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.