Few objects in modern design history carry the warmth of the Eames Elephant. Charles and Ray Eames first conceived it in 1945, shaping plywood into the gentle form of an elephant with oversized, outward-sweeping ears. The prototype was never produced in their lifetime, making its eventual realization by Vitra a quiet act of completion. Now molded in durable plastic and offered in a range of considered colors, the Elephant occupies a rare position: it functions as a child's companion, a small seat, and an object of design culture in equal measure. Its proportions are precise, its gesture unmistakably affectionate. Originally designed in 1945, produced posthumously by Vitra Molded plastic construction in multiple colorways Scaled for children, collected by adults Designed by Charles and Ray Eames The Eames Elephant belongs to a tradition of design that refuses the boundary between the functional and the playful. It is at home in a child's room, on a studio shelf, or beside a reading chair.
