zoe miller and david goodman, the UK-based toy designers, got their start making children’s books exclusively for the tate gallery.


They made Color and Shape following the success of their 2004 debut, A is for Artist and two years ago they made their foray into children’s toys with the award-winning Shapemaker, a take on those old wooden block puzzles you may have played with as a child. The design improvements abound, with shapes hand-printed onto “environmentally friendly hardwood blocks made of rubber wood – a replenishable wood,” quite a step up from the block puzzles of my childhood, which were pasted on all sides with squares of paper that would inevitably come unglued after hours of continuous play. The Shapemaker, which boasts a seemingly endless array of puzzle combinations may be intended for preschoolers, but its aesthetic and tactile qualities appeal to kids of all ages.

Designer: millergoodman


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