bruno munari: abc with imagination

(abc con fantasia)

blue, green red and yellow

26 linear and circular elements to make up any letter of the alphabet or whatever the imagination suggests.

'ABC with imagination' is a game in which Bruno Munari's attention to the world of children is merged with his research on the topic of multiples. 26 linear and circular elements can make up, in fact, any letter of the alphabet, or whatever the imagination suggests. These elements are also flexible and modular, so that they can be moved closer to one another or superimposed if you wish. It is a creative way to approach reading and writing, but also to have fun, by mixing up rules and shapes and by inventing and re-inventing one's own alphabet.

All the capital letters of the alphabet may be written using several basic straight and curved strokes, common to each letter. The straight lines may be vertical, horizontal or diagonal. The curved lines may take various directions, or be closed, as with the 'O'. This box contains a small series of these lines, with which a child can arrange every capital letter of the alphabet. The child will learn, for instance, that the 'R' is formed by a vertical, a curved and a diagonal line; that the 'D' is formed by a vertical and a large curved line, etc. After learning the alphabet the child may enjoy using more elements to make larger letters and a variety of other shapes.

first made in 1960:
on the occasion of the centenary of Munari's birth, reprinted in 2008

made in Mantova, Italy