'Mobilix' modular play system/shelving, made of multicoloured plastic, designed by Detlef Klein and Harald Zagatta, Germany, 1971

A modular play structure comprised of eighteen different sized panels in brown, orange and yellow plastic. Each of the panels has a grooved edge and they are held together by white, plastic cross tracks of different lengths, inserted into the grooves. The structure is assembled as a post office: an open backed tower constructed from large panels; an orange panel with a large circular hole serving as a window at the front and a customer counter underneath the circular window, constructed from smaller panels.

The 'Mobilix' modular play structure is part of a group of objects purchased from a sale 'Design for Kids' at the auction house Tajan in Paris. The sale was dedicated to the collection of post war children's furniture belonging to German furniture collector and design gallery owner, Dr Stefan Reinke. His collection has also appeared in the exhibition and publication 'Fidgety Philip! A Design History of Children's Furniture' shown at the Imperial Furniture Collection in Vienna and MARTa in Herford, Germany in 2006/7.

In text written by Dr Reinke, for the Tajan sale catalogue in 2014, he explained his reasons behind starting to collect children's designed furniture: "Of course my three sons inspired me but also the fact that this beautiful theme was almost ignored 20 years ago. However, this also had advantages for me: the pieces of interest were still available and their size allowed me to store them without problems. First, I brought home everything that attracted me. The strong use of colours and unusual, often experimental forms in vintage children's furniture and play objects was fascinating. In contrast to toy collectors, only large pieces interested me. Soon I realised that the kids' versions of architect designed pieces were normally much more rare than the respective editions for adults. In the early days of collecting it was evident that information such as designers, makers and the time of origin was important but only a few books existed."

Dr Reinke felt that a pivotal moment in the history of children's designed furniture came at the beginning of the 20th century when "the progressive educational movement emphasised the special demands of children." Up until this point the principle of children's furniture design had, for the most part, been the downscaling of large furniture. Dr Reinke wrote: "The striking role of children's furniture in the history of design becomes evident by its role as an experimental field for prototypes and innovations. Many things are easier to test in the small scale."

(Quotes taken from text written by Dr Stefan Reinke in the Tajan sale catalogue, 2014)

'The beginnings of children's furniture as design objects can be retraced very accurately: In 1866 a page in the catalogue of the bentwood furniture manufacturers Gebrüder Thonet offered for the first time serially produced furniture that was specifically designed for children. After 1900, furniture for children became an interesting task for modernist architects and interior designers...and...after the First World War, furniture for kindergartens and classrooms became an important and socially motivated designing task.'

(Edited text from 'Fidgety Philip! A Design History of Children's Furniture' by Eva B. Ottillinger)

The Mobilix post office is a building game system, designed in 1971 for Burkhard Lübke's recently founded Top System company. Top System was a furniture agency, closely linking designers and production teams; a new concept that offered greater freedom and creativity during the design, production, distribution and marketing process. With its easily moveable and connectable plates, the Mobilix post office was designed to promote creativity by offering endless building possibilities for children. Other Mobilix kits included wheels and castors, giving even greater construction possibilities.

Mobilix was part of a range called 'Big Ideas for Little People' and was distributed by Kinderlubke, a company founded by Burkhard Lubke for the direct distribution of children's furniture to toy shops, furniture stores, kindergartens and playgrounds. The kits were relatively expensive and required a great deal of storage space at retail outlets meaning Mobilix wasn't a commercial success.

Children's furniture acquired a new status in the 1960s and 1970s when lightweight, colourful, durable and easily washable plastics provided designers with the ideal material out of which to make innovative child-friendly furniture. The modular designs and multi-use assemblages of this period addressed the notion of removing adult preconceptions of what child's play should be, instead handing control to the child.

"I came to realise that child-friendly furniture does not mean simply reducing adult furniture in size. Ideally, it should be a piece of furniture and a plaything combined, stimulating the imagination and encouraging playful learning."

(Quote from an interview with Burkhard Lübke, conducted by Eva B. Ottillinger in November, 2005 and published in 'Fidgety Philip! A Design History of Children's Furniture' by Eva B. Ottillinger)

B.21-2014