the team

THE RAPLAPLETTES

Serge the cat has immortalized our awesome team and asked a few top-notch questions to each of us.

For your sake, we have forbidden him from asking his famous “Have you ever pooped in the forest?” question, which he tries asking every time.

ERICA — THE RAPLAPLAS' MOM

Photo datant du début des années 80 montrant deux enfants, identifiés comme la patronne et sa petite soeur.

 

You're moving to the other side of the world and you can only take one raplapla with you. Which one are you bringing?
Mr. Tsé-Tsé, without a doubt (but I would prefer that this information remain between us).

If you could create any raplapla without Erica stopping you, what would it be?
That's the hardest question I've ever been asked, since I AM Erica. So... if I had no budgetary or Health Canada constraints, I would make an ultra-local stuffed animal: designer knit fabric + milkweed stuffing. I'd also like to make a swarm of bees. Each fabric hive would contain at least thirty of them.

Is there anything you would like people to know about your work? I am living my dream.

What's your favourite tool at raplapla?
The sewing machine. But I must say that the machine for turning small stuffie limbs around is also the revelation of a lifetime.

The tool you dislike the most? The one I can't find when I need it because it hasn't been put away in its place (yes, I'm taking advantage of this platform to send a message).

One (or more) funny, weird, interesting anecdote related to raplapla? More than 20 years ago, there was water damage in the basement of my house. I had moved in shortly before and, like a responsible adult, I had taken out a home insurance for the first time in my life. I received a check for $4,000. Even though I didn't have a penny to my name at the time, I put it aside for two years while I waited for “a real project.” It was with this money that I started raplapla!

What is the strangest thing you have seen/heard at raplapla? There would be a lot to say, but recently, a huge duck walked past the store. The strangest thing about this experience was that, at the time, it all seemed perfectly normal to me. I was surrounded by stuffed animals, and seeing a big cardboard duck walking around didn't seem incongruous at all (when I came to my senses, I chased it down the street to say hello).


DOMINIQUE — SURGEON FOR FABRIC COMPANIONS

 

You're moving to the other side of the world and you can only take one raplapla with you. Which one are you bringing? Mr. Tsé-Tsé, I believe, and I'm subscribing to the Club to receive news about him by mail every month and to build him an amazing wardrobe.

If you could create any raplapla without Erica stopping you, what would it be? I've been working there for a while now, so I admit that I've already sewn a lot of designs that appealed to me (often without Erica knowing while she was on vacation). I love doll clothes, and if Erica let me, I would make a special collection for each season.

Is there anything you would like people to know about your work? We work hard. It seems magical to work at raplapla, and I admit that I love my job and that it's very rare for me to wake up in the morning and think, “Oh, I don't feel like going to work today.” But we work hard to sew and repair your toys.

What's your favourite tool at raplapla? My mini billhook: since discovering it, my life has changed. It's like a seam ripper but a little more dramatic, and I use it to help me manipulate the fabric under the sewing machine's claws.

The tool you dislike the most? The printer: temperamental is the nicest word I can use to describe it.

One (or more) funny, weird, interesting anecdote related to raplapla? My grandmother (99 years old) is my #1 fan. She introduces me to people by saying, “She's a stuffed animal doctor. She was on TV.” For the rest of the world, the concept is often a little too strange. After seeing their blank stares when I try to explain my job, I now introduce myself as a seamstress.

What is the strangest thing you have seen/heard at raplapla? We often hear strange things at raplapla, but when you hear them in context, they make more sense. One that has stuck in my mind for years is a woman standing in front of Mr. Tsé-Tsé who turned to her friend and said with all the seriousness and nonchalance in the world, “This is like crack for babies.” Then they continued shopping as if nothing had happened.

LILI — ASSISTANT MANAGER

 

You're moving to the other side of the world and you can only take one raplapla with you. Which one are you bringing? The weighted Tsé-Tsé. He will weigh heavily in my luggage, but once I arrive at my destination I'll have a loyal and cheerful companion.

If you could create any raplapla without Erica stopping you, what would it be? A snail. Otherwise, a spider, a woodlouse, a caterpillar, or a millipede (not a house centipede).

I admit that I have once created a raplapla illegally, that's how our baby poop came into the world.

Is there anything you would like people to know about your work? It hurts! It's manual labor, so you quickly develop chronic pain (and you develop non-chronic pain SUPER quickly, like when a needle pierces your finger from side to side, for example). We sacrifice our bodies to make stuffed animals (lol).

And then there's a concept that isn't obvious at first glance: despite the fact that our prices are easily triple those of a stuffed animal made overseas, we make much less profit overall than companies that manufacture elsewhere! Fair labor, responsible practices, quality materials, and deep investment in our local economy are soooo expensive. This price is also reflected for the consumer, who will pay $60 for a stuffed koala instead of $8.99 at the drugstore. Each of our customers has a direct and positive impact, and it really doesn't go unnoticed here.

These costs also have a major impact on our salaries. I am proud to say that raplapla is the most ethical company I have ever had the pleasure of working for, with, among other things, the smallest gaps across the entire salary scale. However, this scale remains small. We sacrifice our bodies, but also our individual financial resources, because this company has real values that we firmly believe in.

This got real deep real fast eh?!

What's your favourite tool at raplapla? The more I think about it, anything that cuts! Big scissors (the heavy ones with metal in the handle), electric scissors (again, the big one that stands up on its own), and box cutters (when I cut off the old blade to use the new one). YUM, I love cutting stuff.

The tool you dislike the most? ...if you had asked me that question a year ago, I would have answered “the infernal duo formed by our computer and printer.” I don't have children, but they remind me of a pair of evil twins who would do anything to spice up their parents' lives. In the end, I grew attached to the twins. One tool that intimidates me because I'm not used to it is the Cricut. Blade A, blade B, jamming, sticky mats and glue sticks, wrong templates and who knows what else, WHAT A NIGHTMARE. Dominique is the Cricut pro, and I think she'll remain so.

One (or more) funny, weird, interesting anecdote related to raplapla? I've been working at raplapla since I was 14 (I'm 26 as I write this), so I've become completely desensitized to what might be considered “weird” in our world. This question is a tough one for me, since we're exposed to totally unusual things every week here. They all blend together. But Selina's finger pierced by a needle was weird (in a way that made my head spin a little). People who come in here drunk to proclaim their love for the company are weird (but appreciated, except for the lady who stole a stuffed animal and ran away). Finally, kids who talk about “cooking” their Night Owls  always make me laugh.

What is the strangest thing you have seen/heard at raplapla? Several years ago, we asked someone who was trying out a job at raplapla exactly that question. I'm going to draw inspiration from her answer. I think we freaked her out a little (maybe that's why she only did a trial run... just kidding, she had another job offer elsewhere that was more financially advantageous).

During a Christmas dinner at raplapla, the conversation turned to stuffed animals that are in such a condition that they should retire. Sometimes we reach a point where our hospital has its limits (there's ALWAYS something to be done, but sometimes so little of the original stuffed animal remains that it's more like cloning than  healing). In short, the concept of a funeral home and then a cemetery for stuffed animals was born in our minds. We imagined making little coffins and tombstones for them and burying them all together in a field in the countryside (why not make a request to the Mount Royal Cemetery, actually? It's so lovely there.).

I also thought that some people might want to keep the stuffed animal at home for its eternal rest. Several weeks after that Christmas dinner, I actually started shopping for second-hand mini greenhouses to create glass crypts, and for packages of small dried flowers. I seriously imagined placing them on a velvet bed, with a pretty mini bouquet of dried flowers in their arms. I also did some research on encasing them in clear resin (an idea I quickly abandoned because resin is actually very expensive).

So, okay, we scared someone with our concept of a cemetery for stuffed animals. But seriously, if you're reading this and thinking that a crypt for your stuffed animal's eternal rest is just what you need, WRITE TO US. It's easy, just email us at bonjour@raplapla.com to make your dream—and mine—come true.

SELINA — SUPER SEAMSTRESS

You're moving to the other side of the world and you can only take one raplapla with you. Which one are you bringing? It must be my Mr. Tsé-Tsé, lovingly sewn by Nina. <3 He tells really funny jokes and has a good sense of direction, which I may need on the other side of the world because mine is really terrible.

If you could create any raplapla without Erica stopping you, what would it be? I want to make finger puppets of all the raplapla characters so that I can reenact my day every night for my roommates, but in raplapla style.

Is there anything you would like people to know about your work? Making raplaplas takes time and love, and it's worth spending a little more money on something truly special. :-------)

What's your favourite tool at raplapla? My trusty pair of small scissors for cutting all those tiny threads. Very practical, very cute!

The tool you dislike the most? Screwdrivers that don't unscrew what I need them to unscrew! Less practical, less cute.

What is the strangest thing you have seen/heard at raplapla? Before Mr. Tsé-Tsé is completely assembled, his arms and ears must be sewn onto his body, and during this process, he is very shy but sometimes likes to reveal crazy secrets to me about the raplapla universe... but I am not allowed to reveal these secrets. I probably shouldn't even be telling you this, so please don't tell anyone else. :O

YSALINE — SUPER SEAMSTRESS

You're moving to the other side of the world and you can only take one raplapla with you. Which one are you bringing? Miss Klitty.

If you could create any raplapla without Erica stopping you, what would it be? A mini portable storyteller octopus.

Is there anything you would like people to know about your work? Contrary to what one might think, the smaller the stuffed animals are, the more demanding and meticulous they are to make.

What's your favourite tool at raplapla? The one that lets you turn fabric pieces inside out (I don't even know what it's called!).

The tool you dislike the most? The seam ripper! But mainly for what it represents.

What is the strangest thing you have seen/heard at raplapla? The strangest thing I saw at raplapla was probably a specimen of stuffed animal crossbreeding: in the back room, the lonely limbs of different stuffed animals are arranged to recreate new hybrid stuffed animals. They are placed on the sewing machine spikes like warrior totems. A squirrel head floating on a toast body with Mr. Tsé-Tsé's ears, and it's not even sewn together. Creepy.

RIVA — HOSTESS AND DISHWASHER

You're moving to the other side of the world and you can only take one raplapla with you. Which one are you bringing? Charles-Antoine's embroidered Tsé-Tsé. It was embroidered in the wrong color, and someone had the bad idea of giving it to me when I was a baby. Every time I chewed it up, Erica would sew it back together just enough to close the hole. In the end, it was just a pair of legs. I often think of him; he's in a better place now.

If you could create any raplapla without Erica stopping you, what would it be? A stuffed animal representing Erica, so she can always be with me ♡. Or, a sausage stuffie.

Is there anything you would like people to know about your work? I can take on more! I wish they'd stop underestimating me. Honestly, I could greet a lot more people and do the dishes during my downtime. In fact, I think the raplaplettes don't eat often enough. That leaves me with gaps in my workday, which is quite problematic. I'm going to talk to them about it.

What's your favourite tool at raplapla? The refrigerator, and the small sofa in the entrance hall where I'm not allowed to take a nap. But it's the perfect place to greet people! I've noticed that when I go there very slowly and quietly, my colleagues don't stop me. Still, it's unheard of to interfere with a colleague's work in this way.

The tool you dislike the most? The garden hose. I know, it's surprising for a dog who loves water so much. But I find it humiliating. Just because I ate a bag of flour that made me thirsty, and mixing flour with water created glue drippings which made my paws into rock hard little hooves, doesn't mean I deserve to be sprayed in the alley. Is there an HR department here?

What is the strangest thing you have seen/heard at raplapla? Baby feet! Ahaha. They were dangling from the carrier, and I licked them until the baby laughed. The others laughed too when they realized what was happening, but I still got in trouble. I provide excellent customer service, though. Just between cat and dog, Serge, do you think I should file a complaint? You're not putting that in the interview eh?

COLETTE — CHIEF JANITOR

You're moving to the other side of the world and you can only take one raplapla with you. Which one are you bringing? The orange gri-gri, it'll remind me of all those charming balls of fiber that I'm used to picking up at raplapla.

If you could create any raplapla without Erica stopping you, what would it be? A stuffed microchip! Robot vacuum cleaners and their babies aren't really represented in the world of toys.

Is there anything you would like people to know about your work? I love my job! It's funny, it's like I was born for it. I tried several different workplaces, then, through Facebook Marketplace, I did a trial at raplapla. I never left!

What's your favourite tool at raplapla? The quarter-round that was added between the front and back of the workshop, I can now change rooms like a champ.

The tool you dislike the most? The ironing board! There's a big extension cord that runs underneath it, and I often get stuck in it. Since it's a hidden spot, it often takes several hours before a coworker comes to help me.

What is the strangest thing you have seen/heard at raplapla? One day, I greeted a customer at the door 😳 One of my coworkers came running to get me, and I quickly realized that it wasn't my job.