IKEA launched SKOGSDUVA, a new children’s collection inspired by the magical Swedish forest. The collection, featuring 20 educational, inspirational, and practical products, will launch across all IKEA markets in October 2024. It aims to help infuse play and playfulness into everyday life and routines.
Amongst other products, the SKOGSDUVA collection includes Swedish wildlife-inspired duvet covers, cushions, and soft toys in the shape of animals, insects, and plants. With SKOGSDUVA, IKEA aspires for children to explore nature and feel like they can make these animals come to life in their room, too. Not just during their playtime but also during everyday life as SKOGSDUVA inspires them to spark play in the everyday routine, making bathtime even more fun by letting children ‘turn into a lynx’ with the lynx towel hood or using the soft toy animals and illustrative bed covers for storytelling before going to sleep.
‘’The SKOGSDUVA collection is inspired by my childhood when I created imaginary worlds outdoors where different animals lived. I hope the products evoke children’s desire to explore and learn more about nature – even beyond the front door.”
– Malin Gyllensvaan, designer of the SKOGDSDUVA collection
Unfortunately, many animals that call the Swedish forest ‘home’ are currently at risk and on the Swedish Red List. The Swedish Red List, produced by the SLU Swedish Species Information Centre, shows which species are threatened and how close they are to extinction. With SKOGSDUVA, IKEA aspires to raise awareness for the real at-risk animals that inspired the collection. The products are designed to allow children to learn more about the animals and their habits in a playful way.
‘’Take, for example, the illustration on the bed covers that shows the animals out and about while the storage bag demonstrates the animals inside, going into hibernation. Another example is the hedgehog soft toy. When hedgehogs feel threatened, they raise their sharp spines and turn into prickly, round balls to protect their soft bellies. The SKOGSDUVA hedgehog soft toy can also turn into a ball with the help of a touch-and-close fastening on its belly. Although the back looks sharp, the spines are smooth and do not sting,’’ says Anna Edlundh, IKEA Product Design Developer, IKEA of Sweden AB.
The latest IKEA Play Report 2024 showed that only 51% of children are happy with the amount of time they have for play, and 54% of parents would like more time to play with their children. The home is the place where families spend most of their time together and build connections, so it has an essential role to play.
‘’At IKEA, we strive to be the destination for a more playful home. Embedding play in families’ daily routines is an easy way of adding playfulness into everyday life. With SKOGSDUVA, we wish to inspire families to bridge the gap between wants and musts in those routines by incorporating play and storytelling. Here, a pillow is also a log, a bathrobe can turn you into a lynx, and the duvet cover can inspire the bedtime story, making bedtime something to look forward to,’’ says Maria Törn, Range Area Manager Children’s IKEA, IKEA of Sweden AB.
