In bonnets, plush toys or key chains, the Phryges were the stars of the summer. In all, over three million copies were sold during the Olympic Games. Once reviled, the mascot has finally found its audience. To continue riding the wave, a new version produced by one of the two French companies will go on sale from 1 January.^er December. “It will be a Phrygia with a bonnet that will take pride of place at the foot of the Christmas tree”.Alain Joly, president of Doudou et compagnie, is delighted, estimating a selling price of between 29.90 and 39.90 euros. You’ll have to be quick, because 1,200 plush toys will be on sale, and not a single one more. Some “numbered mascots will also be produced at the Bretagne plant. “The Phryge is in our hearts and we don’t want to see it disappear”.confides Alain Joly.

“A lever for ‘made in France'”.

Making the Phryge has been a real winning bet for the Guerche-de-Bretagne (Ille-et-Vilaine) company. This very popular product has enabled the factory to accelerate its projects, which include, for example “the French bear. “The moment we knew we were going to make half the mascots, we launched this product, which uses the same technology as Phryges, with shape memory in the limbs.”explains the president of Doudou et compagnie. Today, on the production lines formerly used to assemble the red plush toys, there is a succession of “600 bears a day in nine different colors. “It’s a big success, beyond what I expected, because we can’t get any stock.”the sales representative is delighted.

To design it, the raw materials come from the group’s Chinese factory and are assembled in Brittany, with “78% of added value generated in France”.such as stitching, padding, fitting accessories, brushing, finishing and packaging. Alain Joly firmly believes in “a lever tending towards made in France, with customers turning to these tricolored roots”.. “After the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to reindustrialize the country. During this period, everyone said that “made in France” was expensive, but this impression is fading.”he believes. On the shelves of retailers specializing in toys and childcare, the French bear is priced at 39.90 euros.

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Prestigious partnerships

At the Breton factory, 130 people work to bring the cuddly toys to life, and 35 employees are solely responsible for production, compared with “a dozen or so before the Olympic Games”.. In addition to securing these jobs, Alain Joly “is now looking to recruit on the digital side, in production as well as in sales”.. A Breton training school will also be launched next January to train the younger generation in these manual trades. Although several investors have approached the group, Alain Joly maintains that it will remain “in the family”. and “will not go beyond”closing the door on them.

This visibility has also opened the doors to prestigious partnerships, such as with the Paris-Saint-Germain. “We’re going to make a premium product in France, for the club.”explains Alain Joly. He also hints that he will be supplying “beautiful French brands with theme parks linked to French history”.. The Élysée also called on Doudou et compagnie to make three little bears “made in France”, “distributed in department stores and high-end boutiques”.. Products linked to the city of Paris around the “monuments also turn in the factory” Breton.

Historical partners, such as the tennis tournament of French Openhave also stayed with the brand. “We’re producing 25% made-in-France products for this event”.stresses Alain Joly, not necessarily worried about the future of his group. “This year, we’ve increased our sales by 30%. It’s going to be impossible to achieve double-digit growth next year, but we want to keep up the momentum. The Olympic Games were a real eye-opener, with a new clientele that will set in motion a new dynamic”.predicts the group president.