In 1933, children’s toy pioneer Paul Abbatt wrote in the journal Design for Today that play was ‘a force which can be used for development and valuable experience, a force which, if it is not thwarted by the wrong choice of playthings, develops into the power behind the successful architect or engineer.’ Abbatt and his wife Marjorie who trained as a teacher and a child therapist, are famed for inventing a range of interactive, educational children’s toys, inspired by trips to study progressive nursery teaching approaches in Vienna, former Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. These designs are instrumental to how play is viewed as instrumental to development, also informing the architecture of play spaces and the education of those living with learning disabilities.
‘As a grandparent able to observe young children at play it soon becomes clear they are most absorbed and happy when they feel in charge of creating and constructing,’ says Margaret Howell. In celebration of Abbatt Toys – which first launched from its husband-and-wife founders’ Bloomsbury flat in 1932, the designer has launched an exhibition celebrating its groundbreaking designs at its Marylebone flagship. The show forms one of a series dedicated to strong design. In 2019, Howell celebrated the pages of the Council of Industrial Design's Design Folios, which were produced in the mid-20th century.
RELATED STORY
Abbatt Toys’ designs encouraged problem solving and creative thinking, and included silkscreened play tray jigsaws, stacked elephants and farmyard barns which were formed from slats of wood. These creations were also inspired by trips its founders took to Leipzig Toy Fair, toy factories is Dresden, Nurenberg and Berlin, and the Maison des Petites in Geneva. The designs were adapted to different ages and stages of development, with relatively little attention to gender difference. They were also masterminded by the Abbat’s architect friend Ernö Goldfinger, who also designed their child-friendly showroom on Wimpole Street in London, in 1936.
‘They designed toys to stimulate the imagination as well as physical skills. Self-learning hand in hand with fun!’ Howell says of the Abbatt’s output. We suggest you pop in for a spot of play time.
INFORMATION
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bagPaco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streetsOn the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealedCharli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
-
Annemarieke van Drimmelen’s photographs capture the spirit of Margaret HowellDutch photographer Annemarieke van Drimmelen has captured Margaret Howell’s A/W 2022 collection in an evocative series of black and white images. Here, Van Drimmelen and Howell tell Wallpaper* how the project came together
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2022: eight important insights to know nowFashion brands are back with a bang in The Big Smoke. Here’s everything you need to know from London Fashion Week S/S 2022
-
Margaret Howell S/S 2020 London Fashion Week Women's -
The design endeavour behind Margaret Howell’s latest London exhibition -
Margaret Howell A/W 2018The designer pulls her socks up for a collection exploring proportion, paisley and the great outdoors
-
Margaret Howell S/S 2018A sophisticated take on summer dressing, the designer’s collection riffs on 1940s sailing garb
-
Margaret Howell A/W 2017
