The Making of Bilibo

Inventing a Classic

Bilibo began as Alex’ final thesis project at the University of Arts in Zurich. Frustrated by the passive, pre-programmed nature of most commercial toys — tied to licenses, boxed into age and gender categories, and often discarded as soon as their batteries died — he set out to imagine something different. Drawing on his childhood memories, observing how kids play with everyday objects, and guided by child development expert Prof. Remo Largo, Alex envisioned a play object with no rules, no script, and no expiration date. The result was Bilibo: a smiling shell that rocks, spins, slides, floats – and becomes whatever a child wants it to be. A universal toy. A modern classic. A quiet revolution in play.

Sep 28, 2001

Bilibo Launch

The glowing reactions from children – and the backing of child development experts – convinced Alex to turn his bold idea into reality. With his savings and a boost from a Swiss Federal Design Award, Alex managed to fund the first injection mold without bringing in outside investors. On September 28, 2001, the first Bilibo shells rolled out of a Swiss factory and arrived just in time for their debut at the Design Gallery Einzigart in Zurich. It was the birth of a toy that speaks directly to children and intuitively engages them — one that would soon travel from Zurich into homes, schools, and playgrounds around the world.

Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Feb 9 – Jun 5, 2005

PLAY Exhibition

The Design Museum in Zurich presents PLAY an in-depth exhibition exploring play as a universal human need and cultural force. Bilibo is featured not only as an iconic toy but as a design case study – highlighting the creative process behind its development.
The exhibition includes production videos, early prototypes, and an interview with Bilibo’s creator, Alex Hochstrasser, offering visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how design and imagination come together to shape how we play.

PRESCHOOL TOY OF THE YEAR

Bilibo Wins TOTY

Bilibo receives one of the toy industry’s highest honors: Preschool Toy of the Year at the TOTY Awards in New York. Often referred to as the “Oscars of the Toy Industry,” the TOTYs are presented by the Toy Association to recognize the most outstanding toys across categories. The win puts Alex’ philosophy of open-ended, imagination-led play on the global stage – and confirms that a toy without batteries or buttons can still capture the hearts (and minds) of children everywhere.

Nov 28, 2011

The Birth of MOLUK

In the early years, Bilibo was distributed by the Swiss company ACTIVE PEOPLE, for whom Alex also designed toys such as Astrojax along with a range of innovative yo-yos and juggling items. But he soon realized that the only way to grow the interconnected universe of open-ended play objects he envisioned was to create his own company.
In 2011, together with his sister Doris, then completing her architecture degree at ETH Zurich, Alex took the leap and founded MOLUK. For the first time, development, production, and distribution came under one roof. From the beginning, MOLUK was more than a business: it became a laboratory for ideas and a platform to create toys in their purest, most authentic form.

Century of the Child: Growing by Design, Jul 29 – Nov 5, 2012

Bilibo at MoMA

For a young, independent designer, few honors compare to seeing your work recognized by the Museum of Modern Art. When Bilibo was included in MoMA’s landmark exhibition Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900–2000, it marked a major milestone for MOLUK.
The exhibition explored how design has shaped ideas of childhood over the past century, placing Bilibo in the company of visionary objects that changed the way children learn and play. In conjunction with the show, Bilibo was also added to the MoMA Design Store, cementing its status not only as a beloved toy, but as a contemporary design classic.

Young Swiss Design - Kaleidoscope, Sep 26 – Oct 3, 2013

Beijing Design Week

MOLUK was invited by the Swiss Cultural Department to take part in Kaleidoscope, an exhibition of contemporary Swiss design during Beijing Design Week. Curated by Pierre Keller and Michel Hueter, the show was first presented at the Jianwai Downstairs Gallery at the St. Regis Hotel before traveling on to the K11 Art Foundation in Shanghai.
Alex joined the delegation of young Swiss designers in Beijing, where MOLUK toys were shown as part of this vibrant cultural exchange – a moment that highlighted their relevance not only in the world of play, but in the wider context of international design.

Spielwarenmesse 2014

The Launch of Oogi

At the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg we proudly unveiled Oogi – the first major new toy under the MOLUK label and one that had been in the works long before MOLUK was founded. The MOLUK logo itself was a teaser for Oogi to come.
Designed by Alex Hochstrasser as Bilibo’s perfect companion, Oogi connects with elegant simplicity: suction cups for head, hands, and feet attach seamlessly to Bilibo’s smooth surfaces. Like Bilibo, Oogi is cast in one piece and fuses timeless design with endless open‑ended play.
Oogi remains one of Alex’s personal favorites — a reinvention of the classic doll and action figure that mirrors Bilibo’s versatility while opening a whole new genre of play.

2015 – Adding More Pieces to the Puzzle

Mox & Nello

In 2015 MOLUK’s world grew bigger again with the introduction of Mox and Nello, two contrasting yet complementary additions to our evolving play system, presented at Milan Design Week. Nello echoes Bilibo in spirit: a set of bold, colorful rings that can be a nesting toy, puzzle, marble run, tool for sand and water play, or prop for role play.
Mox, meanwhile, reimagined the most universal toy of all – the ball – by giving it character and expression. A ball could now talk, laugh, rattle, or be juggled, becoming a puppet, a fidget toy, and a little companion all at once. Together, Mox and Nello demonstrated that MOLUK was steadily assembling an interconnected family of toys – each distinct, yet all part of a larger vision of play that grows organically with the child.

Introducing Oogi GLOW, Bongo, Pilla & the Sunny and Cloudy Brushes

Growing the Family

By 2016, MOLUK was a steadily evolving cosmos of characters and forms. That year was especially rich: Oogi learned to glow in the dark, becoming a trusted companion for nighttime adventures. Two oddballs, Oogi Bongo and Oogi Pilla, stretched the Oogi family in playful new directions.
At the same time, our fascination with natural elements continued. After the success of the Pluï Rain Cloud, we introduced Sunny and Cloudy, two whimsical brushes that made weather tangible in a different way. They weren’t just bath toys — children used them as flowers, props in pretend play, and even gentle tools for first cleaning rituals.

Celebrating 5 Years of MOLUK with the Launch of Hix

Reaching New Peaks

In 2017 we launched Hix, combining open-ended play with geometry and construction. We always strive to conceive toys with an iconic quality, and this time we started with the triangle and its three-dimensional manifestation: the cone — a universal shape with intrinsic play possibilities in the way it rolls, stacks, and defines space. To this we added a twist: each elastic silicone cone transforms into four basic shapes that can be stacked and nested in countless configurations.
Hix was first presented at Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg and later at MUBA – Museo dei Bambini during Milan Design Week. For us, Hix marked a new step — bringing construction play into the MOLUK universe while staying true to our vision of simple forms with surprising depth.

Oibo and Nigi Nagi Nogi Grasping and Teething Toys

MOLUK for Babies

In 2019 we introduced Oibo and the Nigi Nagi Nogi teethers, our first toys created specifically for the earliest years. Soft, safe, and tactile, they were designed for grasping, teething, and sensory exploration — yet, like all MOLUK toys, they continue to inspire new uses as children grow.
Oibo, in particular, felt like a breakthrough. Its geometry merges sphere and cube, combining the bounce of a ball with the stability of a building block. Elastic, squeezable, and stackable, Oibo quickly struck a chord with parents, therapists, and design lovers alike, earning honors from spiel gut®, the Junior Design Awards, and Parents' Choice.

Introducing the MOLUK Pastel Collection

20 Years of Bilibo

To mark Bilibo’s 20th anniversary, MOLUK launched a new pastel color range. Softer tones gave the iconic shell a fresh look while celebrating two decades of open-ended play that continues to inspire children around the world.

Launching Ulu & Tulu

New Play Shapes

MOLUK expanded its open-ended play universe with two new shapes in 2023: Ulu, a tactile wobble toy, and Tulu, a clever building block that connects balls and other round objects. These latest puzzle pieces in the MOLUK cosmos immediately caught the eye of experts, both receiving the spiel gut® award and earning a nomination for the Toy Award at Spielwarenmesse Nuremberg 2024.

Oogi for Babies

Hello Noogi

In 2024 we introduced Noogi, bringing the expressive world of Oogi to babies. Its bright red body and oversized suction cup feet grab attention instantly, inviting little hands to pull, twist, and explore until it pops off with delight. Durable, safe, and easy to clean, Noogi is a perfect travel companion for high chairs, strollers, or play tables — and it completes the Oogi family by making its playful spirit part of a child’s very first years.