Mr X is the genius behind the madness… Johnny Magic brings character and life to our Turds… Paul Cherry develops the sales story and gets the sh*t on the shelves… Turdmaster looks after the fans as only the biggest fan could… Paul Normanton keeps our spending in line and the tax man happy… Sian yaks on the phone all day and brings tears of laughter to our retailers… Rebecca keeps thinking of how The Turds can grow and makes sure it gets safely to our shores … Caitlin has proved herself to be a mini-magic, and Saire, well, Saire helps with anything and everything.
The Turds were created by the man we know and love as Mr. X. He spent most of his life in the corporate world of marketing, and during 1997, he started playing around with the idea of a fun, cheeky brand which would bring laughter to the hearts of many. He sat at his desk, pretending to look busy and important but really playing with some plasticine, and, despite his far-from-artistic manner, he managed to make it look slightly turdified. He loved it!
Day after day, he would sit and ponder character names (whilst still looking busy and important, of course) and how they might look as real three-dimensional little Turds. He was fascinated by the world they would live in and the adventures they would have. He approached many artists, but no one quite ‘got’ Mr. X’s take on The Turd World.
In 2001, in a beautiful twist of fate, Mr. X was chatting to a lady through work whose husband was an artist. A week later, he met Huw-J Davies and after explaining the weird and wonderful world of The Turds, Huw-J started drawing and Mr. X knew that he would be a fantastic addition to the team.
Six months later, Mr X asked his friend and colleague, Paul Cherry, if he wanted to go into business with him to sell gifts and toys.
In 2002, Pacemaker UK looked like this: Paul and Mr. X would work in Mr. X’s attic coming up with evil-genius-type sales and marketing plans, and Huw-J would draw like crazy in his home down south.
They hired a model maker called Ian, who sculpted some of the early Turds. Soon there was too much work for one pair of hands to cope with and a second model maker came on board. This lunatic turned out to be one of the most talented sculptors Mr X has ever known – Johnny ‘Magic’ Noble.
Ian and Johnny Magic split their time between Mr. X’s dining room and the shed in his back garden, and it was in these glamorous surroundings that the 2003 range (and some of the 2004 range) was born.
2004 was a fantastic year as it brought about…wait for it…real offices! Ian was no longer with the team so the Terrific Trio of Paul, Johnny Magic and Mr. X made their way to the new premises in Broxtowe (a.k.a The Ghetto). During this time they met a businessman who would shape the rest of all our lives to come…
Paul Normanton has his own soft toy company in Yorkshire, is from a financial background, and was a perfect fit with the existing Turds Team. He became Pacemaker UK’s Financial Director (which means he’s on the phone every 10 minutes crying about our latest bar bill) and still runs his own company up North. He has invested enormous amounts of time and energy into Pacemaker and without him none of this would have been possible.
2005 and on to bigger and better things! The Turds had developed a large following and the demand was higher than ever. They outgrew the offices and moved to new premises twice the size (but still in The Ghetto unfortunately). Mr X hired the vivacious Sian, to work with Paul Cherry on the sales team. She quickly worked her way up from Junior Account Manager to Senior Account Manager and now helps with the marketing side of Pacemaker UK too. They also hired another modeller called Seth for six months to help Magic plough through the number of models he had to make.
As if hiring those two wasn't enough, November saw Rebecca join the company on a Marketing Grate Scheme, working through all aspects of how to Market the sh*t in front of you!
After an exhausting year, Mr X treated his team to a debauched ghost-hunting Christmas party in Wales to celebrate the completion of the 2006 Turds range, including best sellers like Rimbo and Whifty Scent.
2006 saw Seth leave, and a new model maker join the fold of PUK; our very own gothic girl, Caitlin (aka Bat Bitch).
2006 was super busy and hectic, with Bat Bitch being promoted quickly to Product Manager, Beccy helping out in marketing too and lots of fun at consumer shows like Memorabilia? not to mention a little thing called THE TURDS FAN CLUB being launched!
2007 started with our little French girl, Heloise joining the company and lots of Membership forms landing on our doormat for the Turds Fan Club.
And so Pacemaker UK carries on, thinking of new crazy ideas and sculpting more sh*t for you to love!
“I am so proud of each and every one of my team and they are proud to work for this humble company. We are family, we don’t have much when it comes to the big bucks but we have more guts, integrity and courage than any other competitor in the industry. So I dedicate this page to these amazing people, hero’s in fact, that have given me one thing that I treasure, “Freedom” and I thank them all for it.”
Mr X
Mr X
Managing Director and Creator of The Turds
Paul Cherry
Sales Director
John Noble
New Product Development Manager
Jason Bramford
Turds Forum Manager and Sh*te Club President
Paul Normanton
Financial Director
Saire May
Sh*te Club Vice President
Sian O’Neill
Senior Account Manager (Sales)
Becky Gray
Assistant Brand Manager
Caitlin Ashford
Product Manager
Emilie Robinet
Junior Product Manager
