Central & Gus
Pip Verdad Common Octopus Note Card
Pip Verdad Common Octopus Note Card
Couldn't load pickup availability
Pip Verdad Octopus was an adventurer, an explorer, a treasurer hunter. But he was also mantle over arms for his lady love and missed her terribly when on his travels. While away, he'd read the tides and temperatures and currents to calculate exactly when and where the ocean waves would ebb and flow and tuck a ‘message in a bottle’ knowing that it would reach his beloved. Seamail, of sorts.
For months, he’d been processing clues, threading stories together, and mapping out the likeliest whereabouts of the Lucerne, reportedly laden with treasure. This was the stuff of myth and legend, preoccupying his mind and time, but he was now certain he’d located its watery resting place.
Sand covered almost the entire wooden ship, keeping it well hidden from view. Pip headed down into the bowels, his three hearts all a-racing. If he was right, he would find an incredible haul of riches. And he was: there was the chest - large, imposing, and resting amidst barnacles and rubble. With any chains, locks, and hinges long since rusted through, he easily raised the lid and was dazzled by the brilliance. Gold, silver, copper, coins, relics, and all manner of jewellery shone in a sparkling haze. At that very moment, an incredible knowing flashed into his mind. Pip closed the lid, and immediately penned a note to his lovely, pushed it down into the bottle, released it to the currents and watched it disappear. It read simply, “I will be home before this bottle. All my love, Pip.”
Once there, he gave her a ring. Not one from the treasure chest but, rather, a slender golden band holding the tiniest stone of brilliant cerulean blue that he found as he passed through the Caribbean on his way home - where he hopes to take her for their honeymoon. Pip knows that true wealth is something money just can’t buy; he had already found his true treasure.
§
Note Card, A6 (4.5” x 6.25”) with envelope in protective cello.
On the reverse of each card is a whimsical tale of the animal featured. Entirely collectible, the stories intertwine, creating a much-loved community of characters.
We print on a luxurious 318 gsm, 100% cotton paper. Soft and durable, this paper showcases crisp detail and vibrant colour. We fell in love with our beautiful goldenrod shade, 90# envelope. According to the ‘World’s Favourite Colour’ study, people associate the feeling of joy with this colour. Also, this is the very shade that enrobes our trusty #2. As all of our images are hand drawn in pencil, we thought it appropriate to give a nod of appreciation.
We donate a portion of gross sales to animal welfare.
Share
Thanks again for a great order. Love the new Northern White Rhino character & storyline.
Lovely artwork and very unusual cards, something a little different.
Our customers just love these cards! When they buy them its always 4 or more at a time. The stories on the back makes them even more charming .
Wonderful art. Will be ordering more. Quick shipping also.
I would marry these cards (and prints) if that were legal in Ohio. I love them that much.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
They are — and that's one of the things that makes Central & Gus so unique. Every character lives in the same universe. They know each other, reference each other, cross paths at the switchboard, in the woods, at the patisserie, on the road. Collecting them is a little like reading a novel one chapter at a time — except each chapter fits on your wall or popped in the post for a stamp to someone you love.
-
We spent a long time on this. Every Central & Gus illustration is hand-drawn in pencil — and so we are eternally inspired by the classic #2, enrobed in that particular shade of yellow. For that, we call it Ticonderoga Harvest. Studies on colour and emotion find that people associate this shade with joy — which felt exactly right. It also nods, quietly, to our farm roots, everything that grows out of the land, and also to a less tangible but just as important creative harvest. The envelope is not an afterthought. It is part of the story.
-
They are extraordinary gifts — and we say that not as a boast but as something we hear constantly from our retail partners and customers. A Central & Gus card is not a card you send and forget. It is a card the recipient reads, re-reads, frames, or keeps in a drawer to return to. The story on the back transforms it from a greeting into a small, meaningful object. We have heard from one customer who had special date-day trips with his young daughter, each time choosing one special card for her coveted collection. The goldenrod envelope alone tends to stop people in their tracks. Another, a fiance purchased the entire set for his partner, a reminder of a day they spotted them in a shop and giggled while reading the stories aloud. These are not cards. They are moments, saved.
-
Wholeheartedly yes — and the characters seem to know instinctively which age they are speaking to. Children are drawn to the illustrations, the names, the animals. Adults read the stories and find themselves unexpectedly moved. We regularly hear from customers who frame them in nurseries and living rooms alike, who give them to grandparents and grandchildren in the same gesture. The world of Central & Gus does not have an age. It has a sensibility — and that sensibility tends to recognise itself across generations.
-
Yes — and we love that you asked. We offer curated collections and themed bundles. Our Open Water & Coastal set, our Woodland & Hedgerow set, our Wetland & Waterway, or our Start Your Collection bundle are all wonderful entry points. And for those that just wantall of themat once, The Whole Gang brings every character home together at a saving. Bundles make particularly wonderful gifts — there is something about receiving a community of characters at once that feels genuinely special.
-
We do — and this is at the heart of everything we do. A portion of every gross sale goes directly to animal welfare. The characters you collect are not just whimsical illustrations — they are advocates. Every purchase is a small act of care for the natural world and the creatures in it. We are deeply grateful for every order that makes this possible.