Dreamlets are quirky companions for kids of all ages

You'd think the idea for Dreamlets would have come to Matty Harper in, well, a dream. As it happens, the story behind these quirky plush creatures is a bit more complicated than that. According to Harper, a local designer who worked as an art director for a Seattle ad agency before founding his own company in 2006, a trip to Vietnam six years ago is what really inspired him.

"Dreamlets are a response to the chaos of Ho Chi Minh [City], an exaggeration of the chaos of any urban environment," Harper explains. "Dreamlets are a meditation on simplicity." (Their name comes from the book "Geek Love," by Portland author Katherine Dunn, in which children are referred to as "dreamlets.")

Harper credits Uglydolls, the ubiquitous line of about 20 strange-but-cuddly characters, with creating a market for huggable, adult-oriented companions of indeterminate species. Nonetheless, Dreamlets -- which aren't based on animals, and are thus more open to interpretation than many Uglydolls -- are their own thing.

Stanley, a short, long-armed yellow fellow, was Harper's first prototype, and in his current iteration he's a customer favorite. The six current Dreamlets characters -- Stanley, Uncle, Ceecee, Beebee, Qoindo and Thinko --are all made of colorfast fleece and filled with beans. That each character is one of three primary colors and has "no moving parts, magnets or paint" reinforces the concept of uncomplicated toys that could appeal to just about anyone.

In bringing Dreamlets to life, Harper and company co-owner Amy Brodie went to considerable effort to make sure that, as Brodie says, "the brand stands for something" -- not only the importance of imagination but also a significant degree of social consciousness.

They toured the Chinese factory where Dreamlets are manufactured before agreeing to work with the London-based company that owns it, making sure that working conditions were fair. They also decided early on to contribute one percent of the company's gross revenue to "organizations that support creative thought through funding and education." Currently, the program benefits ArtWorks, Bridges to Understanding and PONCHO.

While Dreamlets are currently the company's only physical product, Dreamlets.com also offers Dreamcards, which are free e-cards that are infinitely modifiable. Not only can you draw virtual pictures on your virtual card before sending it, the recipient can add his or her own drawings and send it back to you.

Happily, the Dreamcards interface is easy and fun enough to support the high concept, and the simple, square cards come in both Dreamlet and non-Dreamlet designs. As for Dreamlets themselves, they're $24.95 apiece and are available both online and at Velocity Art & Design, Annie's Art and Frame, both Capers locations and Mon Petit Shoe.

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