Pet owners have discovered IKEA‘s DUKTIG wooden doll bed & linens sets make adorable dog & cat beds, turning a niche product into a viral hit in the process!
The phenomenon began in Japan about one year ago and, thanks to the viral effects of social media, has gathered steam like a snowball (hairball, furball, whatever) rolling downhill. The serendipitous combination of the Internet’s non-border structure and IKEA’s international retail presence means pet owners around the world can set their pets up with this unintentionally appropriate little bed!
Designed by IKEA of Sweden but offered in multiple markets worldwide ($19.99 at IKEA USA, $24.99 at IKEA Canada), the DUKTIG “doll bed with bedlinen set, pine, multicolor” is “recommended for children 18 months and older”… we’ll assume said children are using the bed as a toy, not sleeping in it. The doll bed is made from fiberboard and solid pine wood while the linen set is 75% polyester, 25% cotton with a hollow polyester fiber filled comforter. At 20″ x 15″ x 2″ (50cm x 38cm x 5cm) and weighing 5 pounds (2.2kg), the DUKTIG doll bed fits most standard-sized dolls… but it can look a wee bit creepy when doing so!
Is it any wonder pet owners are snapping similar scenes and posting them, provoking even more pet owners to do the same? As for IKEA, one can just imagine what employees charged with restocking inventory must be thinking when, once again, DUKTIG doll beds have sold out and need to be re-ordered. Who knows, maybe they’re pet owners too and have already got a DUKTIG of their own at home.
