Can A Handmade Softie Toy Be Of Therapeutic Benefit During The Grieving Process? An Interview With Wendy Tsao, Part One

Today is part one of a two-part interview with Wendy Tsao, the artist who founded the home-based business Child’s Own Studio in 2007. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Child’s Own Studio was born when Wendy decided to make a softie toy based on a sketch drawn by her then 4 year-old son, Luca. Throughout her years of running the business, Wendy hand made over 700 custom softies from children’s drawings before selling the business last year. She was kind enough to sit down and speak with SevenPonds about her journey. 

Credit: answers.com

Ellary: I was wondering if you could give a little background on what the company is and how it started?

Wendy: In 2007, my only son, Luca, was starting kindergarten and I wanted to go back to work, but I wanted to find something that I could do at home.

Then my son’s school sent a letter home asking for a comfort toy to put in its emergency preparedness kit. Instead of going to buy something or using one of Luca’s toys, I thought, “Well, maybe I’ll make something.” 

It so happened that at that time there was a group of people making their own stuffed toys, called softies, and sharing them on the Internet. I really liked the look of them because they looked so different from the toys in the stores. Some of them even looked like they actually were designed by kids. So I thought, “Maybe I can make a toy based on one of my son’s drawings.” I made it, and when I showed it to him, he got really excited. So I thought, “This is it — this is what I’ll do.”  

I didn’t have much experience, so in 2007 I took a self-employment course and began to teach myself how to make stuffed toys. It was a bit slow for the first couple of years, and then in 2011 I started a blog. I also opened a Facebook account that got a lot of attention.

Ellary:  Do you try and make the softies look exactly like the drawings that are sent to you?

Wendy: For me, it’s not so important to make it look exactly like the drawing. For me, it’s more important to make the stuffed toy look like the drawing came alive.

Credit: childsown.com

Ellary: So it’s kind of an artistic collaboration between you and the child? 

Wendy: Exactly.

Ellary: A softie seems like a wonderful idea to augment the grieving process for a child who has suffered a loss. Have you had any conversations with grief counselors, parents or teachers about using your softies as a form of art therapy?

Wendy: I had a few email exchanges with therapists about the idea of making a softie as part of therapy. I would love to know the therapeutic benefits of a softie during the grieving and healing process.

Credit: childsown.com

Ellary: Have you ever made a softie from a sketch a child did of a person they lost? Or are they mostly just sketches of creatures or characters the children have drawn that will comfort them going forward after the death?

Wendy: I haven’t done one of a person, but I have made softies of lost pets. I know other softie makers have occasionally made softies based on drawings of lost loved ones, such as a grandparent. I always wondered about the impact or value of a self-designed comfort toy.

Ellary: Grieving parents have asked you to make softies from drawings by their children that have passed away, right?

Wendy: Yes. I think the first time was for a customer in England who lost a son named Rhys, who was 10 years old at the time he passed away. He’d been really into cars and was quite gifted at drawing them. The parents sent me a drawing of a red Ferrari, and they asked me to make a softie based on it. They planned on giving it to the surviving brother, hoping it would help him cope with the loss.

Credit: childsown.com

Ellary: Have you made any toys for someone you knew in your personal life, such as for a friend’s child who suffered a loss or had a terminal illness?

Wendy: No. I have made quite a few softies for friends, but I have not had the opportunity to make one for a friend with terminal illness. You have given me a thought, though. I have an acquaintance whose daughter has been fighting cancer (leukemia, I think). I might approach them to see if a softie might be appreciated.

Be sure to check back next week for part two of our interview with Wendy!

Credit: childsownstudio.com