The EvOWLution of Niki
See how Niki Owl has grown since he was ‘born’. We also made this cool timeline to showcase some of Niki’s major milestones so far…
July 6, 1995
We’re not entirely sure which day Niki was born specifically, but our records indicate that he appeared during the summer, so we picked the 6th of July as his birthday, because Karin loves that number and July is also her birth month.
August 1995
Karin started to make handmade greeting cards for friends and family, and the owl quickly became the featured character on most of them. In a handful of years she created at least 80 different designs.
January 12, 1997
Karin made this set of football (aka “soccer”) owls for her dad’s birthday in 1997. He was a fan of Atlético de Madrid, and during his time living in the capital of Spain he would often watch them play their rivals Real Madrid. It was the seed of an idea that would take shape later on, as Niki Owl evolved.
September 1999
This manuscript was Karin’s first attempt at completing a book of short stories, focusing around a small group of animals in a forest (including an owl, of course) sharing philosophical stories about life and nature. This would become the conceptual backbone for “Niki Owl, Leap of Faith” (pub. 2012).
November 2000
The first version of NikiOwl.com was created and launched, catapulting Niki Owl to the online world. We were amazed and delighted at how quickly people from around the world started placing orders of custom handmade gifts!
We took a really looooooong coffee break here...
February 2008
Niki and Karin took their first big leap of faith together, leaving behind all that they knew in Spain to go explore Canada and see what the other side of the world was like. This is the premise for stories you’ll find in the first Niki Owl novel, “Leap of Faith.”
October 23, 2012
“Niki Owl Leap of Faith” is the first book featuring our friendly owl. It tells the story of his adventures in Vancouver, BC, a very near and dear place to Karin’s heart, because it represents one of her personal major leaps of faith.
July 2015
One of Karin’s favourite things is football (aka “soccer” in some parts of the world). This is a very special Niki Owl team gift Karin made for the Canadian Women’s National Team, as a tribute to Canada hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2015 and for being such a strong, heartfelt team.
August 2015
Every cartoon character evolves, and Niki Owl is no different in this regard!! After many years of having little yellow webbed feet, he finally grew some fuzzier feet with talons. Aren’t they cute?
September 2015
The first Niki Owl colouring book is born into this world, using illustrations from the first novel, and some really cool creative prompts to inspire you. Read more about it here.
October 2016
To honour Niki’s personal image makeover, we launched a new site to show you the bigger picture of what Niki is committed to creating in this world, and to better showcase Niki’s unique handmade owl gifts and cards.
December 2018
The Niki Owl colouring book gets an upgrade! The new edition includes additional creative prompts, inspirational texts and much more space for you to write, colour and draw your dreams into existence.
September 2019
We re-launch NikiOwl.com in two languages - English and Español. This is in alignment with Niki's origins in Spain, and the upcoming launch of the Spanish translation of the creativity book.
july 2019
Niki Owl finds a new Home Quarter at the Coworking space in Carmona (Sevilla), a city hall project focused on helping local entrepreneurs launch their dreams and aid in their business development. Very proud and happy to be part of this community!
September 2019
The Niki Owl colouring book comes out in Spanish! We actually did a sneak preview in March but decided to make the official launch in September. Karin LOVES September because for her it feels more like the beginning of a new year filled with creativity and renewal, just like autumn before it rolls in.
2020
Niki Owl turns 25 this year, can you believe it? It's been such an amazing journey and we'll be sharing special moments throughout the year for you.