We get asked all the time, “why are you called ‘Little Otter?’” The answer is a really sweet story.

Today, we’re happy to share how our company, Little Otter, got its name.

Little Otter’s co-founders, Dr. Helen and Rebecca Egger, chose to name the company Little Otter for many reasons. Let’s explore.

First, it’s important to acknowledge that there’s a lot of stigma around mental health.

Stigma makes us feel that mental health challenges are shameful, a sign of weakness, a failure. Stigma shapes the negative stories we tell ourselves and the world tells us about mental health challenges.

For families navigating mental health concerns, children and parents experience this stigma. Parents often feel that it is their fault that their child is struggling with emotional or behavioral problems. They often feel ashamed, overwhelmed, and scared. 

The Eggers wanted a name that would feel positive and welcoming, in contrast to the shaming and blaming that’s all too common in the mental health conversation.

They also wanted to build a brand that felt inclusive.

Mental health challenges are common. They impact every single type of person in any type of family. The problem with photos is that they specifically represent one type of person with a specific sex, age, ethnicity, race, etc. The Eggers wanted to create a way to represent all of us.

As Dr. Helen shared, “We wanted to create a world fueled by joy, imagination, acceptance, warmth, and inclusion. Animals, rather than people, can be a way for us to talk about hard things like mental health and mental health challenges in a new way.”

Both Dr. Helen and Rebecca love children’s books, and how those beautiful illustrations can spark our imaginations and tell stories. That’s why they decided to primarily use illustrations.

Family is essential to this story, too.

Dr. Helen and Rebecca, the founders of Little Otter, are a mother-daughter duo. As they say, “We are created by a family for families.”

Little Otter comes from their family’s personal experiences with mental health and medical challenges.

Rebecca has shared that she has ADHD, and because of the early care she received, she has been able to thrive personally and professionally. As Rebecca’s mom and a child psychiatrist who was then a faculty member at Duke Medical School, Dr. Helen of course made sure that Rebecca got the care she needed.

As a mom, Dr. Helen has also cared for and advocated for her oldest son who was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune brain disorder called autoimmune encephalitis when he was 13. He has had many hospitalizations and still receives intensive treatments. From this experience, Dr. Helen knew that her child was alive because he happened to have a mom who is a doctor. What kept going through Dr. Helen’s head was: “It is not ok that every child doesn’t get what my child has received.”

Dr. Helen and Rebecca founded Little Otter because they know how hard it is for children and parents to manage emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges. They wanted to create a platform where families can receive top quality care, and feel valued and supported.

OK, but what does this have to do with otters?

The playfulness and family connections of otters have always enchanted Dr. Helen and Rebecca.

Few animals play as adults, and otters are one of them. Otters gleefully slide down riverbanks and juggle rocks. As for family, otters have strong social bonds. When sleeping, otters hold hands and wrap themselves in kelp so they don’t float away. Sea otter moms have single pups–we’re all familiar with pictures of otters floating with their pup on their chest! That’s why otters are the perfect embodiment of what the Eggers wanted to create in a company focused on child and family mental health.

The Eggers also have a personal connection to otters. Otters seem to love Helen’s husband (Rebecca’s dad). Whenever we go to see the otters at the zoo, they swim up to him and frolic with each other. We also have a personal connection to beautiful British Columbia in Canada, where otters (and seals and whales and eagles!) live.

Fun fact: the Little Otter colors represent the gorgeous colors of the Pacific Northwest.

Said simply, otter behavior reflects the joy, connectedness, and nurturance that we want our Little Otter world to support.

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