More than stuffed animals, Gugus are creatures that come straight out of Fanny and Fabien's imagination. In their Burgundy workshop on the banks of the Nièvre canal, they make these funny and eco-responsible characters with four hands!
Les Gugus is the story of the meeting between two artists: Fanny, the illustrator and Fabien, the cabinetmaker-decorator. Each pursues his career on his own until the birth of their son in 2015, when they decide to pool their know-how and begin to create together funny creatures with a dreamlike universe.
To tell the truth, a sketch of the Gugus already existed in Fanny's imagination. They lived in the form of a drawing, when the young woman decorated structures for sick children in hospitals. Already, the children marveled at these fantastic "animals" and told him of their desire to own them "for real". The idea caught on and resurfaced with motherhood and the desire to give their son a home-made soft toy in organic fabric. Fabien, the visual artist, will help him to realize this project and to create the characters in volume.
The story of the Gugus officially began in 2019. The couple trained in sewing then, from their country workshop located in the charming village of Châtel-Censoir in Yonne, they sourced soft and organic materials with indisputable traceability. They refine the world of Gugus, create a collection of characters, and after obtaining the necessary certifications and approvals, the adventure begins.
More than just stuffed animals, the Gugus tell a real story. A legend and a meticulous cartography of the individuals exist... The Gugus would have been discovered in the 18th century by a little girl who then established a very precise census of each of them. As proof, each Gugus is sold with its "gugussier", a sort of identity card for the character. They are called Gros Navet, Pousse Toujours, P'titpousse or Portepax and are part of the Timimi, Petit or Grand Gugus family... This happy world evolves in a touching chimerical universe whose story and the adventures are told in pretty books...
The Gugus are retailed in many shops in France and abroad.
You can find them among others at:
Avignon cqfd
La Réunion ticazbébé
Vence latelierfrançais
picture credit © les gugus
