Our Story & Founder

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Our Story

Body Buddies was founded in Melbourne in 2020 by 20 year old Aayushi Khillan. Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic, the entire world saw the devastating effects of a lack of health preparedness in the community. Aayushi, in particular, realised that in order to circumvent future health issues, health education needed to be integrated into our life at a young age. This will help create a more health-engaged and proactive next generation.

What a better way to do this than with adorable plushies! Body Buddies core team of graphic designers, advisors & other supporters all gathered to decide on 6 initial organ character toys to begin with. Thus Enamely, Bronchiole Bros, Cerebella, Cornelia, Glomerulo and Aortina were born!

Body Buddies was founded with the mission of health awareness & giving back to the community. This is why each soft toy comes with a complimentary educational booklet curated by medical professionals who are experts in their field. 

Body Buddies is officially a Social Traders certified social enterprise! We aim to create a strong social impact through our adorable plushies and fun health education. Body Buddies is not about making money. This is why 50% of the profits raised from all products are also donated to Transplant Australia in order to support their community efforts. Through our collaboration with Transplant Australia, we aim to support organ donors/transplant recipients and shed light on their stories & struggles. We also aim to advocate for organ donation & encourage people to become donors in the future.

Body Buddies in 2022 won the 7 News Young Achievers Awards in the Healthy Living Category and was named as a finalist as the SmallBizz Startup of the Year Award. In 2023, Body Buddies was named one of 100 Australia Post Local Hero Businesses & won the international, prestigious Diana Award.

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Our Founder

Meet our Founder Aayushi Khillan. She is a Medical Student at the University of Melbourne and completed a Bachelor of Biomedicine in 2018.

Aayushi has an ongoing passion for health awareness and youth advocacy. In fact, she is the sole youth representative on the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Board, as well as the Executive Officer of Bodyworks – another health awareness initiative.

In 2020, she received the City of Melbourne Youth Champion Award and Multicultural Award of Excellence in Youth Leadership. She has also been named in the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Australian Asians.

But more than her achievements, Aayushi started Body Buddies to continue spreading her love for health and Australian youth. She really hopes to empower the next generation and inspire more students to enter philanthropy.