SAGOSKATT soft toy, Cat, designed by Liepa (aged 8) for IKEA, Lithuania/Sweden, 2021

Soft toy cat based on a child's drawing, made from polyester plush. It is predominantly blue, with dark grey stripes and purple ears. The cat looks over its left shoulder. Its face has one large and one small eye, a nose and mouth and six whiskers.

Given by IKEA UK and Ireland

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.

'I love cats and this one is blue, the colour of dreams. A mischievous, happy friend who's interested in everything, likes people who are kind to animals and curls up with his toy fish when he is sleepy.'
- Liepa, aged 8, who designed this toy with IKEA

B.14-2022