The crocheted and stuffed toys are popular among customers searching for gifts to wean children away from screens
The crocheted and stuffed toys are popular among customers searching for gifts to wean children away from screens
Amigurumi toys, cute, sustainable, handmade and colourful, became the rage during the lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram. Amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small stuffed toys, has found favour with people looking for gifts that will wean children away from screens.
Jaikumari Rajenesh first came across the adorable toys made by Saraswathi Vasudevan, a mathematics teacher-turned-entrepreneur. Saraswathi runs Tejas, an outlet for crafts and handmade products, in Thiruvananthapuram. Jai got a set of 15 finger puppets for her six-year-old granddaughter, Amaeya, and her grandnieces. ‘
Igniting imagination
Jai was charmed by the intricate work, time and thought that had gone into the toys. “Seeing how much the children liked it, I got slightly bigger Amigurumi toys as Christmas gifts in 2021. Amaeya loves playing with her finger puppets, making up stories and letting her imagination soar. In the UK, more than my grandniece, her mom loves the handmade products. What makes me happy is that the children still enjoy playing with their Amigurumi puppets and toys.”
Amigurumi toys made by Saraswathi Vasudevan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Doting relatives and grandparents like Jai have ensured that there are many takers for the cuddly toys. Talking about the trend, Saraswathi says: “At present, I am busy making Easter bunnies and eggs. Amigurumi was perhaps the only encouraging trend during the lockdown. My shop was closed and business was down. I ventured into Amigurumi finger puppets, posted them on my Facebook page and soon they became bestsellers. One child wanted a set of sharks. We made a set for him, each about four to five inches in height.”
Saraswathi had begun her date with Amigurumi toys by creating finger puppets with endearing expressions. She was pleasantly surprised to see buyers for the finger puppets and animal-shaped toys.
Amigurumi key chains made by Saraswathi Vasudevan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At present, she makes two sets of five animal-shaped finger puppets (Jungle friends and Safari) and themed gifts for Easter Christmas. A crochet workshop she had conducted some time ago led to some of her students going on to make Amigurumi toys themselves.
Priya Ayyappan with the Amigurumi toys crocheted by her
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Children’s choice
One such student who has been making the toys is Priya Ayyappan. She went online to learn to make finger puppets for her 10-year-old son, Atharva, and shared them on her Facebook page. “Since Atharva loves animals, I made rhinos, hippos and giraffes. Later, I made toys for my nephew and my friends’ kids,” she says. The dolls and stuffed toys in the shapes of animals had so many takers that Priya found it difficult to keep up with the demand.
Elizabeth Thomas Tharakan enjoys making cuddly toys and dolls
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
It was the same in the case of Elizabeth Thomas Tharakan, Sreeja Renjith and Kochi-based Lekshmi Balachandran. Once they started making the stuffed toys and dolls, they were flooded with requests for more. All three of them had resumed crocheting and knitting during the long lockdown days.
Having learnt crochet from her mother, Elizabeth decided to widen her repertoire by making toys from YouTube tutorials and books.
An Amigurumi doll made by Elizabeth Thomas Tharakan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“I bought a couple of books on the craft. Initially, it was difficult to source the eyes, nose, filling and satin ribbons for the toys. I had to buy everything online. Nevertheless, it was such a pleasure to make those happy-looking toys that are so different from the mass-produced toys we get in shops.”
Sreeja Renjith
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Echoing her sentiments, Sreeja says she revived her crochet skills that she learnt from a cousin to start making stuffed toys during the lockdown. She never imagined it would have so many buyers.
Every stitch counts
“Each piece takes eight to ten hours to craft. It depends on the shape and the size of the toy. I find myself running short of time to cater to all my customers.”
Amigurumi lizard made by Saraswathi Vasudevan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The price ranges from ₹ 100 to 2,000 and more. The price of customised toys depends on the intricacy of the work and the size. Priya recalls making a “cute spider for a child” who liked spiders and a 25-cm dragon, the “most complicated one I made.” Saraswathi had made a witch, a frog, a lizard, ducks and so on.
Elizabeth Thomas Tharakan enjoys making Amigurumi toys
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Value of handmade
However, Elizabeth rues that some buyers do not understand the value of handmade gifts. “When they start talking about how one can buy branded dolls for ₹250, I stop engaging with them. These handmade toys take a lot of time, skill and effort. With some of the dolls I made, I also gave a set of clothes to dress them in. Children like dressing the dolls and so I give them little props like caps, ribbons, bags and so on to dress their dolls. That does cost more than ₹250.”
To cater to customers, Saraswathi has begun stocking accessories for the stuffed toys, such as the filling and different kinds of eyes, nose and mouths.
Unable to keep up with the demand, Saraswathi has taught her staff and students to make the toys and pays them separately for their efforts. Sreeja says: “These toys exude a happy vibe and that’s why I enjoy making them.”
