Meet Lalli and Fafa — the characters behind every story

Every story on Lalli Fafa features two characters who are always there: Lalli, who is six years old and knows exactly what to do in almost any situation (or at least, is certain she does), and Fafa, who is three, who doesn't always know what to do but charges ahead anyway, and who accidentally started the adventure in the first place.

They are siblings — Lalli is Fafa's elder sister — and their relationship is the emotional heart of every story we tell.

Lalli

Lalli is six. She has dark brown hair in two playful ponytails with bright ribbons, and she wears cheerful dresses with star and flower prints. She carries a small blue sling bag everywhere — packed with crayons, shiny pebbles, and whatever she has decided is a magical find that day.

She is a natural leader: responsible, brave, and the first to step forward when something needs to be done. She also has a habit of explaining things in her very serious teacher voice, and she collects small objects — leaves, buttons, interesting stones — that she insists are magical tools. She is often right about this.

Her flaw, if it is a flaw, is that she can be a little bossy. She is almost always certain she knows best, and she is frequently correct, which makes the bossiness difficult to argue with. She is never mean — she is just wonderfully, warmly sure of herself.

In every story, Lalli is the one who figures out what to do next. She is the structure, the plan, the one who says "don't worry — we'll figure this out together." And she always means it.

Fafa

Fafa is three. He has slightly messy toddler hair, big round eyes, chubby cheeks, and the kind of expressive face that makes everyone around him feel whatever he is feeling. He wears bright shorts and dungarees, and he sometimes carries a small object — a stick, a bell, a plush toy — that becomes important later in the story in ways no one anticipated, including Fafa.

He is the reason the adventure started. This is almost always an accident. He pulled the mysterious rope. He opened the door nobody else noticed. He chased the butterfly into the enchanted forest because the butterfly was very interesting and he wanted to know where it was going.

He asks questions like "why do stars twinkle?" and "can clouds tickle?" and "what does the colour blue taste like?" He finds something magical in almost everything he encounters. He cries when he is lost and cheers up the moment Lalli gives him a hug.

Younger children especially love Fafa because they see themselves in him: small, curious, certain that everything might be a little bit magical, occasionally getting things wonderfully wrong.

Why they work together

Lalli and Fafa are designed to work as a pair — not just emotionally, but narratively. Fafa starts things. Lalli figures out what to do about them. Between these two functions, a complete story is possible: the inciting incident (Fafa) and the problem-solving (Lalli) are already built into the characters.

But the real reason they work is simpler. They love each other. Lalli rolls her eyes at Fafa's chaos and then quietly makes sure he's okay. Fafa adores Lalli even when she is being bossy, which is often. They argue sometimes, usually about whether to follow the path or chase the butterfly. They always find their way back to each other.

And in every story, there is a third character: your child. Lalli and Fafa's world is built to be joined. The adventure doesn't start until someone new arrives — and that someone is always your child.