A couple of years ago, Fatma started Guettou sewed her own dolls for her children because there was a lack of inclusive dolls on the market. After posting a picture on Instagram, the idea quickly developed and Watoto Arts was born. At the heart of the work is a passion for sustainability, inclusion and social responsibility. All dolls are created by hand in Sweden with great care and in close dialogue with the customer. For OLIKA, Watoto Arts has created the doll UppfinnarJohanna, as an extension of the books about the creative inventor Johanna, created by Ann-Christine Magnusson and Lovisa Lesse. In an interview with Fatma, we got to follow her journey from idea to a thriving family business. We talked about inspiration, glimmers in everyday life and the value of seeing other people.

Hi Fatma! Who are you?
– My name is Fatma, I am 38 years old and have three children aged 7, 5 and 2. I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry and defended my PhD in biochemistry, but when I had my second child I started thinking about alternative things to do.

I've always been creative and a bit restless, so during my parental leave I started experimenting with sewing. It was then that I realized that there was a lack of dolls with a wide variety of styles, that were locally produced and sustainable.

It's so important for kids to have inclusive toys and to be able to see themselves represented. I started thinking about when I was a kid and I only played with blonde Barbies and there was no representation at all in toys back then. So I just wanted to try to make it better for my own kids.

Tell us about the journey, from idea to now!
– The idea started at the kitchen table in the evenings when the children were asleep. I sewed on weekends, evenings and a little bit every now and then when I had time. After parental leave, I went back to my job but continued with this hobby on the side.

When I had sewn quite a few dolls, my husband suggested that I take a picture and post it on Instagram. More people were looking for inclusive dolls and noticed us. We also participated in some entrepreneurial competitions where we won prizes. It gave us confidence and the feeling that people believed in us. That we should invest in this!

From the start, I was the one doing most of the work, but after a while I needed some help and my husband complements me in certain areas of expertise that he was able to help with. Now two years later, we work with Watoto Arts together full-time and also have a seamstress.

In addition to the lack of diversity among toys, there are also many foreign-born women who have difficulty finding jobs and who are very good at sewing. So it is also part of the business to be able to offer local employment and contribute to positive social change for the environment, the climate, social sustainability and the children's future. The whole circle is important to us!

Now we have a space that is just a stone's throw from our home, it was important to put together the puzzle of life and family life with three children. The space is an old preschool where we have our machines, our warehouse, distribution and packaging + a small retail space.

Today you are making dolls that are inclusive in many different ways. Tell us about the inspiration for the different dolls!
– We have an open dialogue with our followers on Instagram, so many ideas come from them. People want different things, for example, now grandfather/grandmother/grandfather dolls are very popular, dolls with gray hair and glasses. There was one person who made such an order and then it turned out that more people wanted it. Many children live far from their grandparents and cannot see them as often as they would like and then they have a doll instead. So there is inclusion across ages as well, that the older generation is represented.

Most recently we made a doll with a birthmark on her face, it was for a child who was going to have surgery. We have made dolls with dysmelia, dolls with a button in their stomach, with a tube in their nose, cleft palate, hearing aid, diabetes, we have even made angel children with wings.

So the inspiration is an interaction with our followers. The fact that we are responsive and have our own production means that we are flexible and can experiment and test. We make smaller batches and see which doll is in demand and how we can broaden our catalog.

You have made a doll of our popular character InventorJohanna. Tell us more!
– We and our children like the UppfinnarJohanna books and when we searched for a doll, we couldn't find any. We contacted VARIOUS book publishers and put forward a proposal that we could design and make a doll for the popular books. We then got in touch with the author Anki and the illustrator Lovia and together with them we started designing the doll. Here too, we received feedback from our followers on Instagram. It was a very fun and creative process and we are so proud to be able to make the UppfinnarJohanna doll.

What do you dream about in the future - where will you be in five years?
– To be able to influence, help and create positive social change in a concrete way. That the children, but also the parents, recognize the dolls and understand why it is important. We dream of the dolls being more easily accessible to more people, and also outside of Sweden. So that more children can have a doll that represents them.

And to lead by example. We want to show how you can create a company that is sustainable and that it doesn't have to be mass production and fast fashion. It can be done in a different way.

Would you like to send any tips to our readers and followers?
– I think a lot about how important it is to do that little extra. A smile, a hello or asking how someone is doing. It can mean so much when someone opens up and is inviting. It costs nothing to be curious, ask questions or check in if you see someone is sad.

What are your glimmers in everyday life?
– Waking up early in the morning, before the kids. Have a cup of coffee in silence and breathe in the fresh morning air.

Thank you so much Fatma for letting us talk to you! ❤️

Check out the doll and all the lovely books with InventorJohanna!💙

The InventorJohanna doll, Up and jump InventorJohanna!, Here comes InventorJohanna!, Full speed ahead, InventorJohanna!, InventorJohanna & Huttan, InventorJohanna & the scare machine, InventorJohanna goes Lucia, InventorJohanna & the power machine , InventorJohanna & the trolling-drilling machine, Stuff & draw with InventorJohanna