Designed by writer / illustrator Annelie Tisell, Babblarna (Swedish for The Babblers) is a group of fictional characters created as children’s language tools. Originally developed in the 1980s by Professor Iréne Johansson, the characters Babba, Bibbi, Bobbo, Dadda, Diddi, and Doddo first appeared in the book Primitive Grammar - Ordstadium. The book inspired Annelie Tisell to create the project Babblarna with the goal of helping those with vocal, language, and communication problems. Updating the look of the characters in 2006, Tisell brought the characters up-to-date with the help of Professer Johansson. Babblarna became a sensation in Sweden and appeared in books, games, television, and the internet. A social media platform dedicated to Babblarna content has been viewed over 600 million times. Using music composed by Johan Rask and Hasse Sjölander, the voices of the characters are provided in several different languages. The 2017 children’s music album Upp och ner och hit och dit med Babblarna went platinum while the single “Babblarnas Vaggvisa” hit number 22 on the singles chart. Further singles include “Grattislåt” (2019), “Babblarnas julvisa” (2020), and “Julgranens sång” (2021).
