Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Boy’s ‘Mermaid Dog’ Becomes IKEA Plush

According to Savva, the mermaid dog helps everyone who is in trouble. Ikea

What if the fantastical creatures from your childhood imagination were turned into reality?

One Russian schoolboy will have his fantasy of a mermaid dog brought to life after IKEA selected his drawing to become its next plush toy. 

The aquatic pup with a charming purple hat by 9-year-old Savva from St. Petersburg was chosen from 66,000 submissions from all over the world. 

“I love to draw and often think up different stories. So I came up with the idea of ​​such an unusual dog and decided to send it to the competition,” Savva told a local news outlet Wednesday.  

According to Savva, the mermaid dog helps everyone who is in trouble.

Four other designs were selected in IKEA’s annual Soft Toy Drawing Competition, which gives kids the opportunity to design a limited-edition soft toy.  

In addition to the mermaid dog, a pair of sandwich friends designed by Audrey from Canada, a cat by Liepa from Lithuania, scrambled eggs by Zosia from Poland and bird by Nick from the U.S. will also become a part of IKEA’s Sagoscat collection, which goes on sale this fall. 

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the toys’ sales in Russia will go toward local initiatives that promote children’s right to play, the Swedish furniture company said.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more