Saturday, May 9, 2009

Pink Saturday - Pink Elephant

Pink Saturday - Beverly, at the blog "How Sweet the Sound" hosts Pink Saturday. Let the color pink inspire you!


The Eames Elephant was designed in 1945 and originally made in plywood, the material that designer Charles Eames used to create innovative furniture that curved in organic and pleasing forms to cradle the human body. He and his wife Ray worked as a creative team that made major contributions to American design - art, architecture, graphic design and film.

The Eames were eclectic, visiting other cultures to amass albums of photographs; designing toys made in wood, textiles, and stationery. In 1949, they designed their own home in Santa Monica, as part of the Case Study Program sponsored by Art and Architecture magazine.

Their 1977 film The Powers of Ten explored the relative size of our world, from the tiniest to the largest, starting with an image of a couple picnicking on a blanket on the lawn.

The elephants, intended to be a child's toy, were never produced for mass sale. In 2007, a limited number of reproductions in plywood were made to commemorate the 100th birthday of Charles Eames - but they sold for a whopping $2007.00.

Here's a link to a video produced by grandson Eames Demetrios featuring a Gathering of Elephants.

Now, the elephants are available in durable polypropylene plastic in an assortment of colors - including PINK! You can pick up a piece of famous art for only $290.00 - it's still not cheap, but then, what would you pay for art that your kid can safely play with?

19 comments:

KBeau said...

Those are cute, but at $290.00 I think I'll pass.

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Happy Pink Saturday and Have a great Mother's Day ~ Susan

Betzie said...

Interesting post...I think I'll stick to pink elephant drinks..LOL I have no idea what those are made of...but sounds less expensive!

Anonymous said...

The pink elephant is a cutie.And I like how they're shaped. Looks very light.

Happy Mother's Day!

CottageBliss said...

Well, they are indeed interesting as is the history of Eames. Pink and Green my favorite colors.

Have a lovely weekend of PINK and Happy!
Melissa

Marie Reed said...

That's nifty! I love seeing pink elephants!

Debby said...

The elephant is so darned cute. Enjoyed your post. Happy Pink Saturday.
Debby

shrink on the couch said...

It's a great concept gift .. for someone who makes a whole lot more money than I do! Wah.

♥Mimi♥ said...

Such a l♥vely post for Pink Saturday. This is the one day of the week when I get to visit some of the best blogs in cyberspace and indulge my passion for pink.

Happy Mother's Day. I wish you all the peace and joy that a day in celebration of motherhood can bring. You don't have to grow a baby in your womb to be a mother...all you have to do is to l♥ve a human being with compassion and tenderness.

Dru said...

These are cute, and I love the background information. You always have such a unique pink post. Happy Mother's Day and Happy Pink Saturday!

bj said...

Now this is pretty cool...and expensive..
Happy Pink

Robin said...

Great post!
I have a House Bird.....
I used to want an elephant (years ago) but for some reason I was distracted and forgot about him. I have never seen that movie....great movie. I think you have rekindled my desire. Maybe I need and elephant. I used to refer to the Eames Elephant as "phant"....not a full size elephant. Have a beautiful (pink) Mother's Day.

Claudia said...

I've seen much of Eames work, but never the elephant! Thanks so much for posting about it. Happy Pink Saturday!

Tristan Robin said...

I had no idea Eames did things like this!

I totally want one!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Susie Jefferson said...

Fascinating! Thanks so much. Happy Pink Saturday!

Char said...

I like them, but can't afford them, Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Mothers Day too, Char

Betty said...

How cute is that! I think at 290.00, I would still consider them a work of art and not a toy!! Yikes!

Anonymous said...

G....you always have the best post. I enjoy reading them so much. I am glad you stopped by and hope your Mother's Day was the BEST. :) Lynn

Beverly said...

This was so interesting. I vaguely remember reading something about these before, but this was fantastic.

Happy Pink Saturday.