Swings, merry-go-rounds, and slides have been an integral part of playgrounds for years. At the same time, manufacturers are constantly expanding their product lines, seeking new forms of play and fresh inspiration. At Buglo, dozens of new pieces of equipment are created every year. What does the journey look like from the initial idea to the finished design? Two new products in the equipment collection serve as examples: Buglo’s Organiq series—the Cat and the Hummingbird.
Inspiration can be found everywhere
Nature has played an important role in the Organiq collection from the very beginning. Among the play structures inspired by animals and insects are, among others, the best-selling Mantis, the Crocodile obstacle course, and the compact Snail. Now, two more toys are joining this group. As Krzysztof Rembeliński, Head of Design at Buglo, explains, the inspiration for the entire series came from a scene in The Lion King.
“I wanted the entire collection to be just as colorful and lively as the scene where Timon and Pumbaa serve up worms.”
Although the entire collection shares a common theme, each device is based on a completely different concept.
Koliber: Form Follows Function
The Kolibra design emerged from the need to find a new form for a swing.
“Many of our pieces in the Organiq collection feature a slide and climbing ropes, but none of them had a swing yet,” says Paweł Nosal, Senior Designer at Buglo.
While browsing through photos of animals, I came across a hummingbird, which turned out to be perfect for this purpose. Hummingbirds have beaks long enough to serve as the ideal form for suspending a swing from.
And so, after the toucan, a second bird joined Buglo’s Organiq collection.
hummingbird
© BUGLO
The Cat from the Drawer
The cat, being a cat, found its way to Buglo in its own unique way. It had also been on the mind of Magdalena Pacek, a designer at Buglo, for quite some time.
“I drew a ton of sketches, which ended up in a drawer for a while. My cat, Luśka, was my source of inspiration. That’s why my initial concepts for this product were black and white, just like my cat’s coat,” says the designer.
Children also contributed to the project’s realization. Since March 2024, Buglo has been organizing the Safe Child Academy. As part of the event, employees’ children, along with preschool and school groups, visit the company’s headquarters, learn about the production process, participate in first-aid training, and share their ideas for their dream playgrounds. According to Buglo representatives, the cat motif appeared exceptionally often in the children’s artwork.
When the project was dusted off and brought back to life, another device in the Organiq series was created. Ultimately, the cat was given a ginger coat but retained a detail referencing the original inspiration: just like the designer’s cat, it plays with a ball.
cat
© BUGLO
From Concept to Playground
As the examples of new playground equipment show, sources of inspiration in the design process vary. Some ideas stem from the search for new structural solutions, while others arise from observing children or from designers’ long-standing concepts.
Although new playground equipment is taking on increasingly surprising forms—from animals to whimsical structures—its fundamental role remains unchanged. They continue to encourage swinging, climbing, and sliding—activities that have long been the foundation of every playground. The form changes, but the way children play remains the same.
For more information, visit the BUGLO company page on the PdA portal.
