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”.
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”.
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.
