Toys to Toy with your Mind

"LSD: A Pschadelic Happening Construction Kit" - can you imagine?!

Just one of the creations you imagine with your LSD building kit! Don't you think it's just a bit reminiscent of the Eames House of Cards?!

"The Hesitant Car" - That is seriously the name of this toy

Building blocks by Bruno Taut - "Dandanah. The Fairy Place"

"Those Blocks: A Mental Puzzle"

Apparently these blocks will create such an obsessive need to find a solution that their owner would be determined enough to pay for a solution. Seems a but presumptuous, don't you think?!

"Naef Versi" - A cube, two geometrical patterns, six sides, endless possibilities.

Mattel "Brain Drain Puzzle" from 1969 - "Bend! Twist! Turn on Your Mind!"

Verner Panton

Have you ever sat around and dreamed of creating the coolest clubhouse or treehouse, or just making your bedroom into the best hang ever?  Verner Panton certainly did.  He was a Scandinavian designer who created a lot of amazing things in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, some of my favorite being the swinging chair, and his full environments.  In these spaces Panton would carve out seats from soft foam in all sorts of bright colors to create spaces that resembled the most incredible space caves you could ever imagine.  His creations were more than just furniture, they were actual fun, functional objects that made any room infinitely more rad!

The Swing Chair from 1964

Panton also designed a DIY sculpture/toy in 1975 called the Pantonaef for the Naef company.  Essentially, you could buy a kit to build all sorts of different animals – elephants, cat, cow, fish, owl, etc.  Inside the box would be a number of basic cubes that you would then have to clip together to create the sculpture of your choice.  The last step was to then place colored panels on top of your sculpture and voila, your own homebuilt amazing toy!

Best Building Blocks Ever!

Meet the Cubicus, the much friendlier and more flexible brother of the ever-frustrating Rubik’s Cube.  This 10-piece wooden puzzle, from Swiss company Naef, was designed in 1968 by Peer Clahsen.  It provides a similar challenge to the iconic Rubik’s cube should you choose to re-construct one of the illustrated structures, however, it also allows for limitless creativity and exploration with expansion and stacking.  The Cubicus is easy to play with, but difficult to master – the perfect plaything for any puzzle lover.

Available from Nova68 in Red, Blue, Natural, or Ash.