Behind the scenes at Zennie the ZenWhale

Sometimes I get asked how the idea for Zennie the ZenWhale came about. The honest answer is that this story didn’t start with a sketch of a stuffed animal, but much earlier. When I look back, it feels almost unreal how many steps it took for Zennie to really exist. What started as an idea in my head, grew into a project that I have been working on almost daily. Sometimes full of enthusiasm because there was another step forward, sometimes with the necessary frustration when something just didn’t work the way I had envisioned. But one thing I always knew for sure: if we were going to do this, it had to be really good.

Since 2008 I have been guiding children and their parents as a remedial educationalist. In my work, I often saw children at their most vulnerable. Children who are overstimulated, build up tension or have difficulty regulating their emotions. At the same time, I saw how different children are. What helps one person to calm down, does not work at all for another. And even with the same child, the need can vary from moment to moment. It is precisely this that has taught me that there is no one way to help children regulate.

That experience also formed the basis for the webshop Educadora. When I started the webshop in 2013, I didn’t want to just sell products. I wanted to offer parents and professionals tools that I knew from practice could really mean something. Over the years I spoke with many parents, children and professionals in my practice and at fairs. Their stories and experiences inspired me again and again.

More and more often I thought: what if all that knowledge came together in one cuddly toy? There are beautiful sensory aids and weighted cuddly toys available, but parents often told me that they used multiple tools. Sometimes warmth helped, other times calm breathing or simply a soft hug to hold. That’s when the idea for Zennie was born: a cuddly toy with multiple functions that can suit different children and different moments.

After the summer of 2025, the real development process began. First I mapped out what Zennie had to be able to do. Then came the practical questions. How big should it be? Which fabric feels good? How do we make his face kind and soothing? How do we hide the electronics safely, but keep charging easy? And how do we ensure that Zennie is washable and splash-proof when a cup of drink is handled? Behind every choice are hours of consultation, testing and starting over.

In December 2025, I held the first prototype. I won’t soon forget that moment. For the first time, something was in my hands that had only been an idea months before. I was immediately enthusiastic, but also immediately saw what could be improved. The fabric could be softer, the breathing more natural and the warmth more tangible. Actually, I just liked that. It showed that we were critical enough not to be satisfied with ‘good enough’.

Two more prototypes followed in which major and minor improvements were made. Some changes you will hardly see later, but it is precisely those details that make the difference. As a user, you don’t want to think about where the electronics are or how the heat is distributed. You just want a cuddly toy to feel comfortable and do what it’s supposed to do.

Prototype three already felt very close to our goal and that’s why we presented Zennie in April 2026 during the VeineDAGEN. Perhaps I was even more curious about the children’s reactions than those of the adults. Children are honest. They grab a cuddly toy or put it away immediately. That is precisely why it was so special to see how many children pulled Zennie firmly against them. Parents and professionals also reacted very enthusiastically. That gave me a lot of confidence.

Still, we felt that ‘almost perfect’ was not good enough. In July 2026, we received prototype four. The breathing was further refined, the heat was better distributed and the last details, such as the logo, the washing label and the safety instructions, were also added. In the meantime, we are working behind the scenes on the manual and the packaging, the necessary inspections (including CE mark) so that the whole picture will be right.

Zennie has been developed to support children in different ways. The calm breathing function invites you to breathe along, the warmth gives a sense of security and the soft cuddly toy offers comfort and safety. It is precisely the combination of these functions that allows Zennie to connect with many different children and situations.

Now a new phase begins: production starts. That’s a lot of fun, but also quite exciting. Unfortunately, due to production time, a large first print run will no longer be available before the holidays. We are doing everything we can to be able to deliver twenty copies before the holidays. If you want to receive one of the first Zennies and don’t wait until 2027, I recommend ordering on time.

When I think back to all the sketches, conversations, prototypes and small adjustments, I am especially proud. Not because there will be a new product in the webshop, but because I believe that Zennie can really make a difference for some children. Maybe he helps a child to catch his breath after a busy school day. Maybe he offers comfort in tension or gives just that little bit of security that is needed to be able to move on. If that succeeds, then all the work behind the scenes has been more than worth it.