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Say goodbye your
way: creatively, lovingly
and sustainably
Pets are not just our furrier family members; they provide warmth,
life, and unconditional love. The death of a beloved pet is often
a child’s first contact with death, and celebrating the
rituals that help us say good-bye can help a child understand
that life is to be cherished because it does not last forever.
Closure helps children cope with loss. To help them through this
difficult process, ByeByePet gives children an opportunity to
design and customize a ritual that comes from the heart. Kids
can decorate their ByeByePet box inside or out, fill it with mementoes,
and use it to bury their beloved pet in a special place. The box
is made of heavy-duty recycled paper and is biodegradable. ByeByePet
is not meant to hide the tragedy of a child’s loss. Rather,
it is a creative and sustainable way to say good-bye—while
paying tribute to a much-loved pet that will live forever in their
memory.
ByeByePet is the creation of Dutch product designer Toon Welling.
In 2010, he won Second Prize in the prestigious Hema-ontwerpwedstrijd
(Hema Design Contest), a national design competition for Dutch
students sponsored by one of the Netherlands’ leading department
stores. The theme of that year’s contest—“Journeys”—inspired
Toon to create ByeByePet: While contemplating the many journeys
that punctuate our lives, Toon found himself pondering the final
journey we all must take, and ByeByePet soon developed into a
loving, interactive way to teach children to appreciate the natural
cycle of life and death.
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