German Soft Toys with Mental Disorders Go down Well with Children

Hamburg designer Martin Kittsteiner says he hit upon the idea of thinking up soft toys suffering from various psychiatric problems when he and his girlfriend were having fun over the facial expressions of some teddy bears.

They decided to trade on the idea and created a jungleful of toy animals with symptoms of mental problems like depression, bipolar disorder and delusions. They entered into agreement with a toy-producing company to manufacture the animals and are selling them online.

Here are some extracts from case records:

Lilo the Hippo – engaged in solving a wooden jigsaw puzzle, the blue bright boy found himself thwarted; the frustration egged him into repetitive attempts of such intensity that his mind is shut off from most of external stimuli. He doesn’t seem to be able to find the time for anything or anybody else. His compulsive urge derived from acute frustration leaves him unable to socialize.

Sly the Snake – regarding a rattle as a continuation or a substitute for his own body, the serpent developed a fascination towards the fetish object. The extrapolation of his inner conflict serves to deepen the ambivalence and pushes him to impose his desires on an inanimate toy.

Kroko the Crocodile’s hypersensitivity is quickly evolving into a paranoid psychosis characterized by hallucinations, periods of deep stupefaction, mental retard conditions and slow disintegration of personality.

Dub the Tortoise is depressive as a result of the schizoid lifestyle with which he is unable to keep pace, with evident loss of interest and pleasure.

Dolly the Sheep lost to a struggle between her true plush self and a delusion making her believe that she is a wolf. The manifestation of the delusionary image throws her off the balance and causes psychotic defense reactions.

These outpatients go for £25 each and, according to Kittsteiner, enjoy quite a success with children and parents alike!

Source of the image: Theawl.