The story of a broken eye and what it taught us

A lasting friend with a big heart

If FABLER BJÖRN was a person, he would have been a grown-up by now. However, he happens to be a cuddly and timeless teddy bear who, year after year, continues to comfort, inspire play and be a true friend to new generations of children.

The IKEA store in Helsinki, Finland, was full of customers that day back in 1997. Being a textile technologist at Children’s IKEA at the time, Carina Ingelsten ran a course about safety for a group of IKEA co-workers. ”I lifted up a teddy bear and pulled on the legs and arms to show how well they are sewn in place. When I pulled on the plastic eye, something happened that shouldn't – the eye came off”, says Carina. This was a major setback for Children's IKEA, but it was a setback that would lead to important safety improvements.

All soft toys were removed from the store as Carina tried to call her colleagues in Sweden. ”It was a Saturday, so it wasn't that easy to get a hold of people, but in the end Jörgen Svensson, my manager at Children's IKEA, answered and we succeeded in stopping global sales of our soft toys”.

Designer Silke Leffler, who herself had a teddy bear that meant a lot to her as a child, was thrilled when she was asked to design a new soft toy many years ago. Or, more exactly, a kind little bear that could both give comfort and spark imagination. At a price that would make it accessible to many children all over the world. “I began sketching in my pad and actually found his looks quite early – there he was all of a sudden!”

A heart filled with love

Major consequences

Silke and the team in Children’s IKEA wanted to give him a special character and something extra. It became a big heart in the middle of his striped pyjamas. “Love is important for all people and the heart is a universal and timeless symbol for that.” Like all our soft toys, FABLER BJÖRN has gone through strict tests to be safe and secure. He is small enough to accompany everywhere children can have a need for a kind friend, and if he gets dirty, he can, of course, be machine washed. A salvation for many children (and parents) who happen to lose their little friend, is that they can easily find a new FABLER BJÖRN in the nearest IKEA store.

Jörgen remembers the call. The fact that the eye came off despite all risk analyses and safety checks was very serious. Still, in hindsight, he still sees that it led to something really good. ”Thanks to what happened, we learned to systematize safety work even more. We established clearer procedures and areas of responsibility”.

More personal expression

The teddy bear that continues to touch

Even today, after many years, Silke receives letters from children, and even adults, who share what their FABLER BJÖRN means or has meant to them. “I get so many letters and beautiful drawings and it surprises me just as much every time. Imagine that this little companion still manages to touch and continues to provide comfort and joy to so many. It makes me really happy.”

The incident also led to the decision to not use plastic eyes at all. Embroidered eyes were not only safer, they also proved to give more character and personality to the toys. Annie Huldén, a designer who has created many soft toys over the years, agrees. ”The eyes are very important for a soft toy and plastic eyes easily seem too symmetrical and stale, while embroidered eyes are easier to vary in terms of the design, the size of pupils and the eyelashes.” Soft toys at Children's IKEA are loved by children throughout the world. It's a loved friend to play with and find comfort with - and which parents can always feel secure about.