Silversmith and designer Kay Bojesen became world-famous for creating wooden toys that had a soul and an impish sense of humor. With more than 2000 pieces to his name, he was one of Denmark's most prolific artisans in the 20th century. He is best known for his playful and cheerful monkeys, royal lifeguards and other wooden toys, but his repertoire of products also includes jewelry, cutlery, teapots and silver goblets. Kay Bojesen graduated as a silversmith in 1910 after completing his apprenticeship with silversmith Georg Jensen. As one of the first Danish artisans to do so, he embraced functionalism. He was among the pioneers who organized Den Permanente association – a cooperative of artists that included a shop and exhibition space, which over the decades came to represent the best in Danish and Scandinavian design. The year 1919 became the start of a New Era for Kay Bojesen. His son Otto was born and this life event sparked Kay Bojesen's imagination. In the 1930s, he started to indulge his interest in wood. He created a range of wooden toys that all lived up to his ideal that design should be round, soft and have a good feel to it. His idea was not to create lifelike copies of real animals or to be too sophisticated or focus too much on detail, but instead to create imaginative toys in designs based on a child's world where “lines need to smile”. With this basic philosophy in mind, Kay Bojesen created his beloved wooden toys that appeal to the child within us all. Kay Bojesen retained his childish curiosity till the end and left an important design heritage behind.
Kay Bojesen Black Hippo Sculpture in Beech Wood, Scandinavian Design
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
Kay Bojesen’s many figures are popular with children and adults alike, and this one is no exception. The hippo was originally designed in 1955 to look after the designer’s pencil on ...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Small Bear Sculpture in Oak & Maple, Scandinavian Design
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
Kay Bojesen's friendly Bear with open arms was born in 1952. The range includes a wealth of imaginative wooden toys and has a very special appeal for both children and adults. For ch...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Turquoise Songbird Sculpture - Scandinavian Modern Design
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
The Songbird Sunshine represents one of the five colour combinations in Kay Bojesen's range of songbirds. Sunshine – like his five colourful siblings – was never put into production ...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Mini Elephant Sculpture in Oak Wood, Scandinavian Design
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
The Kay Bojesen Elephant was born in 1953. Kay Bojesen's imaginative family of wooden animals appeals to children and adults alike. For a christen...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Large Elephant Sculpture in FSC Oak - Scandinavian Design
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
A loving hug on a large scale. With its characteristic long trunk and friendly, attentive eyes, the Elephant is a beloved character from Kay Bojesen’s universe of wooden figurines – a style icon and an undisputed heavyweight in . And the love for the Elephant and Kay Bojesen’s original stories made of wood grows even bigger in this large version made of FSC® certified oak, where its charming and playful expression in the classic soft and round lines invites you to a giant hug of true love. In large size, Kay Bojesen’s Elephant...
Wood
Large Oak and Maple Bear by Kay Bojesen, Scandinavian Modern, Vietnam
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
Kay Bojesen's friendly Bear was born in 1952. The range includes a wealth of imaginative wooden figurines and has a very special appeal for both children and adults. For christenings...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Ernst Grey Songbird Sculpture - Scandinavian Modern Wood
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
Songbird Ernst is named after Kay Bojesen´s father, an extremely versatile man. He was a business man, editor, cultural personality and a creative soul, who together with his wife Va...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Nightingale Aqua Songbird Sculpture - Scandinavian Modern
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
The Nightingale figurine is inspired by H.C. Andersen’s famous fairy tale of the same name. The fairy tale was published in 1843 and is about a nightingale whose song enchanted the E...
Wood
Alfred Oak Songbird by Kay Bojesen, Scandinavian Modern, Vietnam, New
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
Alfred, the Kay Bojesen bird, is the latest addition to the family of wooden toys – from monkeys and hippos to songbirds. Alfred is made of natural and smoked oak and is ideal for an...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Small Monkey Sculpture, Smoked Oak & Natural Wood, Vietnam
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
Kay Bojesen’s 1951 Monkey took shape in Kay Bojesen’s head as a coat hook, but ended up becoming a world-famous little wooden monkey. This version is made of smoked oak and natural o...
Wood
$125 / set
Kay Bojesen Black Lovebirds, 3.5 in H
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
These unique and timeless lovebirds in black are inspired by the black Songbird Raven from Kay Bojesen. Painted black, they are sure to become a beautiful element of any interior in ...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Medium Bear Sculpture in Oak & Maple, Scandinavian Design
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
The cute bear by Kay Bojesen originally saw the light of day in 1952. This version is medium sized and is made of natural oak and natural maple, so the bear fits in well with Kay Boj...
Wood
Kay Bojesen Oak & Smoked Oak Lovebirds, 3.5 in H
By Kay Bojesen
Located in New York, NY
Give a gift that will last a lifetime. Kay Bojesen's universe of wooden toys has just added more than songbirds to its family. These love birds only have eyes for each other as they ...
Wood