Welcome to our World of Tenderness

The idea germinated in the brains of Katia and Simon-Pierre Gilliot-De Paepe in 1991, after the birth of their first son, Amaury.

One day in January 1992 they went with a friend and their parents to a notary public to create the company Amtoys. Once this was done, Katia set off to work and began to sell cuddly toys bought in from different European producers. The garage was used as a storage room and the laundry room served as an office.

Then came four years of hard work for a very small benefit. The company, as it existed at the time, did not offer sufficient added value, so its prospects of survival were limited. The company was at the crossroads: stop or continue, but in a different way.

Nevertheless Katia and Simon-Pierre decided to continue, but by creating their own line of cuddly toys, designed mainly for very young children. Farewell long-haired cuddly toys! Be gone, plastic eyes! The accent was placed on soft, short-napped, easy-to-wash materials and on embroideries, perfect for guaranteeing the child’s safety.
Success was immediate and well beyond expectations. The Noukie’s brand was launched.

Theme by theme, model by model, the Noukie’s family grew and its reputation spread across national borders.

In 1998 a future star was born, Nouky, with its friendly face, its super-downy velvet and soft body, it was a huge success among young and old alike! ( Discover the whole Nouky collection)

In 1999 the Antartica range won the innovation prize in Paris.

In 2001 Noukie’s created a specific character, Noukie’s Baby, for the birth of the heir Princess Elisabeth of Belgium. The profits from the sales went to the Princess Mathilde Fund, which helps disadvantaged children.

In 2001 Noukie’s extended its characters to child care and bought a Belgian company specialising in baby textiles. This marked the beginning of a new challenge: from a brand of cuddly toys becoming a brand of products for children.

In 2002 Paco the Donkey and Lola the Cow won the Toy of the Year prize in Belgium. Noukie’s launched its first textiles collection intended for children of 0-2 years of age.

In 2004 Noukie’s kept moving on and opened its first shops in Brussels and Paris.

In 2005, the test on these first two shops being conclusive, Noukie’s decided to embark on a project and new shops sprang up in France, Belgium and the Lebanon.

In 2006 shops were also opened in Italy, Germany and Abu Dhabi. In parallel a very ambitious project was conceived: bringing characters to life by means of an animated 3D-series. This is probably the most ambitious Noukie’s project ever.

Since the beginning, Noukie’s has always respected its key values:

• quality,
• softness,
• safety,
• innovation
  

The Noukie’s brand is now present in 26 countries where it brings happiness to children … and adults!