Miller Goodman: Making Faces, Building Cultures

In a technology-driven world, child-driven play has become the exception rather than the norm. Parents searching for non-electronic toys have brought a resurgence to open-ended creativity and play. From Frobi blocks to Tinker Toys, the love of creating and building appeals to children of all ages. Answering that call for creative play, Miller Goodman creates wooden toys that are artistic and fun, with endless play possibilities. Design combined with the feel of wood and bright colors bring their PlayShapes and FaceMakers to the forefront of boutique toy stores and family homes around the world.

The colorful blocks of PlayShapes were the first foray into building creative play. Taking the idea many levels forward, the Miller Goodman twosome also created Faces books to reflect their artistic nature and craft. The same intrinsic values ancient and modern cultures bring to wooden sculptures are infused into PlayShapes and Facemakers offered by Miller Goodman.

Their love of art and culture is apparent in a recent exhibit featuring their own creative artwork at play. The totem pole is the stuff of legend and an important icon of many cultures, with carved wood combining with a culture’s beliefs to create a statuesque piece of artwork. Miller Goodman brought the artistic expression of the totem pole to children and adults with an exhibit at Spazio Rossana Orlandi made from sustainable materials including wood scraps, tin and old springs.

Launched at Home London and Maison & Objet Paris, the international flair of the designers came through with the eclectic, yet recognizable faces of FaceMaker. Making FaceMaker interchangeable with their first block toy creation, ShapeMaker, gives children infinite opportunities to make faces for display, art, and fun.

The companion Faces book offers ideas for children’s construction projects, but is more “coffee table” in nature for adults to admire and identify with the nostalgia and sustainability of the artwork. Echoing the exhibit of repurposed totem poles, the book’s photographs combine the ShapeMaker and FaceMaker toys with old toy parts and reclaimed objects. Taking imagination another block forward, the book also features toys that include near-robotic structures that can move into many different configurations. Nearly two hundred ShapeMaker blocks build together to create another gallery-worthy totem pole by the Miller Goodman artist team.

ShapeMaker and FaceMaker toys offer toy stores the unique opportunity to bring culture, art and the nostalgia of childhood back to families and their children. By focusing on the simplicity of the Miller Goodman toys, children are drawn back to creating their own artwork that reflects their lives and cultures. Starting the creativity in your own store can be as simple as a display of FaceMaker creations or can include a workshop for children to explore and create their own artistic masterpieces.

Tote ‘em to your store by visiting www.neo-utility.com/pdfs_2012/Miller%20Goodman_neo-utility_catalog_2012.pdf or
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