OREANDA-NEWS.  IKEA announces the launch of LATTJO, a new play collection due out in IKEA stores this November, with the single-minded mission to inspire people to play more together every day. The LATTJO collection consists of a wide range of games and toys for indoor/outdoor active play, making music, game nights, and dress up/role play. To support the collection and to further inspire play, IKEA collaborated with DreamWorks Animation to develop a series of more than 25 short animated stories that celebrate and expand the imaginative worlds of the LATTJO characters.

The mission of the LATTJO collection is to encourage people both young and old to play more. “We know that the world wants and needs more play. In our research* we’ve seen that 50% of all adults want to find their inner child, and that both children and parents want to play more together,” says Maria Th?rn, Range Manager at Children’s IKEA.

IKEA and DreamWorks Animation have collaborated on a series of animated shorts featuring characters from the new collection in playful 2D and stop motion animation. The video series utilizes DreamWorks Animation’s storytelling expertise to bring the collection to life.

“IKEA and DreamWorks Animation share belief in the importance of play for everyone. We also share a passion for great stories. We are so excited that DreamWorks Animation is helping us tell the LATTJO story, and LATTJO will help our customers create their own. This collaboration will continue with more stories and products and most of all: more play – together!” says Cindy Andersen, Business Area Manager at Children’s IKEA.

“DreamWorks Animation believes in the power of great stories, and we were inspired by the creative challenge to bring these characters to life for IKEA customers around the globe,” says Brian Robinson, Global Head of Creative Design and Development at DreamWorks Animation. “Working with our world-class storytellers, this content series is a celebration of imagination and play that we hope surprises and delights viewers as they meet these characters in the coming months.”

The LATTJO characters, which are inspired by insects, roots, animals and vegetation, appear in different parts of the collection. From the eagle who is afraid of heights, to the root queen who finds herself stuck between two worlds, the animated stories show a host of diverse characters in unique and often hilarious situations inside their newly expanded worlds.

“Our work is to make things better and that's why we're always curious about new ideas, new techniques and new collaborations. This specific collaboration is exciting because it brings new life to our design, making the experience of IKEA products bigger, broader and better. And, we have more things to come - so keep watching,” says Marcus Engman, Design Manager at IKEA.