Happy first birthday to Doodle Dents!

September 25, 2020

Celebrating one year, and meet the team...

A year ago today, I nervously unveiled a pull up banner and set up our first ‘market stall’ at the Farleigh School Macmillan fair in front of a few hundred people. This was it, time to showcase our completely unique concept to the real and unforgiving consumer! Agghh! Fortunately the day could not have gone better, there was a real buzz around our stall, with customers lined up 3 to 4 rows deep (can’t do that now!) and in a couple of hours we had sold over 150 books.

However, it didn’t stop there. The days that followed we were inundated with calls and messages from people saying how much their kids enjoyed Doodle Dents. Then the orders started online, which my wife very kindly dealt with as I embarked on a 3-week trip, cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats unsupported, unfortunately for me during the wettest weeks of the year! At least it raised over £2,000 for PigglesTrust (a charity that provides Early Year Education to young children in hospital across the UK).

The months that ran up to Christmas were busy, rushing from fair to fair replicating our day at Farleigh. It was clear at this point that Doodle Dents wasn’t just something that supportive friends and family said was great, it was getting the approval from the general public too! It’s also been highlighted by educational specialists as being excellent for developing fine motor skills.

Fast forward one year (through the dreaded months of lock down) and we have over 1,000 happy customers (more if you count the adults too), sold just over two and a half thousand Doodle Dents pads, been nominated for the 'Spotted Award' as an up and coming brand in Top Drawer London 2020 (wish us luck), become a global brand (having launched in Australia), increased our range and recently been listed in some top independent retailers. It has been an incredible journey bringing this brand new, unique product to life and into the marketplace but we still have a long way to go to achieve our mission that “Doodle Dents should be enjoyed by every child, in every household across the globe”.

Finally, whilst demand is increasing, it is important to us that we continue to take pride in using natural and renewable FSC certified material whilst being 100% recyclable and biodegradable and keeping production local, here in Hampshire (UK).

MEET THE TEAM ...

Chris Golding – Founder

Apart from a passion for Doodle Dents, I work as a self-employed marketing consultant (so always happy to talk to people about their business 😊), and also a glorified taxi driver for my three children.

In the spare time I do get, I enjoy sport and trying to keep fit to counterbalance the ever-threatening beer belly!

Violet – The Inventor

The brainchild behind Doodle Dents, Violet has the most incredible imagination. An animal lover to the core, often choosing to play outside, dig in the mud and re-home poor unsuspecting bugs and insects! She will never wear trousers or a jumper and refuses to accept that she is cold (until it’s too late). She loves riding and Doodle Dents.

Bertie – Chief Doodler

Inbetween the usual 10-year-old behaviour, moaning about School and training to become a professional footballer, Bertie is a social being. He loves chatting and laughing with friends and family, and although he wouldn’t admit it, is always looking out for his two younger sisters.

A natural sportsman and loves Doodle Dents.

Imogen – Chief Doodler

When Immy is not drawing on walls or picking her nose, she loves singing and dancing. Being the youngest she has a wonderful mix of being easy going alongside knowing her own mind with a volume capacity to express it. Whatever her mood status, she will never fail to laugh at something funny.

Obviously, she loves Doodle Dents.

Emily - (the real boss)

Apart from being beautiful, she somehow manages to look after three children, wife to one slightly bigger child and support multiple clients as a self-employed super-woman.

She loves Champagne, oh, and Doodle Dents!

Doodle Dents ‘down under’ - The Garratts

- Jodi, Max, Sam & Penny

The Garratts are one of our best family friends, who very annoyingly moved to Australia back in 2013 and also annoyingly are not coming back. Still, on the plus side, their new purpose is to spread the joy of Doodle Dents on the other side of the world!

They love Doodle Dents.

Visit Doodle Dents Australia here.

It is super important to recognise and thank the extended Doodle Dents team and everyone who has contributed to date. The list would be way too long to mention individually by name, but to the family, friends, production and design consultants (you know who you are), a HUGE thank you. I have been humbled by the amount of time, advice and support people have offered over the year - all of whom have obviously loved Doodle Dents!

And finally, thank you to everyone who has purchased a Doodle Dents (both consumers, trade, market and event organisers), it’s very rewarding to think that Doodle Dents is providing enjoyment to so many people. Long may it continue!

Thanks for taking the time to read our birthday news, we hope you enjoyed it. For more information, or to read our story about how Doodle Dents started visit: about us and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @DoodleDents

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Christmas is coming!!

November 13, 2024

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November 7, 2022

Doodle Dents - remember us - a fabulous unique, creative & mindful way of doing art. Ideal presents for children.

Celebrating 2 years of Doodle Dents

October 1, 2021

I can't quite believe it has been TWO years since we launched Doodle Dents. What were you doing two years ago today and could you ever have imagined what was in store, for us all? I certainly didn't. I had just launched Doodle Dents and on this exact day two years ago became a "MAMIL" (middle-aged man in lycra), as I embarked on a two wheeled fundraising trip from Lands End to John O'Groats. Little did I know that I would be cycling through cities, towns and even remote hamlets where people would be enjoying Doodle Dents!

Uncle Paul's book of Doodle Dents

June 9, 2021

Ingredients: • 1 x Inventor of Doodle Dents (Violet) • 2 x Chief Doodlers (Bertie & Immy) • 1 x Uncle (Paul) • 1 x Topic – ‘My favourite things’ • Some paper & pens

New range of Doodle Dents - out now!

June 9, 2021

Not one but TWO new Doodle Dents products! We have just released Uncle Paul’s book of Doodle Dents and Granny & Grandpa’s handy pocket edition . Uncle Paul’s book of Doodle Dents is an A5 sized booklet, meaning your children can add to their portfolio of existing Doodle Dents, whilst Granny and Grandpa’s book comes in the new, smaller, handy pocket sized book, which can be easily taken absolutely anywhere and everywhere. Uncle Paul's book of Doodle Dents is themed around 'favourite things' (including exotic animals, spaceships, wizards and street dancers), whilst the pocket book is themed around 'cool types of transport' (from planes, trains and automobiles - plus horseback too), which is fitting as the pocket book is perfect for whichever mode of transport you embark when heading out!

THANK YOU EVERYONE

December 21, 2020

THANK YOU, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who ordered a Doodle Dents Special Christmas Bundle. We promised to give a Doodle Dents booklet to the children of KIDS ON TRACK charity for every Christmas Bundle bought and here we are! On the left is Digby (a total legend), from KIDS ON TRACK, who was in charge of distributing the Doodle Dents booklets, because it was not possible to do so in person due to the on-going Covid challenges. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Digby, deliver the extra Doodle Dents booklets and hear how he and the team at Kids On Track were working hard putting all the Doodle Dents booklets into special packs with other goodies to be delivered to all the children this week before Christmas. KIDS ON TRACK said: " We are so incredibly grateful to the amazing team at Doodle Dents for their wonderful contribution to the KOT children. A very very popular Christmas present!! Once again so many thank yous and a Happy Christmas to you all 🎄👍🏻" W e believe that Doodle Dents should be enjoyed by every child, in every household, and we have been genuinely humbled by everyone's generosity, we could not have delivered this particular initiative without you. So once again, a huge thank you. Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

What makes Doodle Dents so special?

March 3, 2020

What makes Doodle Dents so special? For you, it might be: - the look of pride on your child's face when they have completed their Doodle Dents? - the quality time you spend together whilst doing Doodle Dents? - the extra 40 minutes peace and quiet when your child is concentrating on doing their Doodle Dents? - or maybe, your own mindful experience doing a Doodle Dents yourself ??? Of course, all of those are excellent reasons, but for us it is the genuine passion and process behind the scenes that makes Doodle Dents so special. Let me explain. The genuine passion comes from discovering something that hadn't been done before and seeing how much joy it can bring to so many lives. The idea was inspired by my daughter, Violet, and it's important to me that our children are still involved with Doodle Dents every step of the way. I recently had the pleasure of showing them around the factory when the recent production run was in full swing. A proud moment for us all - to see what we have created, as well as a n education for them. They had so many questions, were super excited and somewhat amazed to see how it all came together; their inspired concepts and designs being manufactured and produced en masse. We saw big machines, small plates, varying paper stocks, production, cutting, trimming & collation techniques, the important finishing touches and millions of 'dents' - each stage equally as important to ensure each and every Doodle Dents product is just right. A big thank you to Mark, who hosted us, keeping us warm, watered and fed during a cold winter morning ( and sorry the kids ate all the biscuits)!

Other creative ways to enjoy Doodle Dents

By PAR002_123 • February 14, 2020

Well done Doodle Dents users! The feedback and creativity that fellow 'Doodle Denters' over the last few months has been phenomenal. So much so that we needed to share these wonderful other ways to enjoy Doodle Dents. The original idea of Doodle Dents was to create a fabulous picture by filling in the dents, but these wonderful pictures show Doodle Dents taking on a whole new level of creativity. A huge thank you to those who shared these - particularly our babysitter who deliberately left her Doodle Dents creation (pictured top left) on the coffee table for us to see!

Doodle Dents goes to School

By PAR002_123 • January 28, 2020

Doodle Dents goes to School. "The silence and concentration is deafening 😊 – they are LOVING Doodle Dents!” Mrs Litchfield, Copthorne Prep School.

From London to Devon...

By PAR002_123 • December 22, 2019

From London to Devon, Doodle Dents enjoyed touring the South of England whilst spreading the joy of this new mindful format of art - Doodle Dents, whilst raising hundreds of pounds for various charities. It’s been a joy to see the children (and some adults!) enjoying Doodle Dents and a pleasure contributing to school fundraisers and community fairs this Christmas. A big thank you to all those who hosted.