IT'S HARD to work out who loves Mimi's toys more, little kids or big kids.

Mimi, a New York-based toy designer and sculptor, has devoted her career to working for companies that create children's toys.

Toy-making, for Mimi, is a life-long passion that doesn't shut down just because she's finished work for the day. That's part of the reason she created her own toy label, MyMimi.

Mimi designs and hand-makes her funky toys at home in her spare time, using her five-year-old daughter as a consultant and a source of inspiration.

'I like the idea that there's no limit,' Mimi said.

'I'm always sketching new designs, and then I get just bunkered up in my little studio at nights when the kids are asleep and make little prototypes in 3D.

'My girl gets all the prototypes in the morning, and it's so fun to see her reactions.'

The result is not something you're ever likely to stumble across in a standard toy shop.

The fabrics are striking, the designs unique and the toys themselves all come in limited runs that make them adored by children and serious collectors alike.

The other thing you notice when you pick up a MyMimi toy is how soft it is. That's part of Mimi's own commitment to creating quality toys that will inspire and amaze the children who play with them.

'Each toy is unique in its way,' she said. 'One limb slightly shorter than the other or one ear is a bit sewn further down, that makes them "charmy" individually and special.

'If people like a certain design, I make sure to make enough to make them happy. But I try to keep a small number of batches, so that my handmade soft toys stay unique.'

Along with her soft toys, MyMimi also makes a range of fridge magnets and has plans to start a series of cardboard books for babies, once she finds the time.