Meet the Glitter Girls Designer

8 marzo 2024

Join us in celebrating Women’s Day! It’s important for us to cherish the accomplishments of women and girls, and encourage them to keep on shining. With a name like Glitter Girls, you can bet that we have amazing women in all our departments – from art and photography to sales and marketing – working together to make every day sparkle brighter!

At the heart of it all is our designer, Vero! Meet the original Glitter Girl who creates all the sparkling dolls and toys you love. We sat down with Vero to ask her about her work, her inspirations, and her dazzling stories!

Tell us about yourself!

Hello! My name is Veronique.

I’ve been a doll designer at Glitter Girls for 6 years now, and I’ve been loving every minute of it. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better job than this one.

That’s amazing! What does a doll designer do?

The essence of being a doll designer is channeling your inner child and letting it express its playful nature. I work hand in hand with “little Vero” every day. I ask myself what “little Vero” would like to play with, whether it’s a doll, doll accessories, or doll playsets.

And guess what? I actually play with the toys I design to test if they are fun! How amazing is that?

That sounds like a lot of fun! What is a typical day in the life of a Glitter Girls designer?

I always start my day with music and a funny GIF sent to toy designer colleagues for a light morning giggle. Then, I read my emails and I check in with the engineering team, making sure that our projects are aligned & rolling. Some days, I receive some samples of my work and I need to give comments on them.

We have 2 collections per year. During these 2 seasons, I’m either really, intensely, 100% in creative mode or I’m commenting on my samples, sharing information about our new items with sales team, making sure our products are photographed following the GG vibe, giving notes on packaging, and signing off production samples, which is more technical.

There are no typical days, actually! Every day is a new day. I love that freshness in my job; it’s very stimulating.

Which do you prefer: designing, or seeing your designs come to life?

That’s a good question. I love designing. At first, there’s always a bit of a fear of the blank page. But when the “juices” start flowing and you start putting your ideas down on paper and creating mockups, it gets exciting, almost thrilling, because you need to catch all the fun ideas that are flying through your mind.

But then, when you are holding a toy you’ve created in your hands, it’s a very satisfying feeling. So, I get a kick out of both!

Where do you find inspiration?

Everywhere! Working in a creative job means that I see everything as a source of inspiration.

When I’m shopping, I might spot a coffee mug that has a nice color combo, so I’ll take a picture. When I’m travelling, I might see a mural on the street and I’ll think, “I like these shapes!” I will take mental notes of interesting textures on the objects that surround my daily life. I even have a list of cute names for dolls that are inspired by movies and series I’ve watched.

My eyes and ears are always open. And in reaction to that, my brain is constantly cogitating for Glitter Girls ideas.

Tell us about your vision for Glitter Girls.

I wanted to create a world where everything is possible, and things are happy. Glitter Girls are all about friendship, caring for each other and having a ton of giggles together. It’s not being too serious – it’s just joy and happiness. It’s focusing on that short period of childhood where everything is possible.

We get the time to be serious later in life. To me, it’s really important for children to have fun and to open up those doors of imagination and possibilities. That’s truly, deeply what I want for Glitter Girls.

What do you love most about your job?

There are a few things. I love watching the photography team take pictures of my designs and make them come to life on camera. I love to see pictures of the dolls interacting with each other around a playset. When there’s a photoshoot with kids, my heart bursts just to see them play with the dolls and to see their smiles! I love that.

I also take the time to read comments and reviews. It makes me so happy to read stories like, “my little girl unboxed this and she can’t stop playing with it,” or “she brought her doll on our travels to see Grandma. She sleeps with the doll.”

I get some fan letters, too, which is super sweet. I’m not saving the world, but I have a sense of purpose. Knowing my toys are making some kids happy somewhere in the world is tremendous.

Do you have any favorite Glitter Girls toys?

I do! Macha is my favorite doll. She just seems like a little girl I would like to become friends with at school.

I also love the Sweet Shop. It was a lot of hard work, and one of the first large spaces I made for GG. I had so much fun doing it. To this day, I just love it and I’m very proud of it.

There’s also the Donut Delivery Scooter. Because GG doesn’t need a serious diet, I thought, let’s deliver donuts! A lot of research was done for this item. I wanted to give it a very special and unique shape and feel. I had a blast designing all the colorful donuts. It made me hungry all the time!

Fun fact: Macha has the eyes of a girl who works here at Glitter Girls. I thought she had the most beautiful eye color. So, we photographed her eyes and made them for the doll. Another fun fact is that the scooter was recreated in New York for CAMP! I went there and I actually sat on it. I was so excited! It was a great moment for a toy designer.

Glitter Girls help kids find the sparkle hidden in every day. What makes you sparkle?

Receiving samples of my work. I always know what it is, but it’s still a surprise every time. It’s like getting a gift!

During the peak of the pandemic, all toy designers were working from home. Our toy samples were delivered to our homes. I remember opening a brown envelope from the engineering team and pulling out some colorful and sparkly GG clothes. It was like a bouquet of joy was delivered to my house. Getting all this GG stuff made me so happy! I remember that moment was so special, and it affected me in a positive way. True GG therapy!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I love to present myself as a toy designer. I enjoy being that aunt and mother’s friend who is a toy designer. It gives you a special title in the eyes of the kids who surround you. When the kids were younger, I would talk about how I work for Santa Claus, and how the other elves and I make toys all year long – just sprinkling a bit of magic into their imaginations.

It’s funny – my niece has so many Glitter Girls toys. She is officially my biggest fan!! She tells me, “You need to stay a toy designer all your life!” I find that so sweet! Why not?!

We hope that our time with Vero sheds some light on the wonderful world of dolls! If you’re interested in becoming a toy designer, we believe in you, and we encourage you to pursue your passions – just like Vero!