Soft toys designed by children for children
Thursday, 29 October 2015
IKEA has released a new range of soft toys designed by children for children, to raise funds for Save the Children and UNICEF through the Soft Toys for Education Campaign.
This year’s toy collection has been designed by children from across the world who were asked to let their imagination run wild and create fantastic creatures as part of the Soft Toys Drawing Competition.
From 18 October to 19 December 2015 IKEA is holding its annual Soft Toys for Education campaign, where proceeds from soft toy sales help to fund Save the Children and UNICEF’s educational projects around the world.
From thousands of entries ten lucky winners were picked to be given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of having their drawing recreated as part of limited edition range to be sold worldwide. Eight-year-old Olivia Wildman from Essex was selected as one of the champions with her drawing of a fluffy skunk called Stinky, complete with long striped tail and mysterious expression who will go on sale in stores across the world from this week.
Stinky joins a selection of other toys including a tiger, scary dinosaur, blue one-eyed blob and a mysterious creature with very grip-friendly ears.
The campaign is very simple: for every soft toy, children’s book, dressing up clothes and children’s card game sold between 18 October and 19 December 2015, IKEA Foundation will donate €1 to support educational programmes run by Save the Children and UNICEF around the world.
With 80 toys to choose from and prices starting from £1, it couldn’t be easier to help a child this winter. These magical toys really are the gifts that keep on giving.
Soft Toys for Education raises money to give children across Africa, Asia and Europe access to a better education.
This year the campaign aims to raise €700,000 in the UK & Ireland, to add to a total of €77 million since it began in 2003, which has reached more than 11 million children through 99 projects in 46 different countries.
€100,000 can help Save the Children provide quality and accessible education in 35 schools for children with disabilities in the Philippines, or help UNICEF to build four fully equipped pre-schools in Madagascar which have toilet facilities and access to clean water.
The ten winners are aged between 4 and 10 years of age and represent the following countries:
- Norway
- Belgium
- The Canary Islands
- Malaysia
- The United Kingdom
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- The Netherlands
- Romania
- Taiwan
For more information on the campaign, visit www.IKEAfoundation.org
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