Charles and Ray are known for their furniture designs and architecture, but they were serious toymakers too. One of the most interesting of these was their solar Do-Nothing Machine. Designed in 1957, it was described in Life magazine as a "twirling, tinkling toy run by sunlight." It was made of aluminum strips and silicon cells which generated enough electricity to set the machine in motion. The Eames Office originally asked Cal Poly for help on the project, but instead the university sent a team to see what the couple had already achieved. As it turned out, this toy that did nothing at all was a forerunner of today's solar powered machines.
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| Charles Eames with the Do-Nothing Machine life.time.com |
Notice at 1:31 in the video that follows that there was a part of the Do-Nothing Machine shaped very much like one of the Eames Walnut Stools.
The Do-Nothing Machine in action
youtube.com - Uploaded Aug 1, 2013 by the Eames Office
Take a look at several other toys created by Charles and Ray Eames, and let the child in you be delighted.
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| Plywood elephant architectmagazine.com |
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| Bird costume eamesdesigns.com |
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| Giraffe costume eamesdesigns.com |
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| Rooster costume eamesdesigns.com |
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| Kids playing in an Eames construction eamesdesigns.com |
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| Charles Eames working on a design assembled with pipe cleaners eamesdesigns.com |
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| Prototype of The Toy weekenderonline.wordpress.com |
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| Ad for The Toy eamesdesigns.com |
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| Charles Eames and a House of Cards set monpetitart-boutique.com |
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| Charles and Ray Eames making a film featuring their creations wn.com |
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