«Toys or things to play with?»

Toys do not always have to be made of colorful plastic. In fact, the holdings of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich attest to many other materials from the history of toys, ranging from clay, wood, straw and textiles to bones and metal. Whole scenarios can be created using shape-sorting and stacking toys, doll furniture, and construction sets. Lovingly crafted dolls and figurines stimulate every child’s imagination and invite them to enter the world of play. Students at Zurich’s Kunstgewerbeschule produced a number of well-designed toys under the tutelage of Willy Guhl, Walter Binder, Wilhelm Kienzle, and others. Over the years, the museum has displayed this varied world of toys in several thematic exhibitions. Because toys fascinate and inspire both young and old.