Ballrace: the ‘scientific toy’ of the Sixties to the iconic ‘executive toy’ of the Seventies…
Richard Loncraine was a film-student at the Royal College of Art, when, in 1967, he designed the chromed-steel ‘scientific toy’ with swinging balls that he called Ballrace – better known as Newton’s cradle. There were other versions, with wooden frames, but it was Loncraine’s elegant design inspired by the Bauhaus-period furniture of Marcel Breuer that became the iconic ‘executive toy’ fondly believed to be seen on the desk of every high-flying businessman in the 1970s. Packaged in a clear acetate box with Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion printed on the lid (in in four languages) it had modern appeal and could be found at gift shops and interior design showrooms in the more fashionable parts of London.
“Good design – and it must be Fun“
Increasing post-war prosperity brought with it a demand for stylish products like Ballrace as gifts to amuse grown-ups. By 1969, Loncraine was directing films for BBC Television’s Tomorrow’s World, when he invited Peter Broxton to join him and develop the toy business. Loncraine Broxton (LB) began as a trading partnership in the summer of 1969, around the time of the first Apollo Moon landing. With no working capital, funding relied on sales of Ballrace to provide much needed cash-flow. The partners’ maxim was – Good design – and it must be Fun!
Ballrace was assembled by one skilled worker in rooms above a ‘rags and metals’ shop near Chelsea Reach. Purchasing, assembly, quality control, sales and distribution were managed by one partner with a van. However, sales of Ballrace alone barely covered existing overheads. So, to boost cash-flow, witty gift ideas were created from readily available components, such as candles, ball-bearings, springs and magnets: candles in Andy Warhol-style soup cans; clear acrylic tubes with balls suspended in clear fluids; clear inflatable plastic cushions with a handful of floating feathers, and a satirical union jack that fluttered down a flagpole. All sold in trendy shops in Carnaby Street and the King’s Road, Chelsea.
Rockerbike…
LB’s initial design project was the Rockerbike – FUN 41 – a child’s rocking motorcycle made entirely from cardboard. A prototype was shown to interested parties in the UK and USA, but no one was willing to meet the up-front costs of large volume production. When one prospective US distributor expressed concern about perceived connotations with the Hell’s Angels, the exasperated partners gave up – moving swiftly on to launch their spring collection – a stool made from a giant steel spring, a spring table-lamp, and spring egg-cups – all chromium plated.
Spring collection…
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