Vintage therapeutic toy giraffe by Renate Müller for H. Josef Leven Kg, Germany 1970

Renate Müller was born in 1945 and grew up in Sonneberg, Germany. Her grandfather had a small toy factory. And later, her parents continued his work. Renate chose to study design and specialize in toy design. And of course, she started her professional life in her family's toy factory. In 1967, she introduced the first Rhino and the first jute cube. In the following years, she designed a large number of "therapeutic toys" in different materials, which also received important design awards. In 1978, she started working as an independent craftsman in her own workshop and created numerous playgrounds and design solutions for kindergartens and children's hospitals. One of Renate's fundamental beliefs was that therapeutic toy design was only possible when she had a deep and honest contact with children and understood their wishes and way of thinking. Renate did not want to design toys only for healthy or wealthy children. She wanted to design them according to the thinking of the children, that is to say all children. The same toy should be usable by children with disabilities, children with poor health and even children of different ages. With this in mind, the use of materials is as important as the design itself. Renate began working with many different influences, Japanese educators like Tadashi Tsujii, kindergarten designers, doctors and health care specialists. Overall, the role of toys in early childhood development is actually timeless, even in the future, according to Renate. The effects are felt well beyond childhood and into adulthood. Real, well-designed objects for children as toys must not be replaced in our technical and digital world "Good toy - good childhood" is Renate's slogan. It is the basis for a good understanding of the real world, for managing tasks in the present and the future, and for a satisfied and grounded human life. This giraffe is an antique piece from the early 1970s and is in good condition. As a design, it is an amazing collectible to display in any interior.