Welcome to our World of Tenderness

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

One day in January 1992, they met with a friend and their parents to visit a notary's office where they founded the company Amtoys. Katia immediately got to work and started selling soft toys purchased from various European manufacturers. At this stage, they used their garage as a warehouse and utility room as an office.

In 1996, Katia and Simon-Pierre created their own soft toy line designed primarily for babies. They could at last say goodbye to soft toys with long fur and plastic eyes. They focused on short-pile, soft and easy-to-wash fabrics, and on embroidery, perfect for ensuring totally safe products for children. Success was immediate and well beyond their expectations; the Noukie’s brand was born.

In 1998, a future star was born: Nouky, with his cheerful friendly face, his super-smooth velvet coat and his soft body was an immediate hit with the little ones... and the not so little!

In 1999, the Antartica range won the "Timbale de l'innovation" design award in Paris.

In 2001, Noukie's created a special character, Bébé Noukie’s, to celebrate the birth of the crown princess, Elisabeth of Belgium. Profits from sales were given to the Princess Mathilde Fund which supports vulnerable children.

In 2002, Paco the donkey and Lola the cow won the Toy of the Year award in Belgium. Noukie’s launched its first textile collection for 0 to 2-year-olds.

In 2004, Noukie’s continued to expand and opened its first stores in Brussels and Paris.

In 2005, the trial with the first two stores having proved conclusive, Noukie’s decided to make this a completely separate venture and new stores were opened not only in France and Belgium but also in Lebanon.

In 2006, the company embarked on a highly ambitious project: bringing the characters to life through production of an animated 3D series.

In 2007, Amtoys won the Business of the Year award in Belgium.