Rachel Godfroy on helping children feel confident and connected with Kid Kreations’ Heartfuls

Rachel, before we dive into Heartfuls, what set you on a path into design? And was toys always on the cards?
Yes, toys were always on the cards! To be honest I’ve never grown out of them. I have wonderful memories of playing with Sindy, Care Bears and My Little Pony when I was very young – and I started to collect fashion dolls in my late teens. I gained a fashion degree at Nottingham Trent University and then realised that if I used my degree in conjunction with my passion for toys, I could carry on playing with them for the rest of my life!

Over one summer in 1998 I decided to reinvent my favourite childhood doll Sindy and present it to Vivid, who took me on as an intern. I’ve been in the toy industry ever since. I also design and customise vintage and modern dolls too in my spare time, so my life is just full of little plastic people!

Terrific! So where did the idea for the Heartfuls concept spark from?
Quite a lot of inspiration came from my own mental health experiences. Growing up, whenever I felt overwhelmed or upset, I would always turn to a favourite doll or plush toy for comfort. Years later, when my own children experienced anxiety, I noticed they did the same – it became a source of calm and reassurance for them, too.

Around 10 years ago, if a child needed support from CAMHS (Children and Adults Mental Health Services on the NHS), the waiting time was often 12 to18 months, which was a truly difficult situation for any parent seeking help. I wasn’t a professional, but I poured myself into mental wellbeing books and scoured the internet for strategies to support my children. Along the way, I discovered tools and ideas that genuinely made a difference. Many of those helpful insights have found their way into the Heartfuls journal!

We also discovered that doll play could be a powerful way to help children feel more confident, understood, and connected to the world around them. So, we thought, why not create a range that offers a safe, supportive space for kids to explore their emotions and express themselves freely?

I imagine naming any new brand is a big call, so why Heartfuls?
We agreed on the name Heartfuls because each doll is designed to “fill your heart.” As the idea grew, so did the unique personalities of each doll, with every character reflecting a different feel-good theme. For example, Colourful Skye finds joy through arts and crafts, while Graceful Amara lifts her mood by creating new dances or listening to music.

Did the initial idea morph much during development?
Yes, massively! What started as a fun idea for a cute, kawaii-style 14” doll line with a plush clip-on keyring quickly became something bigger. We started to incorporate positive, encouraging messages that you could fit into the keyring – and then wondered if we could extend this idea of positivity into the entire product.

The more we researched the state of children’s mental health in the UK and beyond, the clearer it became that we could do more to support kids in understanding and expressing their emotions – especially the strong or difficult ones.

Heartfuls is the first MESH-accredited dolls range. Where there any key design decisions during development that helped it fulfil its MESH ambitions?
Absolutely. Dolls have long played an important role in helping children develop emotional and social skills, so we made it a priority to embed those benefits into every aspect of the product. We kept the dolls at 14” – the perfect size for a comforting companion – and gave them soft, huggable bodies, cute appealing faces and colourful outfits that can be easily changed. We also kept the hair long on the dolls for therapeutic hair play.

As we started discussing Heartfuls with mental health professionals, we realised that the accessories we added into the product were just as important as the doll itself, so adding the journal felt like an important addition. There was so much thought and detail behind each theme that the journal helped to bring it all together. Each one includes a character profile with pages on what makes them feel good, along with calming and happy activities, all designed to look like a bullet journal which many people use to improve their wellbeing.

We also included a positivity wheel, which is a great way of encouraging kids to talk about their feelings –either with themselves, their Heartfuls doll or with friends and family. We introduced a crafting card that kids could use to make the positivity wheel as well as heart-shaped inspiration cards that fit into the clip-on key chain, and a gem calming bracelet to match the theme of each doll. Every accessory was carefully considered to add something that would help a child’s wellbeing.

The dolls sector is one of the most competitive in the industry. What does a doll need to do these days in order to ‘break through’?
Originality! Something that is different and stands out from the competition. It doesn’t have to be a technological breakthrough but something that children can relate to and get excited with. Something that sparks imagination, either through story-telling and/or with the physical product itself.

Finally, what fuels your creativity? And what do you find kills creativity?
I find inspiration from everywhere, whether it’s from children themselves or what I come across online or in real life. I’ve recently returned from a trip to Tokyo which was incredible; my creativity has been through the roof! I also work in a doll-packed rainbow coloured studio which also helps! I’ve surrounded myself with hundreds of cute toys, figures and plush which I’ve collected from all over the world and each one sparks a little joy.

In terms of what kills creativity… At the moment it’s the use of AI starting to dominate the creative industries. AI can produce quick realistic-looking visuals, but it’s generally based on patterns and trends it finds online rather than fresh, innovative original ideas that only humans can conceive. I worry about our future as creatives; we must find a way to work alongside AI, but not let it ruin our creativity and our livelihoods.

Rachel, huge thanks again for this. And congrats on Heartfuls!

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