About The Locals

It was never about the animal. It was about its personality.

Most souvenirs are just a picture on a product. A photo of a koala on a mug. A moulded kangaroo on a keyring. They show you the animal — but they never give you the animal you actually met.

Because here's the thing: every animal has a personality. Just like every person you know. The koala that looks completely uninterested — but is really just resting to digest its leaves. The little devil that looks and sounds fierce — but is really just determined to find its next meal. The wombat that looks slow and puzzled — but is far quicker and more curious than it seems. That flicker of character is the real reason you stopped, laughed, and reached for your phone. That was the moment you connected — not with a species, but with a someone.

You've probably already met one. Nose to the glass at a wildlife park. A devil pacing at the sanctuary. A wombat that stared straight through you on a bush walk. That look you couldn't quite forget — that's who these characters are.

This isn't just a nice idea. Scientists now recognise that animals have genuine personalities — bold ones, shy ones, cheeky ones — just like people do.

That moment is what I design

I'm Iesha, a designer in Hobart, Tasmania, and through my brand, TapTales™, I make The Locals — characters built to carry the feeling of each animal, not just its shape. Every Local has a mood entirely its own — determined, puzzled, shy, sneaky, gently unimpressed — held in the eyes, the pose, the tilt of the head. They aren't likenesses. They're little personalities you can hold in your hand.

I didn't dream The Locals up at a desk. I met them — nose-to-the-glass at wildlife parks and sanctuaries, and out on trails and back roads — and I designed each one to keep the personality I saw.

And when a character has feeling, something changes. You don't just remember the place — you keep the character from it. It clips to your bag. It sits on your desk. It starts conversations. It quietly holds the memory of where you were, and who you were with.

The more you meet, the bigger the world gets

Each Local belongs to the place you find it — so you're never really collecting products. You're collecting characters, and the stories they carry, one destination at a time.

Australian animals, designed in Tasmania

The Locals are Australia's own — a family of native characters drawn from wildlife found right across the country, from the tropical north to the southern bush. Every one is designed here in my Tasmanian studio. Made out of love for wildlife.

Made to be collected

The Locals are a souvenir worth keeping — a collectible character to carry home from your travels. Clip one to your bag, stand it on your desk, or line it up with the rest of your set. They're made from a soft, quality material that's free from phthalates and heavy metals, and independently safety-tested to Australian standards (AS/NZS ISO 8124). No nasties — a character that's as loved by grown-ups as by kids.

And here's the quiet truth about keepsakes: the ones we treasure are the ones we hold onto. When it's a character you've come to love — not just a trinket — it earns its place on your bag or your shelf. That's the kind of memento The Locals are meant to be.

Little ambassadors

The Locals wouldn't exist without the real animals that inspired them — so every character carries their story. Each one is a small ambassador: a way for visitors of every age to meet a real Australian animal, learn who it is and where it lives, and come to care about its future in the wild. We're not a charity, and we won't pretend to be — what we do is champion these animals by helping people fall for them first.

It's learning that never feels like a lesson — real stories about real wildlife, there for the moment you're curious enough to look closer.

Stock The Locals

Gift shops, galleries, visitor centres, sanctuaries, airports — The Locals bring real character to your counter, and a talking point your customers remember. We'd love to see them on your shelves.

Get in touch

Stockist, wholesale and partnership enquiries are always welcome.

Email: accounts@taptales.co · Hobart, Tasmania