A Fortnite-playing gran from Moray is the new face of Ikea’s gaming collection.
Cath Bowie was introduced to the online video game by her grandson in 2017 and now spends hours every evening streaming from her home.
The 76-year-old hit the headlines earlier this year when she played with famous streamer SypherPK and sang him her rendition of “Ye Cannae Shove Yer Granny Aff a Bus” – a video with more than 1.1 million views on YouTube.
Cath, also known as Grumpygran1948, has now been unveiled as the face of Ikea’s new Bränboll collection of gaming furniture.
The Swedish company wanted someone who did not fall into the “usual stereotype” to front their campaign.
Cath told The Press and Journal: “They wanted to break the mould.
“So, they started following me to see what my community was like.
“I got a message from them through Discord and passed it on to my daughter and son-in-law to make sure it was genuine.”
Fortnite gran stars in Ikea advert
Cath’s spare room in her Keith home has been completely kitted out with furniture from the Bränboll range.
“I had a lot of questions about ‘why me?’,” she said. “But there are shifting sands in gaming.
“There are a lot of older people playing online games. It’s amazing.
“And, they wanted someone with a story to concentrate on for the campaign.”
Other big gamers have reached out to Cath or joined her livestreams over the past six months, including Ninja who runs the most-followed Twitch channel in the world.
Grumpygran1948’s Twitch followers have also more than doubled and she has achieved the rare goal of becoming a partner with the live streaming platform.
“I did not think I would make all the criteria for it,” she said. “All the boxes have to be ticked.
“They always say no to everyone the first time so I had to keep going for another month, I never took a day off.
“I worked so hard and I did it – I got the partnership.”
Cath’s ‘superb’ gaming community
The community the grandmother has built online was another reason the Ikea team wanted her to be involved in their latest campaign.
“The support I get on a nightly basis from the moderators is amazing,” she said. They come in a protect me from any nasty comments.
“And the folk who come in and play with me on a regular basis are superb. You make friends within the community which is one of the things Ikea was taken by – the friendliness.
“None of this was ever planned, it has just gone from one thing to another.
“I don’t know what will be next.”
Conversation