I expect quite a few of you will already have heard about Aminals, a new range of huggable toys for children inspired by children's artwork. 100% cute, organic (GOTS-certified) and compostable, each of the eleven dolls, be it Eflant, Ceeta or Sistur, looks like one of my kids' drawings, and I'm sure you'll recognise your own children's squiggles and use of colour too.
These softies brought a smile to my face when I first saw them,*they reminded me of Savannah's first great love, Ernie from Sesame Street.
It was Ernie that accompanied her to pre-school, not her vintage Holly Hobbie doll bought years ago for my sister from Hamley's in London or her brand-new Strawberry Shortcake that she desperately begged us to buy, no, it had to be Ernie, near-bald Ernie (a fleamarket find well-past its prime), to my surprise. And I have never been a great fan of Ernie...
I've kept most of my children's drawings because I just can't throw them away. Dylan came up with some amazing monsters when he was little and I cherish our black and white family portrait signed by Savannah last year.
I wonder what Lucy Moose would make of this? I've been meaning to write about Lucy's stuffyourdoodles for a long time. What better present than a soft toy designed by your own child? When Lucy's finished with your little one's scribbles, you may end up looking like this
Send your children's drawings to Lucy and see them come to life. Have a quick glance at her gallery, these are some of the fun, imaginative toys I found.
Quite a few companies are starting to offer products designed by kids or incorporating children's artwork. I've seen similar Make your Own Monster Kits on F.A.O. Schwarz's website and Lila Pin in the UK will add a picture to her handmade cushions and bags (she makes some sweet pillows, so do have a look at her website).
I think one of my favourite doll kits is this drawing doll set from Israel. Merav Flam's Manuella boy and girl dolls come with a set of erasable pens for children to draw their own face and outfit. The dolls are washable so once they're bored you can pop them in the machine and let your little artists create a new companion, time after time.
I've found lots of other ideas for using and keeping children's artwork so I'll write another post later on. Anybody else seen any fun dolls or soft toys inspired by children's drawings?
* Chez Quinquabelle
