Rebel Nell and The Parade Co. are partnering to transform actual fabric used throughout the Mother Goose float during the annual Thanksgiving Day parade into handcrafted jewelry and keepsakes.
The 100th America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White will take place on Nov. 26 along Woodward Avenue from Midtown to Campus Martius Park.
For Rebel Nell, the collection continues the Detroit company’s work of transforming culturally and historically significant materials into jewelry, gifts, and experiences that preserve the stories behind them.
Each piece is handcrafted in Detroit by women overcoming barriers to employment, allowing the Mother Goose material to begin another chapter while creating economic opportunity in the city where the parade was born.
The Mother Goose selection includes jewelry, rings, cuff links, a bottle stopper, a pen, a money clip, and drink picks.
Jewelry pieces include a Mother Goose Sade Bracelet in Sterling Silver ($95), a Mother Goose Amy Necklace in Sterling Silver and 18-carat gold-plated ($130), a Mother Goose Carl Bracelet ($100), and Antonio Cuff Links ($130).
The various pieces are part of the Mother Goose Parade Collection or The Parade Company Big Heads.
There are also a Mother Goose Keychain ($55), a Mother Goose Lapel Pin ($45), and a Mother Goose Charm in Sterling Silver and 18-carat gold-plated ($100), among other creations.
“There are very few objects that can tell a story spanning generations quite like Mother Goose,” says Amy Peterson, co-founder and CEO of Rebel Nell. “She has been there from the beginning. Children who watched her travel down the parade route decades ago have grown up to bring their own children and grandchildren to experience that same tradition.
“To take material that was actually part of Mother Goose and transform it into something people can hold onto, wear and pass down feels incredibly meaningful. This is exactly why Rebel Nell exists — to preserve the places, moments, and stories that matter.”
The first parade in 1924, organized by J.L. Hudson Co., featured a horse-drawn Mother Goose float as it made its way through the streets of Detroit alongside marching bands, costumed characters, and floats.
“We are thrilled to partner with Rebel Nell on this special collection for our 100th Parade. Mother Goose represents everything that makes America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White so magical — tradition, imagination, family, and generations of memories,” says Tony Michaels, president and CEO of The Parade Co.
Rebel Nell is a Detroit-based social enterprise that creates jewelry, gifts, and experiences from materials that connect people to a place, a story, or a purpose.
“This is more than a commemorative collection,” Peterson says. “For nearly every person who grew up in this region, the parade carries a memory — standing on Woodward bundled up with your family, watching the floats come down the street, waiting for Santa.
“Mother Goose has been part of every one of those eras. There is something incredibly special about knowing that a small piece of that history can now live in someone’s jewelry box and eventually become part of another family’s story.”
The special Mother Goose Collection will be available at RebelNell.com and Rebel Nell retail locations in Detroit (Downtown and Eastern Market) and Grand Rapids.
To view the collection, visit here.
