Mermaid Dog
Soft Toy
2021 (manufactured)
2021 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
'My mermaid-dog lives in an underwater cave and her most important task is to help people and animals who get into trouble. I love the sea and I believe that such a kind and funny creature can live there!'
- Savva, aged 9, who designed this toy with IKEA
- Savva, aged 9, who designed this toy with IKEA
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Machine-stitched polyester fabric, polyester wadding |
| Brief description | SAGOSKATT soft toy, Mermaid Dog, designed by Savva (aged 9) for IKEA, Russia/Sweden, 2021 |
| Physical description | Soft toy chimera, a dog with the tail of a fish, based on a child's drawing, made from polyester plush. The top half is a blue-furred floppy-earred dog, with a black plush nose and three-toed feet. The white eyes have green pupils and are outlined in black. There are three white whisker spots either side of the snout. The tail is of orange and red polyester plush, printed all over with black scales. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Gallery label | Mermaid Dog soft toy
Designed by Savva, aged 9
Savva drew this friendly-looking character for a competition. IKEA then made his drawing into real toys, which they sold to support children’s charities.
Savva said: ‘My mermaid-dog lives in an underwater cave and her most important task is to help people and animals who get into trouble. I love the sea and I believe that such a kind and funny creature can live there!’
[Young V&A, Imagine Gallery short object label] (2023) |
| Credit line | Given by IKEA UK and Ireland |
| Historical context | IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943 by then-17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad (1926-2018). The name is an acronym of the founder’s initials, plus the first letters of the names of the family farm where he was born, Elmtaryd, and the village of Agunnaryd, where he grew up. The company is best-known for its flat-pack furniture and other homeware. From 2008, it was the world’s largest furniture retailer. IKEA is known for its simple, modernist designs, attention to cost control, and continuous product development. IKEA considers the child’s right to play as a core value. In order to promote the best interests of children, by 2030 the company aims to integrate children’s perspectives into all its business activities. From 2015, the company held an annual competition inviting children to submit drawings to be made into soft toys. The ‘SAGOSKATT’ toys were then sold at low prices, with the full amount from each sale donated to a local charity. In 2021 in the UK, IKEA’s official charity partner was Barnardo’s. The finished products in each edition notable for their faithfulness to the original drawings. 66,259 drawings were submitted for the 2021 edition of SAGOSKATT, with five being selected for production. The range was made available for retail in October 2021. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | 'My mermaid-dog lives in an underwater cave and her most important task is to help people and animals who get into trouble. I love the sea and I believe that such a kind and funny creature can live there!' - Savva, aged 9, who designed this toy with IKEA |
| Other number | 505.181.37 - product number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.11-2022 |
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| Record created | December 16, 2021 |
| Record URL |
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