Libuše Niklová

Czech national treasure and world queen of toys. A world-renowned designer and innovator who created over 230 original toys, many of which were produced in many color variants. Her legendary work is represented in the collections of museums around the world, for example in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, in the Museum of Decorative Arts in the Louvre in Paris, in the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo or perhaps in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. In 2012, on the occasion of the annual Czech Grand Design Awards, she was the first female designer ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

1934 Birth
1949-1953 Study
1954 The beginning in Gumotex
1954 First toy
1958 Wedding
1960 Son Petr
1961 The beginning in Fatra
1963 First inflatable toy
1963 Accordions
1964 Professions
1965 Patent
1966 Tomcat
1966 Vernians
1968 Daughter Veronika
1971 Sitting toys
1973 Buffalo
1974 Giraffe
1981 Death
2010 Monograph
2010 First exhibition
2010 Exhibition in UPM
2011 Remanufacturing
2011 Louvre
2011 Galeries Lafayette
2012 Hall of Fame
2012 MoMA
2012 Remanufacturing
2013 Remanufacturing
2013 Remanufacturing
2013 Remanufacturing
2013-2014 MoMA
2014 Remanufacturing
2014 Remanufacturing
2019-2020 Japan
2020 Banknote
2020 Mascot
2020 Líba the tomcat
2022 Revealing exhibition
2022 Postage stamp

News

In the last few years, a lot of interesting things have happened regarding Libuše Niklová and her work. Way more to come in the coming years…

Libuše Niklová’s work is increasingly admired and sought after by collectors and museums all over the world. In the Czech Republic, she becomes an unshakable legend of design, whose work amazes all generations. Her toys have been produced for almost 70 years. Her work becomes a national treasure. And that’s why we decided to preserve her legacy for future generations. We have the largest collection of Libuše Niklová’s work and we want her work to be admired publicly. Therefore, follow us regularly for information about interesting news, new exhibitions, and other projects.

Latest news

jak sel kocour do sveta clanek farna novinky
An article about Líba the tomcat and our exhibition on Novinky.cz
jak sel kocour do sveta denik pravo
Our exhibition with Líba the tomcat on the front page of the newspaper Právo
jak sel kocour do sveta velky kocour
Heroic statue of Líba the tomcat was transported to UPM and is now a part of our exhibition
dubai princess Latifa ICOM
The Dubai princess Latifa was photographed next to Líba the tomcat
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Heroic statue of Líba the tomcat at ICOM PRAGUE 2022

Current notable exhibitions

Hřiště hraček - Playground of Toys

hriste hracek napajedla2

L’Avènement des plastiques

lavenement2

What is coming...

We are planning several very interesting projects in the coming years.

Exhibitions

Traveling exhibitions in museums and galleries in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Books

Children’s books, professional books, but also coffee table books.

Non-profit

A non-profit association with the aim of preserving Libuše Niklová’s legacy for future generations.

Complete collection

Completion of Libuše Niklová’s work and its preservation for future generations.

air sculptures

Creations

Beautiful shapes, colors, decors and interesting sounds. Different materials and functions. She elevated toy design to art.

She created over 230 original toys, many of which were produced in several color variants, for example, rubber figures, animals with accordion bodies, or inflatable toys. Some of them have become iconic, for example, the accordion Tomcat. In the course of her career, she obtained patents for nine inventions and three national industrial designs. Her work won many awards in its time and is now considered modern art and is admired around the world. Her toys have been copied in at least 25 countries on both the East and West sides of the Iron Curtain, which is a very unique feature.

gumotex 1954-1964
Rubber squeaky toys
Fatra 1963-1967
Accordion and Vernian toys
fatra 1963-1981
Inflatable toys

Czech design icons

Líba the Tomcat

Haukola the Buffalo

When designing the individual animals, I took into account above all that the child would have the opportunity to play with the toy as creatively as possible. As the animals are flexible, the child can imitate crawling, stretching, and meowing as he observes in nature, as if he were playing a theater with puppets, unlike other toys that move either on friction or a wind-up system, where the child is only a passive observer."
Libuše Niklová, 1964

Partners

Partners and sponsors of our public projects.

Media presence

TV stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and websites where Libuše Niklová and her toys appeared.