Released in 1955, the Eames Coloring Toy was (sadly) the last of the toys designed and released by the Eames Office, made and distributed by Tigrett Enterprises. It was an ingenious combination of open coloring space, construction, fun shapes and imagination.
Inside the box were 8 boards, all containing varying cut out shapes to be colored and constructed together to the will of the user. From castle walls to dolls and animals, there was great possibility for the imagination to run wild and produce something quite unique. The box contained everything the user needed to get started, from the boards to the color crayons to the butterfly clips needed to hold the model together. There was even witty and amusing examples of constructions throughout the reverse of the lid and the cut out boards.
The outer box of the Eames Coloring Toy was awash with color and the look and feel of imagination at work. The actual photography used for the design of the outer artwork had an interesting tale of its own. The visualized designs and drawings that were used were completed by the daughter of Alexander Girard, close friend and peer of Charles and Ray Eames.
The very nature of this toy meant that it was in essence, a one-time use product. What that means today is that they are extremely rare to find as one would need to find an example that was never used and has survived all these years, despite it's outdated nature. Original examples with all their parts and fully intact are very valuable indeed.
| Height | 1.10" | 2.80 cm |
| Width | 21" | 53.34 cm |
| Depth | 7.70" | 19.60 cm |
The Coloring Toy Box contained; 12 Color Crayons, 8 Colored cards with 49 different shapes to punch out, 32 Butterfly Clips for construction and instructions printed into the reverse of the lid.
Outer box of the Eames Coloring Toy has the name on sides and colorful contents design to the front
The cut out boards of the Coloring Toy used heavy outlines and contrasting bright colors
The Coloring Toy instructions were wittily prepared inside the lid of the outer box
The Coloring Toy came complete with 12 crayons to use with the product
The cut out boards also had amusing drawings of what could be constructed using the pieces of the toy
There were many possibilities of what could be made using the number of cut outs in the Coloring Toy
The contrast of the bright colors and the heavy outline cut outs provided a visual attraction for the user
Amusing connotations and aspirations printed into the box lid have all the hallmarks of Charles Eames