IC Design Classics - Antonio Vitali - Snail

Handmade wooden toys & animal figures

Snail

Antonio Vitali (1909 – 2008) was a Swiss toy designer known for creating beautifully sculpted and rounded, handmade wooden toys, with simplicity and texture that satisfy at a sensual and emotional level. In addition to his own workshops in Zurich, Sornico (Valle Maggia, Switzerland) and then in NYC, he had a long relationship with the toy companies Creative Playthings in the US, Naef of Switzerland, Ravensburger of Germany and NikiTiki of Japan.

“The designs I created evolved out of years of observing children at play. Good toys have to contain the possibility for the child to develop emotionally and intellectually. Small, softly shaped objects which fit into the little child’s hand are perceived as joyful and friendly and are repeatedly touched.” Antonio Vitali

The snail was designed in 1949