IKEA is a Swedish design company famous for its simple ready-to-assemble products. It was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, aged 17. In the 1990s IKEA launched range called ‘Children’s IKEA’ in their stores, with the catalogue featuring 20 pages of children's rooms. The collection was developed in consultation with child experts, including doctors and education specialists, as well as families.

The MAMMUT chair was designed and created by the architect Morten Kjelstrup and the fashion designer Allan Østgaard, who credit their inspiration to their own children’s play habits. Both the designer’s children frequently acted as consultants during the development of MAMMUT.

Kielstrup and Østgaard felt that children’s furniture had to be distinct from furniture for adults. This meant different proportions, being lighter, and more stable. Their hope was the design would fit in with children’s imagination, as opposed to meeting their parent’s tastes. Kielsturp and Østgaard also said that comic strips were an important source of inspiration.

The chair was launched in 1994 and was originally made in solid wood, particleboard, and featured polystyrene legs. As a result, the chair was quite heavy, making it difficult for children to move. Following further development, since 1999 the MAMMUT series has been made out of UV-resistant plastic, making the furniture lighter and durably both outdoors and in. In 1994 the chair was voted Furniture of the Year by the Swedish interior design magazine Sköna Hem.