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In 1983 our founder, H. J. “June Bug” Willis, Jr. worked as a hunter’s helper and skinner.  When he asked what to do with the heads, he was told to throw them away.  Instead of disposing of the byproduct of hunting, he kept the heads.  From these he produced preserved skulls and created jewelry.  June Bug’s Cajun Gifts began the alligator novelty gift industry in 1984.  We are the oldest provider of alligator novelty gifts.  Today we are a wholesale business with a customer base of more than five hundred locations on three continents.

There are two true species of alligators -- American and Chinese.  The American Alligator (Alligator mississipiensis) is not an endangered species but they are legally protected.  The number of wild alligators hunted or harvested each year is closely regulated and each alligator used is assigned a serial number (tag number).

Alligators can be found from southeast Oklahoma and east Texas on the western side of their range to North Carolina and Florida in the east.  They prefer fresh water lakes and slow-moving rivers and their associated wetlands, but they also can be found in brackish water habitats.

No. In 1967, the alligator was listed as an endangered species, meaning it was considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.  Alligators were downlisted from endangered to threatened in 1977, and, in 1987, the American alligator was reclassified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened due to similarity of appearance.  This designation does not imply that alligator populations are threatened; it's purpose is to give protection to other crocodilians by regulating the management of alligators and the legal trade in alligator products.