Event details

'Raffo Pape and Woodward' with their team of inventive designers have been quietly creating and developing product concepts for the children's toy industry from their discreet design studio in Walsworth Road, Hitchin. Some of their toys were commissioned directly by the manufacturers, but after 1980, they realised that toy companies are always looking out for new ideas from external inventors and designers. They sell these self-initiated designs under licence through Marketmatch, a separate marketing company.

For over forty years, their designs have been made and sold through major companies like Fisher Price, Tomy, Playskool and Matchbox. Their projects include work on brands such as Action Man, Play Doh, ELC and Thomas the Tank Engine. Their designs have sold in at least 115 countries of the 192 recognised by the United Nations. The partners have always encouraged new talent, working with university design students, some of whom returned to become full-time members of the team. At its peak, it consisted of seven or eight designers, a student and an administrator.

This family-friendly exhibition will feature a colourful display of original sketches, artworks, videos, production toy samples and prototype models from their back catalogue. You may recognise many of them. There are also concepts and prototypes for products that didn't quite make it. It highlights the entire design process, from original concept through to final manufacture and marketing.