hohenfried workshops | grasping fish | design hugo kükelhaus

Grasping, touching, hearing, experiencing - in 1939 Hugo Kükelhaus invented the type of grasping toy as a toy for small children and initially called it "allbedeut". The sensorimotor wooden toy promotes the senses, motor skills and imagination in early childhood. The designer, architect and carpenter was inspired by the pedagogical approach of Friedrich Fröbel, the founder of the kindergarten. The proportions, the elaborate details, the wood material and its surface are well thought out and become more and more beautiful with use and play. Kükelhaus's design was based on the idea: "Weak stimuli have a triggering effect - moderate stimuli develop - strong stimuli inhibit - overly strong stimuli destroy".

The grasping toys are made true to the original in a workshop in Bavaria using a variety of woods. However, the shape of the fish has been changed slightly due to the regulations for children's toys in the EU: the fin is wider than in the previous production.