In a world increasingly demanding rigid confirmity, perhaps the highest act of rebellion is simply to create.

This philosophy has always defined Friend Notebooks, but never more profoundly than with the launch of its Imagine Collection. This debut children’s range, anchored by the Imagination Land Hobby Note, has not only become the brand’s largest launch to date but represents a deeply personal manifesto from founder and head creative, Alanah Purtell.

To understand the collection’s genesis, one must first understand Alanah's experience as a mother to a child who is, undoubtedly, her creative spirit reincarnate.

Alanah recounted a memory of her (then) three-year-old, Noah, receiving a puzzle. And while his friend meticulously followed the instructions, Noah saw something else entirely. "He looked at those pieces, at the design on the box, and immediately stood up and started pushing chairs around the room," she recalls. The puzzle pieces became something far more valuable: "‘No they’re your tickets! Quick—everybody onto the plane!’

The other adults in the room did their best to convince him he was wrong. They weren’t allowed to be used as plane tickets. He needed to do the puzzle right. Alanah recalls: “that was the first moment I realised he was in for a lifetime of that treatment. Of being told he was simply wrong for daring to imagine a different outcome”.

The Personal Calculus of Creation

Years of subtle, persistent pressure to conform have followed, the same way they've followed Alanah and many (many) Friend notebook users through their lifetimes.

"There is a stifling expectation to fall into line with how you think from a very young age. To solve the puzzle the same way everyone else does or be ‘wrong.’"

“And it’s infuriating as a creative to see that happening to your children. Where will new ideas come from if we’re taught not to have them?” 

This personal mission perfectly dovetails with the brand’s core philosophy. While Creator’s Friend has always focused on helping adults rewrite their inner monologue and embrace atypical frames of thought, the Imagine Collection focuses on nurturing those parts of us through our early, formative years. 
"Imagination should be coveted in our children, it’s their magic. And when nurtured, it becomes the life blood of change, innovation, progress. JOY," Alanah states emphatically. 

"For the past 12 months, I dedicated a lot of my energy to what our littlest dreamers needed to better support their sense of self, of wonder, and of trust in their own ideas."

This required a tool of equal parts creativity and education. The Imagination Land Hobby Note is the core of the collection. It is a sophisticated tool cloaked in whimsy—a workbook designed to distill complex storytelling techniques into something fun and digestible. Inside, young creators find guided yet flexible sections like the Scenario Station, Character Cove, and Story Mountain, effectively mentoring children to compose fantastical ideas and improvisations into compelling narratives.

Alanah notes, "It’s taken a lot of work to make something that can successfully condense complex storytelling frameworks into something fun and interesting and digestible for a child."

 

The Architecture of Joy

The collection’s functional accessories are equally thoughtful. The Imagine Collection introduces the brand’s first-ever Trifold Folio, rendered in a lovely periwinkle blue. While the brand’s signature book-fold has been a cornerstone, Alanah reveals the need for evolution was driven by the users themselves.

"People want to be able to carry more than four notebooks around at any given time," she notes. "Trifold solves that problem. It can grow to hold more than 10 notebooks and still keep them perfectly snug and safe."

The choice of the new aesthetic was a deliberate pivot. Stepping away from the brand’s established folio palette of rich, jewel tones, the periwinkle was selected for its softness and warmth. "There was never a question on the colour," she shares. This bright, optimistic palette extends to the new, bubbly pen colours, an accessory immediately seized upon by the brand’s following who've been desperate for an expansion on the journalling highlighters range for months. 

 

The Resonance

The success of the launch has been overwhelming. Alanah admits that despite her faith in the concept, the personal nature of the Imagination Land development brought unexpected anxiety.

"Any other time I’d ignored others opinions regarding what would or wouldn’t work for the brand (which has been frequent) I didn’t feel much fear or regret on if it failed. But this? This meant something more personal to me," she admits.

That fear quickly dissolved in the face of a record-shattering launch. The volume was immediate and validating, but it was the emotional tenor of the response that truly fulfilled the team. The feedback confirmed the collection was not just hitting a commercial niche, but addressing a profound parental need.

"A Mum described what we have crafted here at Friend as ‘a safe environment for people to be authentic’ and I loved that," Alanah says. "We’ve had so many parents reaching out saying, ‘that’s my son/daughter too!’ And wanting to thank us for developing something that helps them show their kids how wonderful they think they are—just being themselves."

"It’s been incredibly fulfilling and not something I’m likely to forget any time soon," she concludes. 

A New Horizon: The Future of Formative Joy

The explosive launch of the Imagine Collection reaffirms that this is only the beginning of Creators Friend’s commitment to its youngest users. Alanah confirmed that the brand is already deep into development for the next wave of notebooks, all focused on continuing its mission to protect the magic of a child’s formative development and joy.

"Imagination Land is the first to roll out, but it’s certainly not the last," Alanah shares. "We’ve got quite a few beautiful new tools in the pipeline for the year ahead focused on helping our kids embrace the incredible power of journalling."

Readers can anticipate further expansions on the range with products like Scatterbrain City and Adventure Island, which promise to translate the brand’s core philosophical frameworks into accessible, joyful formats for children.

The Imagine Collection, born from a mother's fierce dedication to protecting her son's magic, has become a resonant force, affirming that in the realm of creation, the most beautiful experiences are often built not from following instructions, but from seeing the magic in the puzzle piece and asking everyone to jump on board.