Flavorwire

Charles Eames, one half of the world’s most famous frolicsome design duo playfully posited, “whoever said that pleasure wasn’t functional?” Form follows function was a — if not the — guiding principle of modern architecture and industrial design in the 20th century, and the Eames hit it on the head with their lifelong pursuit of forms for the sake of pleasure. There’s no better representation of this doctrine than the imaginative modern designs for children. From Eero Arnio’s whimsical design hybrids to Hans Bolling’s classic Danish ducks, click through to check out well-designed playthings perfectly suited to tiny (and not-so-tiny) modernists the world over.

Pony by Eero Aarnio

Images via icollector

When he designed it in 1973, Aarnio said “A chair is a chair, is a chair, is a chair … but a seat does not necessarily have to be a chair. It can be anything as long as it’s ergonomically correct. A seat could even be a small and soft Pony on which you can ‘ride’ or sit sideways.”