents found the creations contained sexually explicit content.
Parents Discover Explicit Content
Linda Fortune, whose four-year-old granddaughter received one of the hedgehogs, described the content as "adult content. Pure sexual stuff." After posting about the unsettling encounter on social media, Fortune said at least seven other families contacted her to report similar experiences.
Jemma Ashby told the Wirral Globe she was shopping at a Tesco in Merseyside with her 10-year-old daughter when a man approached and offered her one of his handmade hedgehogs, complete with googly eyes and a furry nose. He had a carrier bag full of them and said he made them at home as a hobby. Ashby initially thought it was a "lovely gesture" and placed the hedgehog on her daughter's windowsill. Later, she came across a Facebook post about the source material and was "disgusted."
Police Investigation and Response
Some parents were so concerned they reported the matter to Merseyside police. Officers spoke to the man, who said he normally checked the pages before using them and was mortified by the mistake. Merseyside police said on Monday the force was "happy there was no malice involved and no offences have been committed." A spokesperson added: "The hedgehogs were created in good faith by the individual and have been used to raise money for a local charity."
Source Material Identified
Some of the hedgehogs appear to have been made from Nicholson Baker's 1994 erotic novel The Fermata, with at least one containing sexually explicit passages. Others defended the man, saying only some hedgehogs contained explicit content and it was just a mistake. One woman said her four-year-old was "absolutely obsessed" with her paper creation, which was made using pages of Rosemary Enright's The Walled Garden. "Oversight? Yes," she added. "I don't believe [there was] any malicious intent."
Mixed Reactions from the Public
Despite the controversy, some people expressed interest in obtaining a hedgehog. "Who's the old guy making them? I want one," said one man, commenting on the Wirral Globe story. "It would be especially fun if it was made from an erotic novel. If anyone knows him, tell him I'll pay postage."
