Vintage Wooden Toys From An Unusual Source

Ko Verzuu ADO Speelgoed Wooden Toys Ko Verzuu ADO Speelgoed Wooden Toys

Dutch designer Ko Verzuu and his team at ADO made these gorgeous wooden toys (as well as many others) during the 1920s and early 1930s in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. ADO was a bit different than the typical toy company, mainly in that the toys were made by tuberculosis patients in the sanatorium Berg and Bosch. The workshop was part of a program intended to transition the patients back into productive members of society as they recovered.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission would have a field day with that one!

On a side note, it appears as though Ko Verzuu’s son has begun building exact replicas of his father’s legendary toys. No word on availability, but they are fun to look at!