A slightly silkier texture and a slightly more voluminous fur, a shape memory that allows it to be articulated and a small "made in France" label, which necessarily gives it an additional cachet... Here is the mascot of Paris 2024 "made in Brittany " !
“Doudou et Compagnie”, the manufacturer of stuffed animals, inaugurated its factory on Tuesday, November 29 in La Guerche-de-Bretagne, a small town in Ille-et-Vilaine of around 4,400 inhabitants.
It is in this factory, in the heart of a commercial area, that some of the 2.2 million stuffed animals in the shape of a Phrygian cap will be manufactured.
Alain Joly, the boss of the brand, had imagined that a little less than 20% of the 1.2 million mascots of the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 that Doudou et Compagnie plans to produce (the rest has been entrusted to Gipsy) would come of Brittany.
The controversy born during the launch of the Phryges around the made in China challenged him.
" I said to myself
let's push the slider and make more!
»
Around 500,000 stuffed animals (i.e. 5,000 per week, compared to around 2,700 initially planned) will thus be produced in La Guerche-de-Bretagne.
In Brittany, Doudou et Compagnie will also manufacture 100% of the Phrygian caps, another Olympic product planned by the brand.
The Élysée has also pushed in the direction of made in France.
“They wanted us to use the entire resilient network that made masks during the pandemic, explains Alain Joly.
Why not, but making stuffed animals is super technical, we have standards.
Having mascots made outside this factory, by people who have neither the expertise nor the know-how, I didn't feel it.
It's not enough to say
we must, we must
, the Games are in 500 days.
»
A French mascot sold for more
Alain Joly finally decided to push production to Brittany and eventually hire 50 employees, ie 15 more than planned.
Real risk taking.
“We are committing more resources, more training, without being certain of selling what we are going to produce.
And then, I want permanent jobs, not just to produce mascots, I don't want people to find themselves on the sidelines in 2024." The controversy made people forget that by responding to the call for tenders launched by Paris 2024, Doudou et Compagnie already imagined accelerating its French manufacturing process, initiated when it acquired Maïlou Tradition in 2019. in France, so that after 2024 there is a communicating vessels effect.
»
Alain Joly believes in made in France.
“I had this experience in another life, 25 years ago!
The businessman admits: "As a car lover, it annoys me that the public authorities take decisions on this sector which will allow us to open our doors wide to Asian cars, I the feeling that we are abandoning our know-how.
So, yes, I understand that people, who see that we are touching the Phrygian cap, wonder why we are going to manufacture it in China!
What bothered me, however, was that some actors spoke without knowing the difficulty of making in France.
Without knowing that Paris 2024 carried out a feasibility study and chose our file because there was a desire to manufacture a part in France.
»
The French mascot, which requires 38 different operations, will be on sale in January.
It will be sold for 39.90 euros and will therefore be more expensive than its Chinese counterpart (26.90 euros).
Here again, the entire economic chain has made an effort.
Alain Joly has reduced its price by 10%, distributors will also lower their margins so that the product remains attractive.