Okidoki Original

Kajsa Lindström was born and raised in Gothenburg. Studied at Beckmans in Stockholm where she also worked for three years at HM as a designer before starting her company Okidoki Original . She has since produced soft animals for children and adult collectors, for a while with production at a factory in Vänersborg. Kajsa has run her own shop in Förslöv and now a toy shop with her colleague in Lund, where she has lived since 1996 with her family.

See products from OKIDOKI in the online store here ››

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

I work a couple of days in the shop per week, the rest I spend in the workshop at home. For two years I have also had a web shop with my collectible animals in wool.

I sew two collections. One in velor that is child-proof and washable for children. Many of the animals have removable clothing and have their own personal supervision as I embroider all the faces. The collection in rolled wool is more for adults as an ornament. I dye the wool fabric myself and stuff the animals with wool wadding/glass pellets for weight. Sometimes they have wire skeletons so they can pose. Almost all the animals have clothes, they become more personal then. For both collections, I pay particular attention to high quality fabric and padding material. Both the velor and the rolled wool are stretchy so the models can be shaped by hand when I sew.

Who is your role model?
One of my role models is the German doll maker Käthe Kruse, who in the early 20th century produced an alternative to porcelain dolls, soft cloth dolls with molded textile heads that could not break. They are still manufactured in Germany, have visited the factory.

Other sources of inspiration are older children's books and comics as well as animated films. East German puppet films with John Blund that aired in the 1970s captivated me greatly. I collect old Japanese kokeshi dolls in mini format, am fascinated by the design language.

What is your favorite color?
My best color is blue, but I'm really happy with poppy red.

What is your favorite place?
It is probably Scania where I have lived since 1990. Otherwise, Japan is a favorite destination.

What is your biggest mistake?
I would try to produce soft velor rugs in Thailand in the early 90s. After kilometers of faxes, boxes arrived with slim little teddy bears that looked like foxes in the face. Not fun!

What is your dream project?
It is enough to be able to make an animated file with my woolly animals. Have done many exhibitions and some children's books with my animals, great fun!

The next project?
New themes with woolly animals to display in your own store and in the webshop. Maybe a new exhibition?

Your vision/business idea?
Making personalized soft animals that will last for many years. Nowadays, those who got their first teddy bear/soft toy that I sewed when they were small come to shop for their own children, great fun! With the collectible animals in wool, I want to be able to develop the character of different animal species. I accept orders for portraits of dogs. Last summer I sewed a portrait of Carl Philips and Sofia's border terrier that the Government gave their youngest son Julien as a christening gift.