Meet the taxidermist and mother-of-two making pole-dancing mice – The Argus

Share
A mum who makes thousands from fashioning pole-dancing and drug-taking stuffed mice says she has “absolutely no idea” what led her to taxidermy.
Katie Hardwick, from Eastbourne, tried her hand at taxidermy when her husband bought her a “taxidermy your first mouse” kit for Christmas in 2017.
“I wish it was a romantic story, but I just wanted to give it a go. I have absolutely no idea what drew me to it.
“I kept going until the whole house was covered in mice. My husband said, ‘you have to start selling or giving them away otherwise the whole house will be filled with them’.
“The first one I put on eBay sold very quickly and then I started an Etsy shop. It was lockdown when things really took off – everyone was at home bored buying crap online.
“I had just had a baby, so it was a way of keeping myself entertained.”
Katie runs her business from home (Image: Supplied) Katie buys her mice, dead and frozen, from the pet shop, where they are sold as reptile food. She also uses roadkill, such as foxes and squirrels, and mice caught by her friend’s cat.
“My friends are very good. If they ever see any roadkill, they pick it up and call me and say ‘I have something in the freezer for you’.”
The mum-of-two converted her downstairs back bedroom into a studio, while her chemicals are kept in the garden shed.
She washes the mice before removing the skin and coat. She then uses borax powder to allow the skin to dry hard in whichever pose she has chosen. She makes the head from clay, the eyes from black beads, the tail from wire and the body from Styrofoam which can be shaped.
All that remains from the original mouse is its coat and paws.
“The first time I ever cut a mouse, it didn’t feel natural but it’s something you get used to. People picture me covered in guts but it’s not a gory process at all”, Katie said.
Katie’s background as a dancer inspired one of her most popular creations (Image: Supplied) Katie, who was a dancer and gymnast for many years, began fashioning the mice into pole-dancing and acrobatic poses.
She said: “It snowballed from there – there are endless possibilities. People will commission me and the requests get weirder and weirder.
“One person asking for mice on a bed having sex. Another asked for a Taylor Swift mouse and requested a specific outfit.
“The drug-taking ones are really popular – the more outrageous the better. The less likely a mouse would be doing it, the better.
“It’s a talking point in the house, it’s gimmicky and a bit of a laugh. I’ve never taken myself seriously – I know mine are just a bit of a joke.
“My mum, who was a seamstress, helps me with the costumes. She said ‘never in my life did I think I would be making clothes for mice and not people’.”
Katie’s weird and wonderful creations (Image: Supplied) Katie admits she does receive online hate, but she takes it in her stride.
“There is probably a vegan vendetta page against me somewhere. They think I kill myself the mice, and until you explain it, they don’t get it.
“It’s like marmite – people either love it or hate – but if they don’t like it, they don’t have to look at it.”
The 42-year-old, who previously lived in Brighton, has grand plans of achieving a Guinness World Record for the tallest mouse tower – like the castells (human towers) popular in Catalonia.
She has ambitions of moving onto bigger mice scenes and tableaus once her children are older and she has more time to dedicate to the business.
She said: “My daughter says ‘mummy does mice’. She has always grown up with me doing it. For World Book Day, she went as Ratatouille, with a real mouse on her head and her Easter bonnet had a taxidermied mouse on it.
“My family have always known I’m a little bit strange but they’re proud of how it’s developed.”
Share
This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s Editors’ Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
© 2001-2026. The Argus is owned and operated by Newsquest Media Group Ltd, an audited local newspaper network.
Visit newsquest.co.uk to view our policies, terms and legal agreements.
The Echo Building, 18 Albert Road, Bournemouth, England BH1 1BZ. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637
Data returned from the Piano ‘meterActive/meterExpired’ callback event.
As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.
Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.
These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community.
It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

source