Who knows better what kids will love than kids themselves?
This is what IKEA figured too, when they enlisted the help of children around the world and invited them to draw their “dream soft toy” for a good cause.
The drawings, done by children from 40 different countries all over the globe, were reviewed last year and ten of the wackiest and sweetest were selected to become actual toys for sale in the Swedish furniture stores worldwide.
Thousands of hopeful children entered the competition, and the ten winners, who got to see their drawing turned into an actual toy, are aged between 4 and 10 years of age and come from Norway, Belgium, The Canary Islands, Malaysia, UK, Croatia, Cyprus, The Netherlands, Romania and Taiwan.
The limited edition range, which will be sold as part of IKEA's extensive soft toy collection this year, features a skunk, a tiger, a scary dinosaur, a blue one-eyed blob and a mysterious creature with very grip-friendly ears.
The best bit about the IKEA soft toy collection? For every soft toy, children’s book and children’s card game sold between now and 19 December 2015, IKEA Foundation will donate €1 to support educational programs run by UNICEF and Save the Children around the world. Customers will also receive a €1 soft toy coupon for every kids meal sold during this time, which can be redeemed in store toward any children’s soft toy.
This means that these soft, plush toys are going to raise a lot of hard cash to help children in need around the world.
Yesterday, well-known Irish mums Karen Koster and Cathy Kelly were on hand to mark the launch of the this year's Soft Toy Campaign at the IKEA store in Ballymun in Dublin.
"At IKEA, we believe every child has the right to a healthy, secure childhood and access to quality education, no matter where in the world they live," explains Carol McSeveney IKEA Children’s sales leader, Ireland and UK.
"And because we value doing things together, we turn to our irresistible soft toys for help. The final creations show that anything is possible with children’s imaginations.”
UNICEF are happy to be part of the collaboration with the Swedish furniture giant too.
"We are very proud of our long collaboration with IKEA and the results that it has achieved are simply amazing," explains Peter Power, Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland. "This is a great example of how global companies can achieve so much for millions of children throughout the world."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsJ6CV-6ZpA
This year's campaign aims to raise €700,000 in Ireland and UK, 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.
Now, who's looking for some feel-good (and funky!) stocking fillers?! 
