ZoLO
Construction Toy
1986-1987 (made)
1986-1987 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
ZoLO is an open-ended construction toy consisting of variously shaped parts (or 'bioforms') which are brightly coloured and patterend. It was designed to be sensorially appealing, and the variety of shapes and sizes can provide play opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. The 'bioforms' are individually named, and were designed to be conducive to making abstract construction as well as representational creations.
With ZoLO, Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi had an ambition to create a product ‘for everyone’ that inspired creativity and celebrated free, open-ended play. Armed with felt-tips, pencils and paper they created some initial sketches and thoughts for a toy made of diverse shapes and patterns, that could be assembled in any way you wanted. However, when it came to pitching their designs to the toy industry they were rejected by all major companies. The companies wanted to know what gender ZoLO was being pitched at, and what age it was for. When Glaser and Higashi professed it was ungendered and for all ages the companies turned them away. After the initial challenges ZoLO had some success after it was stocked by the Museum of Modern Art shop in the late 1980s, who became the exclusive distributor for some time.
With ZoLO, Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi had an ambition to create a product ‘for everyone’ that inspired creativity and celebrated free, open-ended play. Armed with felt-tips, pencils and paper they created some initial sketches and thoughts for a toy made of diverse shapes and patterns, that could be assembled in any way you wanted. However, when it came to pitching their designs to the toy industry they were rejected by all major companies. The companies wanted to know what gender ZoLO was being pitched at, and what age it was for. When Glaser and Higashi professed it was ungendered and for all ages the companies turned them away. After the initial challenges ZoLO had some success after it was stocked by the Museum of Modern Art shop in the late 1980s, who became the exclusive distributor for some time.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | ZoLO (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Wood, carved by hand and painted, rubber |
| Brief description | Construction toy, ZoLO, designed by Sandra Higashi and Byron Glaser (ZoLO Inc), USA, 1980s |
| Physical description | 55-piece construction set, hand-carved and hand-painted wooden three-dimensional shapes decorated in a variety of colours and patterns. The solid shapes may be linked with thin dowel-like connectors. There is also a number of embellishing parts for additional decoration. |
| Style | |
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Gallery label | ZoLO
It’s easy finding a shape you like in this set.
The exciting bit is seeing what appears when you join some of your favourite pieces together.
[Young V&A, Play Gallery short object label](2023) |
| Credit line | Donated by Sandra Higashi and Byron Glaser/ZoLO Inc. |
| Historical context | ZoLO was created in 1986 by American designers Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi, both graduates from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Although starting their careers in the creative industry separately, the two came together in the 1980s to establish Higashi Glaser Design, a studio based in New York City. Both became Creative Directors of the company and went on to develop ZoLO soon after establishing their business. The duo have received a number of awards and accolades over their careers, including an Award for Excellence for their creative contributions to society by the Japanese American National Museum – this is due to the pair’s strong links to the Japanese American community in California. Other awards include Best New Product from the New York International Gift Show (1986), Best Construction Toy from ‘Parents’ magazine (1994), and Toy of the Year from ‘Family Fun’ magazine (1996). In 2003, almost 20 years after conception, ZoLO was included in the Toy Industry Association’s publication ‘Toys: Celebrating 100 years of the power of play’. |
| Production | This is a rare, original, handmade ZoLO set from the mid-1980s, created for sale from the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) shop in New York City. Subsequent versions were made from plastic. |
| Association | |
| Summary | ZoLO is an open-ended construction toy consisting of variously shaped parts (or 'bioforms') which are brightly coloured and patterend. It was designed to be sensorially appealing, and the variety of shapes and sizes can provide play opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. The 'bioforms' are individually named, and were designed to be conducive to making abstract construction as well as representational creations. With ZoLO, Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi had an ambition to create a product ‘for everyone’ that inspired creativity and celebrated free, open-ended play. Armed with felt-tips, pencils and paper they created some initial sketches and thoughts for a toy made of diverse shapes and patterns, that could be assembled in any way you wanted. However, when it came to pitching their designs to the toy industry they were rejected by all major companies. The companies wanted to know what gender ZoLO was being pitched at, and what age it was for. When Glaser and Higashi professed it was ungendered and for all ages the companies turned them away. After the initial challenges ZoLO had some success after it was stocked by the Museum of Modern Art shop in the late 1980s, who became the exclusive distributor for some time. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.24-2022 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | September 6, 2021 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
