termos

Illustrations

To offer price worthy products of good quality is very important to us. We have also chosen to offer high quality products with unique design and accessories. That way, we can provide our customers with good products in a one of a kind design. We have also put a lot of effort on color, patterns and illustrations. Our products in the Spirit and Wisdom ranges are based on nordic runes that dates back almost 2000 years from now. They are full of meaningful and important messages. The illustrations are created by graphic designer Magdalena Lundkvist in cooperation with Annika and Niclas at Carl Oscar.

The animal prints on the products in the kids collection can be found exclusively at Carl Oscar and are illustreated by illustrator Linn Eldin. We have put a lot of effert into making our products be appealing to all children across the world. Today, our kids collection can be found in around 50 countries on all seven continents.

A nice story from creating the product range back in 2009. We had written a long and detailed list of what we wanted our animal prints to like, as well as they needed to be able to function on both bottles and backpacks. We had a couple of illustrators submit proposals, however, none seemed to fit what we had envisioned. Until we found Linn. When she submitted her first drafts, they looked almost exactly as the finished design look today. Not only did she understand what we was after, she could translate it into a design that was perfect right away.

Read more about the parts of the patterns

Would you like to read about the story behind the runes? You can find it all here.

Nature

The Eihwaz Rune

  • Ferns, which means: don’t be so closed, tell me”
  • Animated plants from Småland (a landscape in Sweden)
  • The Eihwaz rune illustrated by a yew behind the sketch of the rune
  • Grapes from the south wall of the house Sandkullen in Haftersbol outside Hagfors
  • Oak tree from the garden outside Sandkullen which was planted by Annika’s father when she was 1 year old. Today, it is as high as the house
  • Text about Carl Von Linné,
  • who was a Swedish botanist, physician, geologist, educator, ornithologist and zoologist who laid the foundation for the modern nomenclature in biology and the modern systematics that groups plants and animals. He was born May 13, 1707 in Råshult, Småland and died January 10, 1778 in Uppsala The cathedral of Uppsala, Magdalena’s birthplace and also the place where Carl Von Linné became a professor and lived the second half of his life.
  • Maypole is a key component in the Swedish midsummer celebrations. Midsummer Eve is always a Friday between 19 and 25 June. People often begin the day by picking flowers and making wreaths to place on the maypole. The maypole is raised in an open spot and then traditional ring-dances takes place. In one of them adults and kids jumps around like little frogs.
  • Lily of the valley blooms in late spring. It means “I have loved you from the first sight” and is also Annika’s and Magdalena’s favourite flower.
  • Wood anemones symbolizes spring, that nature awakens, grows and get green (meaning: your eyes say more than your lips).
  • Forest stars, the province flower of Värmland which also is a spring flower that evokes the nature of hibernation.
  • Birds from Österlen, Skåne (the most southern landscape in Sweden).
  • Magdalena’s grandfather’s text from a herbarium dated 1934 and collected in Nattavaara (a small village with approximately 100 inhabitants in the north of Sweden).

Love

The Wunjo Rune

  • Stockholm City Hall where, among other things, the Nobel Prize banquet since 1901 is held on December 10 every year.
  • Rainbow (next to the city hall of Stockholm), which symbolizes eternal love.
  • Ferns from Järvafältet nature reserve in Stockholm, (meaning: do not be so closed, tell me).
  • Forest Stars, Värmland province flower that blooms in the spring and symbolizes the nature awakens, grows and get green.
  • Cartoon silhouettes of plants.
  • Midsummer strawberries in the Stockholm archipelago Butterflies,
  • which are very old symbols of the soul and life itself. It is also said to stand for joy and happiness.
  • Roses, which symbolizes love and passion.
  • 1725 Magdalena’s children’s birthdays.
  • 1622, Karl X Gustaf was born in 1622 (he was then king of Sweden 1654-1660) and also Niclas and Annika’s children, Oscar and Carl’s birthdays.
  • Heart pattern
  • Shapes inspired by Carl von Linné.
  • The hot air balloons are a mixture of Magdalena’s drawings and the balloon Annika’s dad flew over Stockholm in when he turned 70 years.
  • The plants signed by hand next to the city hall are inspired by Magdalena’s garden.

Water

The Laguz Rune

  • Seagulls from Skansen, Stockholm.
  • Silhouette from Strandvägen, Stockholm.
  • Swedish map with Nattavaara, Stockholm, Uppsala, Örebro, Hagfors, Karlstad, Gothenburg and Figeholm marked. All of them important places for us.
  • Branches hanging over Uvån, by the bridge Bôgen in Hagfors.
  • Lighthouse (representing AGA, Lidingö). Carl Oscar has office and storage at the island Lidingö nearby Stockholm city and the founders Annika & Niclas also live there.
  • The ship Af Chapman at Skeppsholmen, Stockholm. Built in 1888 and since 1949 it serves a hostel.
  • Archipelago map including Muskö.
  • Archipelago boat in Stockholm archipelago.
  • Södermalm (view from Riddarholmen, the Old Town).
  • Örebro Castle.
  • Beacons from the East Coast.
  • Reeds.
  • Water Patterns in watercolor.
  • Water Reflection from Figeholm, East Coast.
  • Twisted rope from Krokholmen, Stockholm archipelago.

Fire

The Kenaz Rune

  • Fire lily.
  • Stockholm Stadium (built for and hosted the 1912 Olympic Games).
  • Olympic torch.
  • Silhouette of Gotland (the biggest Swedish island. It is also mentioned: The island of the sun and winds.
  • Flash.
  • Fire
  • Solar
  • Gothenburg with the Liseberg ferries wheel.
  • Brick building at the gasworks – Ropsten, Stockholm.
  • Dala horse (handicraft from the Swedish county Dalarna), whose archetypal color is orange.
  • Eldris, a small village where Vasaloppet passes and a long, old skiing pole which represents Vasaloppet. That is today the world’s biggest cross countryskiing competition and started in 1922, but its’ history is much older than that. The first Vasalopp was carried out as early as 1521 by Gustav Eriksson. During his escape from the Danish king he went on skiis between a city called Mora and a village called Sälen, totally 90 km and then lead the uprising against the occupation forces. Gustav Eriksson eventually united the realm and became Sweden’s first king (from 1523-1560) in the Swedish hereditary monarchy that exists also today. He was better known under the name Gustav Vasa.
  • Anders Celsius (1701-1744), a Swedish scientist and astronomer from Uppsala. He is best known for the hundred-degree thermometer scale, the Celsius scale, °C for temperature is therefore named after him.
  • House facades belonging to Linköping’s old fire station from 1915.
  • Blockhusudden’s lighthouse at Blockhusudden, Stockholm. It was the first lighthouse in the world to be equipped with the sun valve. An invention that Gustaf Dalén received the Nobel Prize for in 1912. Gustav Dalén was born in 1869 in Stenstorp, Skaraborg and was for many years, until his death in 1937 CEO of AGA at Lidingö. He also made a large number of pioneering inventions within the company. The company Carl Oscar has office and warehouses at Lidingö and the founders Annika & Niclas have lived there for many years.
  • The first soot-free kerosene stove was invented by Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist (1862-1931). The production started in 1892 and was the start for an enormous sales success worldwide for the Swedish company Primus. Annika, Niclas and Magdalena have previously worked at Primus and got to know each other there.
  • Notes from Carl Eldh (1873-1954), a diligently hired Swedish sculptor who, among other things, made the statues “The Runners” at Stockholm Stadium’s main entrance.
  • Books that partly symbolize the time of the Enlightenment during the 18th century, but are also linked to paintings by the Swedish artist Lars Lerin (born in Munkfors, Värmland).
  • Albatross, symbolizes Albatross Montessori school founded by a true enthusiast, principal Kerstin Eld (Eld means fire in Swedish). Carl and Oscar, who named Carl Oscar, have both gone there.
  • Jönköping with the Swedish security match underneath. The inventor Gustaf Erik Pasch, (1788 -1862) came up with the idea to separate the active ingredients and use red phosphorus on the matches. Some of the ignition material was placed on the side of the matchbox and some on the match. Because Pasch’s match could not be ignited so easy, it was called the “safety match”, which he patented in 1844. It became a worldwide success and Jönköping’s match factory was from around 1860 the world’s leading producer and seller of safety matches. In 1917, Ivar Kreuger founded Svenska Tändsticks Aktiebolaget (STAB). STAB was a merger of Aktiebolaget Förenade Tändsticksfabriker and Jönköpings & Vulcans Tändsticksfabriksaktiebolag. In 1930, the company had 60 percent of the world’s entire match production and was the owner of match companies in 33 countries.
  • Kisses of Fire – ABBA, the foremost !? of all Sweden’s export successes within music.
  • Fox, which represents the dance modern fox (foxtrot).
  • Structural formula for oxytocin, the touch hormone that is stimulated by fire and heat and also for example couple dancing.
  • Symbol “Flower of Life” which symbolizes creation and reminds us that everything belongs together.

Strenght

The Algiz Rune

  • Text from Magdalenas great-grandmother Hilda Lundkvist (teacher in Norrbotten, northern Sweden).
  • The Uddeholm company’s old logotype. In 1878 the first blast furnace started in the ironworks at Hagforsen, Hagfors where Annika was born and raised.
  • Crossed hammers, Kumla city arms. Niclas birthplace.
  • A flying kite sketched by Wilmer, Magdalena’s son.
  • Sweden’s longest stone arch bridge (168 m) from the Värmland county town of Karlstad. Inaugurated by King Gustav IV Adolf in 1797.
  • Moose.
  • Laurinska huset at Mariaberget, Södermalm in Stockholm.
  • Quote from Abba “The winner takes it all”.
  • As a part of the background there is a map of Uppsala, where Magdalena was born and raised.
  • Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist and engineer who invented the dynamite. He was born October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, and died December 10, 1896 in San Remo, Italy. In his will he requested that his fortune would be used to create a number of prizes that would be awarded to those who “give the greatest benefit to mankind.” Since 1901 the world famous Nobel Prize is handed out in Stockholm on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death on December 10 of each year.
  • Hagfors, photo from one of the old locomotives that operated NKLJ-track (Nordmark-Klarälvdalens railway). A narrow gauge railroad which opened in 1880. It was built and operated by Uddeholmsbolaget.
  • Granite from Figeholm, East Coast (full background).
  • Small leaves with inspiration from Järvafältet, a nature reserve in Stockholm.
  • A compass rose (guide/direction).
  • Pattern with arrows from a flywheel in the old iron works in Hagfors. Since 1974 a monument placed below the bridge “Bôgen” (means arc) in Hagfors.
  • At the bottom of the picture you find Hellefors Herrgård (mansion) located in Hällefors, Bergslagen. It was built for Detlof Heijkenskjöld and his family and was completed in 1782. The Swedish King Gustaf V (1858-1950) visited regularly Hellefors Manor to hunt. Today the mansion is privately owned and operated as a hotel and restaurant.