Hoptimist Bumble in orange - large
Dimensions: 14cm tall / 10cm diameter
Responsibly Made in China from robust and durable ABS plastic (the same material used for Lego bricks) and steel.
Presented in a cardboard gift box.
Hoptimist: Make Every Day a Little More Joyful.
Danish cabinet maker Hans Gustav Ehrenreich created the first Hoptimist figures in the late 1960s, and they have gone on to earn themselves a place in Danish design history.
Bumble (a him) and Bimble (a her) are the classic Hoptimists, and the ones we base our little collection around.
As to what they do, and how they work?
In the words of one reviewer:
"You press on their heads to make them bounce up and down as if they’re LOLing their bobbly heads off. And that’s it. That’s all they do. It’s very silly and so sincere. You’d be surprised what they can do for lifting one’s mood. No one gets that hope springs eternal — or that we sometimes ought to laugh to keep from crying — like a Hoptimist does. And you’d probably have to be a sour soul indeed not to crack a smile, or at least a smirk, while watching this thingy go."
The every-day guy-on-the-street was at the forefront of Ehrenreich's mind as a designer and maker while many Danish modern designers focused on quality affordable furniture that wed form and function and bettered the lives of the better-off. He could see that times were hard, and he wanted to create an inexpensive product that could spread a little joy to as many as possible. (He also provided his own factory employees with a kindergarten, bring-home dinner services, and holidays in Majorca.)
The quoted article by Chantel Tattoli can be found in full here