Lottie Dolls are a series of dolls created by Arklu Ltd. Launched in August 2012.
Lottie promotes
STEM
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
subjects for kids and was even the first doll in space when she travelled to the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
alongside British
European Space Agency
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...
Astronaut,
Tim Peake
Major Timothy Nigel Peake (born 7 April 1972) is a British Army Air Corps officer, European Space Agency astronaut and a former International Space Station (ISS) crew member.
He is the first British ESA astronaut, the second astronaut to bear ...
, on the Principia Mission, in December 2015.
History
Arklu co-founders, Ian Harkin and Lucie Follett, based in London at the time, noticed a niche in the market, with parents concerned about the over-sexualization of dolls currently available in the market. They began 18-months of research, alongside British academics, resulting in Lottie; a doll based on the proportions of an average 9-year-old girl (with the exception of her head, which is larger to allow more hairstyling play). The research was gathered by leading British academics, Professor David McCarthy (Prof of Nutrition and Health - Institute for Health Research & Policy,
London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London) and London Guildhall University (f ...
) and Dr Margaret Ashwell OBE (formerly Science Director of the
British Nutrition Foundation
The British Nutrition Foundation is a British registered charity. The British Nutrition Foundation's vision is that 'Everyone can access healthy, sustainable diets' and the charity contributes to this through its mission of ‘Translating eviden ...
).
Arklu co-founder and Managing Director Ian Harkin decided to move from
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to
Letterkenny
Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...
in
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
, close to Ian's hometown of
Ballybofey
Ballybofey ( , ; ) is a town located on the south bank of the River Finn, County Donegal, Ireland. Together with the smaller town of Stranorlar on the north side of the River Finn, the towns form the Twin Towns of Ballybofey-Stranorlar. Ba ...
in 2014. Donegal is commonly acknowledged as a blackspot for unemployment, and many young people are forced to move away to pursue careers. Having secured a grant from
Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland is an Irish state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned business deliver new export sales. The aim of Enterprise Ireland is .
History
Enterprise Ireland was established by the Industrial Development (E ...
's High Potential Start-Up Fund, Arklu were able to move and expand their business. Lucie Follett was Arklu's Creative Director with responsibility for all brand building, product development and product partnerships.
Google Adopt a Start-Up
Arklu was also named the winner of the "
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
, girls award Adopt a Start-Up" programme in 2016. Eight finalists were chosen to present their company strategy to a panel of judges. Arklu was awarded €10,000
AdWords
Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform developed by Google, where advertisers bid to display brief advertisements, service offerings, product listings, or videos to web users. It can place ads both in the result ...
Credit, $20,000 Cloud Credit, and is now eligible for the
Google Cloud Platform
Google Cloud Platform (GCP), offered by Google, is a suite of cloud computing services that runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products, such as Google Search, Gmail, Google Drive, and YouTube. Alongside ...
for Start-Up program.
The "Adopt a Start-Up" Programme was created to assist companies in developing their business strategies and accelerate the growth of high-potential Start-Ups in Ireland.
Products
Lottie and Finn are the main characters of the Arklu line. Lottie changes in appearance with different hair and skin tones.
Finn was launched in 2014, and his clothes both fit Finn and Lottie, allowing boys and girls to interchange outfits. New friends of Lottie, Sammi and Mia, have recently been released.
One of the most successful competitions Arklu have organised was encouraging kids to design an outfit for Lottie – resulting in the first ever commercial production of a crowd-sourced design. The winning design, Superhero Lottie, was produced based on the drawing by 6-year old, Lily, from Ohio, and was independently judged by the Brave Girls Alliance.
European Space Agency & Stargazer Lottie
Stargazer Lottie was designed by 6-year old Abigail from Canada. She came up with the idea for an astronomy-based doll due to her interest, and her wanting other kids to learn more about space. She emailed Arklu, explaining her idea, and in collaboration with the
European Space Agency
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...
, and help from Dr Karen Masters (female astronomer at
Portsmouth University
The University of Portsmouth is a public university in Portsmouth, England. It is one of only four universities in the South East England, South East of England rated as Gold in the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework. With approximately 28 ...
), Stargazer Lottie was created.
Stargazer Lottie was the first doll to ever make it into space – voyaging alongside British astronaut
Tim Peake
Major Timothy Nigel Peake (born 7 April 1972) is a British Army Air Corps officer, European Space Agency astronaut and a former International Space Station (ISS) crew member.
He is the first British ESA astronaut, the second astronaut to bear ...
. Peake even tweeted about Lottie while in space. Lottie spent 264 days aboard the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
during the Principia Mission.
TrowelBlazers & Fossil Hunter Lottie Partnership
Fossil Hunter Lottie was created in partnership with "TrowelBlazers".
TrowelBlazers is a group of female archaeologists, geologists and palaeontologists, who aim to promote STEM pursuits, past and present.
Penguin Random House Partnership
Arklu signed a book deal with
Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House.
On April 2, 2020, Bertels ...
(PRH), to last a three-year contract. The books are an extension of the Lottie, Finn and Friends collection – covering the adventures of the children over a range of topics including friendship, family and childhood.
WAGGGS & Brownie Lottie Partnership
Lottie Dolls signed a three-year deal with the
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, ...
(WAGGGS). The range is based on a Brownie Doll, and will also encompass Scouting activities and outfits. The line made its debut at the London Toy Fair in January 2017 and is expected to launch in July 2017.
Toy Like Me Partnership
Toy Like Me is an organisation celebrating disabilities, or as they call it "diff:abilities" and calling on international toy manufacturers around the world to represent these kids in the toy market. They collate information on where to buy toys, advise on how to makeover toys for kids, and their ongoing campaigns reflect their aim to make the toy box more reflective of every child.
Arklu was quick to respond to the call, with 25% of Lottie dolls with glasses, and agreeing to make future ranges more disability representative. Their range now features a doll with a cochlear implant.
Monthly 'Inspired by Real Kids' Competitions
Following the success of previous collaborations with children, the Lottie website invites children to submit designs. The winning designs are occasionally turned into Lottie dolls and outfits which can be purchased through the website.
Awards
Lottie, Finn and friends have been well received within the toy community since their launch, having secured over 20 awards across multiple years and product ranges. Notably, they received the
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Best Toy Award in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and were a runner-up for both Doll of the Year and Action Figure of the Year during the 2017 TOTY (
Toy of the Year) Awards.
As Arklu's cofounder and Creative Director, Lucie Follett was winner of the (UK) ToyNews 'Innovator of the Year' Award 2015 and shortlisted for the chiTag (USA) 'Toy Designer of the Year' TAGIE Award 2015
Follett exited the company in November 2016 and retains a small equity stake in Arklu
References
{{reflist
Doll brands
2010s toys