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Active People Products -
Bilibo [mini] (play shell) |
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Bilibo |
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Bilibo is
a new kind of toy. The elementary shells leave room for
the child's imagination. Instead of imposing a specific
play pattern, Bilibo is open for a wide range of
interpretations and encourages the children to invent
their own games, to play and have fun in an active and
creative way. Indoors and outdoors, in the sand-pit, in
the water or even in the snow ... Bilibo is full of
surprises.
Bilibo is a companion for children from the first year
onward and inspires a large variety of playing
behaviors. According to their age and interests,
children will use and interpret the shells in many
different ways. The soft, round shapes and strong
colours stimulate the senses and the child's innate
curiosity. They beg to be touched and handled. Toddlers
will move them around, fill them with objects, sand or
water and empty them again.
The shells can be aligned or stacked in many ways. Like
three-dimensional puzzle pieces, two shells are joined
to form a sphere - a friendly face with a broad smile.
Playfully the children train their sense of space as
well as hand-eye coordination. As they grow older,
children will discover new ways of using the shells.
Rocking and spinning for instance are great fun and help
develop motor skills and the child's sense of balance.
Role-playing and make-believe games are vital for the
child's social development and powers of imagination.
Again Bilibo shines as a wonderful accessory and is
swiftly turned into a cradle for puppets, a turtle
shell, a drum, a cooking pot, a ship, or a hill with
caves giving shelter to toy animals ... the imagination
of children knows no limits ... |
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Dimensions:
39x39x22cm, mini 12x12x7cm
Weight: 800g, mini 40g
Material: Durable high-density Polyethylene,
shock resistant, non-toxic, 100% recyclable
Colors: red, blue, yellow, pink, orange, green
stacking: 50 pieces/m |
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Design
Bilibo has been developed by the young Swiss Designer
Alex Hochstrasser, in consultation with leading experts
like Prof. Remo H. Largo from the University Children's
Hospital Zurich. The design of Bilibo is based on
extensive research into the playing behaviour of
preschool children, into the way they treat found
objects and use their imagination to create a world of
their own. Unlike many current toy products, Bilibo does
not use flashy electronics, which often merely entertain
the children on a superficial level. Relying on the
child's imagination and passion for playing, an object
was created with no specific function nor a single way
to be used. Bilibo encourages the children to become
inventors themselves, to become active and creative
instead of simply consuming ready-made ideas. |
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Bilibo is designed for
children of different ages. While sitting comfortably in
the shells, arms and legs remain outside touching ground
and thus help controlling the movement and keeping the
balance. The egg-like shape provides for great
stability, the shells easily carry even the weight of an
adult and are virtually unbreakable. |
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Bilibo Mini (ages 0 and up) |
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A racing beetle, a spinning
top, a boat in the floods of the bath tub, a treasure
trove, a game piece, an exotic shell, a designer's seat
for Barbie, a cup for snow balls... |
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The junior version
of the award-winning Bilibo easily matches its big
sibling's versatility. In the hands of children the
colorful shells turn into anything and everything. The
open-ended toy stimulates the imagination and becomes an
indispensable accessory for countless new games. |
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Apart from functional and
ergonomic requirements, Bilibo also meets high
expectations regarding its aesthetics. The design of
Bilibo has received several awards:
Good Toy, Good Toy Committee, Japan 2005
Deutscher Lernspielpreis, Auswahlliste 2003
Dr. Toy 10 Best Active Products 2002
spiel gut, Arbeitsausschuss Kinderspiel 2002
Design Distinction, I.D. Review 2002
Swiss Product Design Award 2002
Design Preis Schweiz, Distinction 2001
Swiss Federal Award for Design 2001 |
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Experts:
Prof. Remo H. Largo, Head of the Department for Growth
and Development at the University Children's Hospital
Zürich, author of the books "Babyjahre" and "Kinderjahre":
"A good toy distinguishes itself through a series of
characteristics. It should be as little pre-determined
as possible in order to leave much room for the child's
imagination and expressiveness. It should allow for
various ways to be used. The child is then able to train
its motor skills, ideally in different agility games. It
uses the toy for its symbol games and builds a house for
its puppets and animals. The toy acts as accessory when
playing role-games and pretending with other children.
And finally the toy should appeal to children at
different ages and accompany them in their development
over a long periods of time." |
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Bilibo distinguishes itself
to a high degree through these characteristics. |
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Therese Affolter,
Ergotherapist, teaching paediatrics at the School for
Ergotherapy in Zürich: "I like Bilibo's simplicity,
which leaves room for the child's imagination. The shape
of the shell is very beautiful, inviting the children to
touch it, to experiment and play with it. Bilibo is
changeable, (stable-unstable) and versatile when used
(container, tunnel, stone, helmet; top, see-saw, sound
instrument, light-shadow, train ...) and harmonizes with
other elements (sand, water, marbles ...). Bilibo lets
children realize various game ideas according to their
age. Bilibo "grows" with the child so to speak. With
different uses the corresponding sensory systems are
stimulated (tactile, proprioceptive, vestibulary,
visual, auditive ...) |
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Dr. Marco Hüttenmoser,
Documentation Centre Child and Environment: "After years
of toy development dominated by cheap and otherwise
enhanced objects, the play shells conceived by Alex
Hochstrasser mark indeed a bright spot. The new play
object stimulates the motor skills of children in many
different ways. Tests with the shells also show the
multitude of ideas children develop when playing with
them. Bilibo can make an important contribution for a
healthy development of young children's motor functions.
This is particularly important in a time when children
are detained in apartments by their parents for fear of
the traffic that has become too dangerous outside.
Instead of freely playing and moving about outdoors,
children spend hours in front of TV and computer
screens, which is in no way beneficial to their social
and motor development. Bilibo will add quality to the
situation indoors. Obviously it cannot restore the open
living environment for the children. The fight for more
space for children must therefore continue. With Bilibo
we have an attractive object at hand to fill these
spaces and stimulate the motor skills of children in
imaginative ways." |
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Dr. Stevanne Auerbach "Dr.
Toy", Institute for Child Resources, San Francisco:
"This carved seat has many possible uses and is lots of
fun. It can be use both indoors and outdoors and acts as
a rocker, a seat and an imaginative device that can be
use for a variety of play activities. This is a product
that both boys and girls will like. It can be used both
by itself and can be stacked up. This is a great product
for physical activity." |
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Marianne Obrist and
Christine Baumann, kindergarten teachers: "Our children
accepted the new toy with great enthusiasm and tried it
out indoors and outdoors in various locations. Bilibo
was used for agility games and for building or it was
filled with dolls, sand or water. We particularly like
the brilliantly simple and clear shape which begs to be
touched and experimented with. The weight and size of
Bilibo are very pleasant. It can be used in many
different playing situations or also to foster
particular motor skills." |
Bilibo Mini:
A racing beetle, a spinning top, a boat in the floods of
the bath tub, a treasure trove, a game piece, an exotic
shell, a designer's seat for Barbie, a cup for snow
balls... The junior version of the award-winning Bilibo
easily matches its big sibling's versatility. In the
hands of children the colorful shells turn into anything
and everything. The open-ended toy stimulates the
imagination and becomes an indispensable accessory for
countless new games. |
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