Micki has been creating Pippi toys that children love from Astrid Lindgren's beloved stories about the strongest girl in the world. Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Efraim's Daughter Longstocking.
Swedish adults probably recognise the soft Pippi doll or small Pippi figures from their own childhoods. Micki released their first Pippi toys in 1991: the wig and dressing up clothes. The playful playwear is still in our range with an updated design. Not many products remain popular for over thirty years - but then Pippi is a unique character.
"That's what is amazing about Pippi Longstocking, she's just as popular now as she was over seventy five years ago, when the first book came out. We love to work with characters that have been popular for a long time and share our values. Pippi is strong, playful and stands up for what she believes in. We think this is important for children to understand early on", says Charlotta de Bartha, Category manager at Micki.
We develop all our Pippi toys with Astrid Lindgren’s company. Keeping Astrid's stories and values alive is at the core of this family company's values.
"We aim to keep Astrid's values alive in our daily work. We try to see things from the child's perspective. The products should primarily be for children, encourage play and be consistent with the stories and character"says Madelein Lindblad, Approval Manager-Product Licensing at the Astrid Lindgren company.
When you buy a Pippi toy developed by Micki, you know that it's based on Astrid Lindgren's original stories about Pippi. It's important for children to recognise the characters. Kristina Aronsson, Category Coordinator at Micki says:
"When we develop Pippi toys, we design and check each step together according to the manuals and guidelines available. How do Pippi and her friends look in Ingrid Vang Nyman's original illustrations? What does Pippi do, what does she say and who does she meet?
The recognition attracts children to live out the stories about Pippi Longstocking when they play! Parents and older relatives will also love taking part in the game - who doesn't love Pippi Longstocking?
One project where the creative design of the toys took a lot of time was Micki's Pippi figures
We took Ingrid Vang Nyman's original illustration into the three dimensional world. The figures have become Madeleine's personal favourites.
– What does Pippi's profile actually look like? The product development of the characters of Pippi and her friends took a long time, but it was incredibly fun to implement.
When you then see how great the final version will be, how it will be received in the store and how the children will appreciate it, the product development becomes very important" says Madelein.
Micki was founded in 1944 which was when Astrid Lindgren released the first stories about the strange girl with the carrot-coloured plaits and the big shoes.
Both companies are family-owned and share the same values that every child has the right to a safe and fun filled childhood.
We've worked together on a range of social sustainability projects during our thirty year collaboration. During the latest campaign, Pippi of Today, the Astrid Lindgren company, Save the Children and companies all over the world came together to use shared resources to raise awareness and raise money for Save the Children's work for girls who are refugees. Micki donates an amount for every Pippi talking doll sold to Pippi of Today.
At the moment we are both working to develop Pippi Longstocking and the other character toys in countries where Pippi isn't as well known as at home in Sweden.
An exciting collaboration where our long relationship and shared strengths work to make a difference.
Madelein concludes:
"When two strong companies that understand the child's needs meet in product development, they create inspiration, joy and play experiences for all generations. We're looking forward to the next thirty years together."
Pippi, from Pippi Longstocking in Söderhavet
