Renate Müller in 2016. Photograph by Joe Kramm, courtesy of R & Company and the artist.
RENATE MÜLLER
Renate Müller began designing and producing toys in the early 1960s as part of an endeavor launched by Helene Haeusler at the Sonneberg Technical College for Toy Design in Sonneberg, Germany. Haeusler wanted to produce large, bright, exceptionally made toy animals that could be used in a therapeutic setting for children. The toys were used for balance training and orthopedic exercise, as well as for sensory exercises and hand-eye coordination.
Müller, trained in toy design and working as a designer for the H. Josef Leven Company, brought Haeusler’s ideas into production. The toys debuted at the Leipzig Trade Fair in 1967 and continued annually. The toys were tested by psychiatric hospitals and clinics throughout Germany and proved hugely successful. Each year Müller added new animals and objects to the collection.
In 1990, Renate Müller took over the rights to her designs and continues to hand-produce very limited quantities of the classic designs as well as new works.
Universe II: Shadows on the Moon, 2015
Play sculpture comprised of fourteen individual pieces
Jute and Leather, four "Stick-Ponies," and one Rug
112”L x 112”W
Unique
Designed and made by Renate Müller, Germany, 2015
Courtesy of R & Company
“For over 50 years, I have been working as a toy designer, and I have created more than 100 types of textile toys for a toy factory in my hometown, Sonneberg. Among other things, I created an extensive collection of therapeutic toys for children with special needs… I have also designed and realized more than 15 outdoor playgrounds in many towns in East Germany, using different materials like tree trunks combined with wood, metal frames, plastic stone slabs, and textile objects.”
— Renate Müller
Renate Müller in her studio in Sonneberg, Germany, in 1980.
Photograph by Klaus Dietrich Zeutschel, courtesy of R & Company and the artist.
Child playing with Rhinos, undated. Photograph by Uta Behrens, courtesy of R & Company and the artist.
Child demonstrating Müller’s Balls and Small Roll, c. 1972. Photograph by Klaus Dietrich Zeutschel, courtesy of R & Company and the artist.
Child demonstrating hand-eye coordination exercises using the movable ring from the Seal, undated. Photograph by Klaus Dietrich Zeutschel, courtesy of R & Company and the artist.
“The care for my children influenced my thinking about toy design. The fundamental thinking of my work is to create things with the axiom ‘Form follows Function.’ Kids should have fun and love their toys. Whether with special needs or not, each kid needs help to have good physical and psychical development.”
— Renate Müller
“Throughout my life, my kids were in my focus and my best users and critics. Today, of course, my four grandchildren serve this role very well.”
— Renate Müller
