MOLUK is marking 25 years of Bilibo with two additions to the toy family: Bilibo Midi, a compact shell for younger children, and Bilibo Dots, a set of 36 colourful play counters. Bilibo, created by Swiss designer Alex Hochstrasser and launched in 2001, celebrated its 25th anniversary on 28 September 2026.
Developed as part of Hochstrasser’s diploma project at the Zurich University of the Arts, Bilibo invites children to decide how to play. They can sit, spin and balance, collect treasures, or turn the curved shell into a boat, drum or throne.
Bilibo has no electronics, mechanism or fixed function. Its design leaves the possibilities to the child, encouraging movement, imagination and self-directed play. It has also featured in design exhibitions, including Century of the Child at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
In 2001, an object appeared that refused to explain itself. No buttons. No fixed function. No right or wrong. Just a curved shell with two eyes and a big smile.
Bilibo Midi and Bilibo Dots
Bilibo Midi is a compact, lightweight shell designed especially for younger children and play on the go. Smaller than the Classic Bilibo, it is easy to carry and pack, and suited to sensory play with water, sand, snow, loose parts and natural materials, indoors and outdoors.
Bilibo Dots is a set of 36 colourful play counters with eyes. Children can count, sort, flick, thread, collect, hide or spin them, or invent their own games. Dots bring together movement, fine motor skills, early maths and imagination through play.
Both additions have received the German spiel gut® seal for exceptional play value. Bilibo Midi was also selected for The Toy Insider’s 2026 Spring & Summer Toy Guide.
25 Years of Bilibo in Eight Fun Facts
- Bilibo and the iPod – Bilibo and the original iPod launched within a month of each other in 2001. Both received a Design Distinction in the 2002 I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review. Bilibo’s operating system has always been the child.
- Born before the swipe – Hochstrasser began developing Bilibo in 2000, partly to draw children away from television. The idea was to put children in charge of their own play, leaving them to discover what the shell could become.
- An early influence – Paediatrician Remo Largo was an early mentor to Hochstrasser and helped shape the thinking behind Bilibo. One of his favourite sayings was, “Grass doesn’t grow faster if you pull.” Bilibo was designed in the same spirit.
- An idea for the century – In August 2006, Bilibo appeared first in The Independent on Sunday’s feature “50 great ideas for the 21st century”, ahead of entries including Amazon, LED bulbs and satellite navigation. Whether this reflected editorial judgement or page layout remains unclear.
- Small by design – Bilibo launched without outside investors, funded by Hochstrasser’s savings, a loan from his parents and Swiss Federal Design Award prize money. MOLUK is still run by Alex and Doris from Zurich, with no sales or marketing department.
- Bilibo Pilates – In Japan, Bilibo inspired a Bilibo Pilates® programme for children, complete with certified instructors. The shell also turns up in gymnastics, movement and dance classes around the world. Rocking, spinning and balancing can give the grown-ups a workout too.
- Museums and messy playrooms – Bilibo has been shown at MoMA in New York and has found its way into design collections in Paris, Brussels and Zurich. Children, meanwhile, keep climbing into it, spinning in it and dragging it outside, happily ignoring its cultural significance.
- Coming full circle – Bilibo is crossing generations. Adults who remember spinning, hiding and balancing in it as children are now watching their own children do much the same, discovering the same pleasures of movement, exploration and imagination.
About MOLUK
MOLUK was founded in Zurich in 2011 by designer Alex Hochstrasser and his sister Doris, an architect. The company creates open-ended toys that encourage children to move, explore and invent their own play. Its range includes the Pluï Rain Cloud, Oogi and Oibo. Twenty MOLUK toys have received the German spiel gut® seal.
Bilbo is distributed by Divisible By Zero
Website: www.dbz.com.au
Email: sales@dbz.com.au
Phone: 03 9388 9902
