Charles and Ray Eames: Play Innovators

EAMES C H A R L E S and R A Y | P L A Y I N N O V A T O R S

by A L S T O N W I S E

T A B L E of C O N T E N T S 4 | ABSTRACT

6 | INTRODUCTION

10 | SELECTED WORKS

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ABSTRACT In the current climate of consumerism, there is no shortage of products for children, but how much do they really need? Would they be more satisfied with play objects that engage their minds in creative thinking and problem solving than toys that require no construction or mind use? How do you make these types of play objects appealing to kids? Is it possible to create play objects for kids that are fun and engaging, but also simple and constructive? How can we use everyday objects to empower youth to navigate their worlds? By studying the work of Charles and Ray Eames, particularly their use of color, geometry, pattern, everyday objects, and construction in their design for children’s objects, I hope to gain insight into effective and innovative play object design.

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Charles and Ray Eames were innovators

where he addresses the idea of ele-

in many fields of design: from furniture

vating objects through composition: "I

to architecture to textiles to exhibition

think that anytime one or more things

spaces. Their philosophies of space and

are consciously put together in a way

color, the beauty of everyday objects

that they can accomplish something bet-

and practicality within innovation were

ter than they could have accomplished

also central in their creation of chil-

individually, this is an act of design."

dren's play objects. As Charles once

The play objects they created, particu-

said, “Toys are not really as innocent as

larly the House of Cards and The Toy,

they look. Toys and games are preludes

wholly reflect this principle. In House

to serious ideas.” The Eameses created

of Cards, there are two decks—one of

children's products for personal rea-

patterns and the other of pictures. The

sons: they wanted to design for their

player is given the freedom to order and

grandchildren. In doing so, their play

construct as they desire, putting pat-

objects have a depth and longevity in

tern next to picture, comb next to shell,

the marketplace beyond products that

feather next to buttons. Everyday items,

are created from a purely economic

such as medicine and vegetables are

motivation.

elevated to a colorful and artful composition. The cards each have six slots

In examining the work they created for

allowing the player not only to arrange

children, I think of a quote from Charles,

and sort according to images, but also

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to construct the cards into a multitude

On several occasions, The Eameses took

of 3-dimensional compositions. The play

the principles of materials they

opportunities are endless. The same can

developed in creating their furniture

be said for The Toy, which consisted of

and applying it to their play objects.

brightly colored shapes and wire frames

The Molded Plywood Elephant was

that could be assembled into a myriad

crafted using the principles of produc-

of structures. The Toy was crafted into

tion acquired through the making of

puppet theaters, play houses, airplanes,

their molded plywood chairs. The

totem poles and other nameless, yet no

Elephant also exemplifies their knack

less effective, play spaces.

for realizing and elevating the charm of everyday objects and animals. By taking

These types of play objects impart cre-

the elephant and making it a child-sized

ative confidence to the player. There

play toy, they are bringing the elephant

are no rules to construction beyond the

to the child's level, crafting an encoun-

limitations of the materials—only pos-

ter that is explorable.

sibilities. I wonder about the impact on

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a child when a play set doesn't have a

Play masks were also a part of The

per-determined "right" way of play, but

Eameses toy creations. The paper masks

an infinite amount of play possibilities

they designed went beyond the typical

within a constructed framework. With

toy mask, and sought to embody the

The Toy, children were able to build

animal portrayed. The giraffe proto-

anything that the framework and materi-

type, for example, featured a long neck

als could accommodate. When the child

that towered over the small frame of a

tired of, say, the theater business, The

child. The height of the child essential-

Toy could be easily reassembled to cre-

ly doubles, so they are not only at play

ate a more suitable space. This type of

with the mask (a concept in itself that

structuring imparts to the player a sense

encourages taking on characteristics

of creative freedom and capability.

beyond oneself), but also the feel and

weight of the mask and how it adds to

In some notes Charles wrote in prepa-

their physical person. In my own work,

ration for a 1956 television program,

I want to understand the influence of

he wrote: "Explain that Ray comes to

costume, play and performance in chil-

design through painting and I through

dren, and more specifically how it helps

architecture - that this should not be at

them work out the world. By embodying

all surprising since I feel that most every-

other characters, how are we enabled to

thing is a form of architecture, certainly

see our individual self in a different light

all of the environment that man creates

and orient ourselves to the world?

for himself - and Ray feels that painting is related to everything and of course I

As mentioned before, the elevation of

feel that painting comes under the head-

everyday objects was central to The

ing of architecture."

Eameses work. Evident in many of their products, the Hang-it-all is a classic

An architect and a painter who came

example of how they took something

together to design a range of objects

extraordinarily ordinary and gave it

beyond the scope of perceived possi-

character and charm. The Eameses took

bility. The took their backgrounds and

something that is generally viewed as a

their philosophies on design to give

utilitarian object, and elevated its status

their work purpose—whether it was to

to something of an art piece while at

sit, to play, to encounter, to engage, to

the same time retaining its practical

understand—and their work still speaks

purpose. The coat rack became some-

to consumers today.

thing to be displayed and used at the same time, an ever changing composition of coats, hats ans scarves. Using the mass-production techniques employed with their wire chair and table bases, the coat rack symbolizes both the unique and the widely available.

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T H E P L AY O B J E C T S House of Cards Molded Plywood Elephant The Toy The Little Toy Toy Masks Hang-it-all

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HOUSE OF CARDS Originally produced in 1952, the first deck was called the small one, and consisted of a picture deck and a pattern deck. The images on the picture deck were described by the Eameses as “good stuff,” celebrating “familiar and nostalgic objects from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms.” Each card has six slots, allowing the player to interlock the cards to construct an infinite number of different structures.

House of Cards is an excellent example of how the Eameses called attention to the beauty of everyday objects, and also harnessed the power of the individual creative mind to make decisions for composition.

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M O L D E D P LY W O O D E L E P H A N T

complicated fabrication method, it was

Charles Eames’ photographic documen-

never put into mass production, but a

tations of Indian culture and the circus

plastic version has been released into

world contained many images of ele-

the contemporary marketplace. The

phants. In 1945, the Eameses but the

current version retains the spirit of the

techniques they developed in creating

original, and also incorporates the use

the molded plywood chair into animal

of color the Eameses used in their other

form as the elephant. Because of the

toys, particularly The Toy.

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T H E TOY Described on the original 1951 packaging, The Toy is a “Large-Colorful-Easy to Assemble-For Creating a Light, Bright Expandable World Large Enough to Play In and Around.”

Each toy contains four 30 inch squares and four 30 inch triangles of heavy fire resistant paper, 38 hardwood dowels, one pack of connection wires, and instruction sheet.

Describing the development of The Toy, Ray Eames said ”The toy became the first thing.

We talked about hiding under the table as children and having a world to play in. The cloth over the table became such a world— we all knew that…and that’s how we developed The Toy.” Taking an experience that most adults and children can relate to, they created a system of geometric planes that had unlimited possibilities of construction.

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T H E L I T T L E TOY In 1952, The Eameses manufactured a smaller version of The Toy called The Little Toy. Described on the packaging as "A toy sized version of the TOY which, in color and scale, makes bright architecture for a child's world of toys."

The smaller set consisted of four 9" squares and four 9" triangles of bright colored wood, along with the wire frames for each. Making a smaller version of this play object allowed children to construct little play worlds, while also reducing the need for a large area to construct the bigger Toy.

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TOY M AS KS Most likely inspired by The Eames's own collection of highly decorative Chinese masks that the couple used in impromptu performances with friends, the Eameses created a collection of detailed paper masks for kids. The masks were never produced beyond the brightly colored prototypes—which included a frog, a rooster, a giraffe, a cat, an eagle, an owl, a bird, a fish, a dragon and a giant clown face—but did pique the interest of toy firm Tigrett Enterprises, which later produced The Toy.

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H A N G - I T- A L L In 1953, Charles and Ray Eames took the everyday coat rack and elevated it into something colorful and fun. The Hang-it-all was first produced for Tigrett Enterprises, and is still in production today through Herman Miller. The original version featured multicolored hooks and a white wire frame. The wire frame was constructed using the same techniques used for the welding wires that they developed for their low wire-base tables and wire chairs.

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I M A G E S Library of Congress / Eames Office / Life Magazinela R E S O U R C E S Library of Congress / Eames Office / Eames: Beautiful Detailster p ro ter p roduced

The Toy.