Empathy, humor and temper
Playfulness and creativity are at the heart of the Brokiga© books.
In these stories, empathy, tolerance and equality are the lodestars. The lively figures are checked, polka-dotted, pink, green, brown and blue. They are angry, sad, temperamental and melancholy. Every possible feeling is included – in the Brokiga figures as in ourselves. These books are full of surprises and silly doings. Those lively little figures are ever so difficult to control!
About – Little Pink and the Other Little Livelys
There is a pedagogical point of departure for the Brokiga books – playful read-aloud learning for the very young. “Brokiga” is a Swedish word meaning multicolored and full of lively patterns. Brokiga© is also the name of our company, registered both as a copyright and a trademark.
The little figures argue and make up, bite and console. They may have terrible spats, but they easily become friends again. Little Pink is a character with attitude. She guides us through the experiences covered in each story. She is sweet as candy – but she can also growl and show her fangs.
Little Pink is just one of the many small figures. Some of these characters recur from book to book, while others merely pass by in a swarm of color.
Who?
Stina Wirsén’s “Who?” books are another facet of the Brokiga© trademark, along with related products developed by the Brokiga team.
The Who? books are everyday realism in the form of fables. These sprawling little figures display depth to their emotions in childlike dramas for the very young. The Who? books have won great popularity in Sweden and abroad, are regularly dramatized, and have been made into animated films that are often broadcast on Swedish public television. These are books that tackle difficult issues, as their titles indicate: Who’s Big, Who’s Bleeding?, and Who’s not Sleeping? And they appeal to both children and adults.
There are over twenty titles with these five main characters.
In the five most recent books, the Who animals are grown up and now have families of their own. A whole new Who generation!
The pens that created the Brokiga© figures
The books about Little Pink and the Other Brokiga figures were written and illustrated by Carin and Stina Wirsén. Today there are over thirty titles, read and loved by children all over the world. The series will be continued with new titles.
When it comes to product development, the sisters, Anna and Stina, work closely together throughout the design process – from each initial proposal to finished product. Their focus is playfulness, pleasure, empathy and liveliness. This basis permeates the design process, the illustrations, the care that goes into the manufacturing process, as do sustainability aspects.
Stina Wirsén, is an author and illustrator of children’s books. She is the illustrator of the Brokiga© books, the series about Ruth and Kurt, and others. She has also illustrated books by other renowned Swedish authors, including Ulf Stark, Hédi Fried and Martin Widmark.
Stina is both author and illustrator of the successful Who? series.
She has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and other forms of recognition for both her children’s book illustrations and her creations for adult readers.
www.bonniercarlsen.se
www.stinawirsen.se
Anna Hörling is an industrial designer whose work spans the spectrum from eyeglasses to interior design to lighting, in addition to being the designer of the Brokiga© series and a number of other trademarks. Anna’s touchstones are innovation and environmentally sound solutions. Her work is characterized by simplicity and straightforwardness in combination with unexpected details. Anna has received a number of prizes for her design work.
www.annahorling.se
www.bonniercarlsen.se
www.berghsforlag.se
Carin Wirsén is a retired teacher and author. She and Stina have collaborated on a large number of popular children’s books that have sold successfully in many parts of the world. She has also created books together with other illustrators. Carin’s work is characterized by its focus on early language development and on children’s ability to comprehend concepts. Her long experience of teaching children with special needs has impacted her writing. She subtly incorporates pedagogy, concepts and mathematics into stories that are so much fun for young readers they barely notice how much they are learning in the process! Carin takes playfulness very seriously.
www.bonniercarlsen.se
www.rabensjogren.se
Background
Growing up together, sisters Stina and Anna played their way through childhood, building, drawing and sewing as they went along.
On rainy days they cut out paper dolls, baked sweet rolls with little faces that turned out to be too cute to eat. They turned their bookshelves into apartments for their dolls and stuffed animals. Both their parents, Carin and Christian, were art teachers by training, so in their home there was always plenty of paper, pens, clay, fabrics, and other craft materials.
In the early 1990s, both sisters attended the Stockholm University of Arts, Crafts and Design. Anna studied the industrial design program, while Stina chose graphic design and illustration. Since then they have both been active as designers, artists and writers. In 2007 they decided to combine their professions – illustration and industrial design – and carry out a joint project. Thus the Brokiga© trademark came into being.
The ideas behind Brokiga
Brokiga is all about reinforcing all children’s self-esteem, and enticing them to play and to learn. Stina and Carin often speak at libraries and preschools and hold workshops. Brokiga© also supports projects that aid and strengthen children in vulnerable situations, through Save the Children and other foundations.
The Brokiga© trademark, which includes Little Pink and the other Brokiga characters. Sustainability in relation to production methods is a key ambition of Little Pink and Brokiga©. The trademark was developed by the sisters, Stina Wirsén, illustrator and author, and Anna Hörling, industrial designer and decorator.
