One of the best things to witness is when a good person realises his or her dreams. Something they always wanted to create, to do, or to achieve. And then one day it is reality.
And today is one of those days for my friend Ing-Marie. I wrote about her before here on Paul & Paula because she used to make these ultra cool toys called Kleine Biester. Because Ing-Marie is the Hille ist die original author and illustrator of the Moffinis.
Who? Yes, Monster and Muffins combined in some adorable collectable figurines who are hitting the stores in Germany as you are reading.
My children received a box filled with a selection out of the 12 available Moffinis. And now the magical muffin monsters, all of which are housed in magnificent, detailed cupcake houses, live here with us:
I have asked Ing-Marie a few questions about her background and how she got the idea to create the figurines. Let’s hear:
Paul & Paula: Hi Ing-Marie, please tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
Ing-Marie: During summer 1998 I finished my fashion design studies and in autumn of the same year my first son was born.
So I started to work as a freelancer in textile and fashion design and later costume design and production for film and music video productions. I also followed my passion for drawing and painting throughout the years, otherwise something would be missing for me.
A few years later, I was a mum of three boys and founded my own children’s brand called „Die kleinen Biester“. SOft toys with their own stories and accessories. As a young mother, the focus is mainly on children’s things anyway, so it was a good fit. And I also started to develop design and illustration concepts for customers in the wood and plush sector (toy manufacturers & merchandise).
What do you love most about your job?
I mostly like bringing product and storytelling together. That is how the Moffinis started. After weeks of working on fruit and vegetable toys, I thought: “Actually, children much prefer cakes, cookies and muffins, wonderfully decorated and deliciously fun”.
Oh, tell us how the Moffinis were born.
So this is when I got the idea for the Moffinis. They should be cute and colourful, and all different and unique.
Figurines that don’t exist yet and that also magical and a little mysterious.
Of course, I didn’t know exactly how they should look like and all kinds of ideas flew through my head. That is when I grabbed my sketchbook and started drawing. That was in March 2018.
And then?
Half a year later I showed the results to the product manager of a German soft toy manufacturer. And he recommended to meet a great licensing agency in Munich. And that agency really liked my idea and designs and everything went very quickly after that.
Because we decided to work together, they brought the publisher Blue Ocean on board and since then we have been working with a great team on the “Moffinis”. For me, personally, a dream has come true.
Can you tell us three things that connect you personally with the Moffinis?
1. I love children. That is why I have three and our house is always busy.
2. I also love baking and eating sweets. We always have some home baked goods in the house and love to gather for a piece of cake in the afternoon.
3. I love stories. During our afternoon cake eating we usually come up with some fun made-up stories.
By the way, there are two very special Moffinis with bling and glitz to find in some of the bags… fingers crossed!
