Children in the highchair

The throne was the most generous chair. One of the first children's chairs we know of was found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. (died 1323 BC) It is a high chair with a footrest, perhaps the chair Tutankhamun himself sat on when he was a small heir to the throne. The children of the common people had to make do with the benches and logs the adults sat on. But throughout the times, it is handy parents and craftsmen with an understanding of children's physical characteristics who have made simple seating for small bodies.

High children's chair

In the 17th century, high chairs were made in England to raise the children to table height. One such chair had three holes on the front legs for an adjustable foot plate. From the end of the 19th century, highchairs were produced industrially. Some of these were articulated, with wheels under four feet and the chair could be changed from a high chair to a low trolley with a feeding and play tray.
From 1873, the furniture manufacturer Thonet made the Petit 114 children's chair, a high chair with a feeding tray and footrest. We have been making similar chairs in many variants until today. These are chairs that the children grow out of after a while.

Children as small adults

The 20th century is referred to as "the child's century", according to a well-known book (1900) by the Swedish educator Ellen Key. Even writers before her, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), launched ideas about the intrinsic value of childhood and children's right to development based on their own preconditions. But in reality, childhood was short. In the past, children became a part of the adults' working life as soon as they were physically fit for it. The view of children as small, incomplete adults is also reflected in the design of furniture for children. For a long time, children's furniture was miniatures of adult furniture without children's needs for development and exploration being particularly emphasised.

Practical decor

After the last world war, there was a generation of newly trained architects who were concerned that the homesteads should be practically designed for both children and adults. The large living rooms and furniture that were only for Sunday use were going out of fashion and in was solid and simple utility furniture.
In the wake of this interest in the living environment for most people, there were designers who were interested in furniture for children.
In the 1950s, Tore Hjertholm worked on an adjustable children's piece furniture in collaboration with Arnestad Bruk. Edvin Helseth's children's version of the pine furniture series "Trybo" (1966), which was named "Fureka/Stabbe" was widely used in children's rooms and later in kindergartens. The system was made up of simple elements mounted together with wooden plugs. The series includes chairs, tables, benches, shelves and cabinets.
Also designers such as Ingmar Relling, Terje Meyer and Per Øie were designing children's furniture.

MiniMax

In the 1950s and 60s, stylistic and aesthetic ideals were standing strong in furniture design. In the late 60s, a new generation of designers emerged who placed more emphasis on the furniture's function. They stipulated that the form follows the function. At the same time, doctors, such as the Norwegian Henrik Seyffarth, came forward and pointed out the negative consequences of incorrect sitting postures in children. Ergonomics became an important element in the practical design work.
Peter Opsvik belonged to the new generation of newly graduated designers from the 1960s. From the very beginning he was interested in the functional element of furniture. As a father of young children, he also wanted children to have furniture that was adapted to their needs. Around 1970, he began experimenting with chair models that were adjustable and that could bring children of different ages up to the right height when sitting at a table. With the MiniMax, which he developed for Stokke in 1970, the seat height could be adjusted up and down. The users sat with their feet on the floor and the chair was therefore presented together with a height-adjustable table.

The idea behind Tripp Trapp

With Tripp Trapp came a chair that could lift the children up to the table level with the adults with the help of an adjustable seat plate and footrest. It is the feet that control most of our movements, Peter Opsvik points out. The footrest in the Tripp Trapp gave children control over their own movements. Gone were the days when children sat with dangling legs on high chairs and could not move back and forth. Tripp Trapp was the chair that grows with the child and that placed the child as an equal participant in the activities at the table.
Tripp Trapp was seen as an international innovation when it came to ergonomic children's furniture and in 1975 the construction was patented.

With the designers own words:

“My objective was that one chair should seat persons of all sizes for approximately 8 months and up, in a natural way at the same table. The concept should provide normal, functional dimensions for children of different sizes as well as adults. My hope was that this would make sitting at the table more enjoyable and make it easier to perform activities there. By having small children sit on a higher seat than adults, the height difference is reduced, improving interaction between children and adults.”

Stokke says yes to Tripp Trapp

Peter Opsvik was looking for a manufacturer for his new highchair. It broke with most perceptions of what a chair should look like, and there were many who didn't think that such a chair would be profitable to produce. There were many at Stokke too who were sceptical, but in director Kåre Stokke, Opsvik found one who had faith in the chair. Kåre himself had four young children and found that there was a lack of furniture that was good for children to use at the table. Stokke's sales manager, Malvin Vegsund, was present at the meeting when Peter Opsvik presented the highchair to Stokke for the first time. He did not hide the fact that he was sceptical, but the scepticism did not spread to Kåre Stokke: "Kåre was positive. He is always open to new things and not afraid to take new paths."
Despite internal opposition, production of the chair began in 1972, and the excitement was great when Tripp Trapp was to be presented to customers.

Scepticism at first

Tripp Trapp was first presented to a larger audience at the Sjølystmessa in the winter of 1973. At the time, Stokke had a wide range in the collection. The company was best known for its recliners in the Star series, but also made sofas, armchairs and smaller chairs such as Gerhard Berg's Kubus chair. The newcomer Tripp Trapp had a fairly central place on the Stokke stand, something that showed that the company had faith in the product: This was something special that others did not have.
As expected, many people noticed the Tripp Trapp and the media wrote about the innovation, but sales were poor. Throughout the trade fair, three chairs were sold, among others to Husfliden, who appreciated the use of wood in the chair.

The breakthrough

It was a consumer program on NRK television that led to people all over Norway to notice the new children's piece of furniture. The program creator Lasse Thorseth was in the early 1970s making a television series for NRK where they focused on sitting and working positions. Stress disorders and back problems had become one of the biggest health challenges in the country. Thorseth and his staff saw that the Tripp Trapp could be linked to this topic.
Stokke's salespeople noticed that interest in the chair increased significantly after the feature with Tripp Trapp was shown on the broadcasting channel NRK. The furniture manufacturer took advantage of the momentum and launched an extensive advertising campaign where the Stokke family with the four children were among those who stood out as satisfied Tripp Trapp users.

The construction

The Tripp Trapp is constructed with two sloping beams that are joined together with a set of legs that lie on the floor. The legs are connected with a crossbar and the sides with a two-part backrest. The first model had a complete backrest. In addition, the beams are fastened together using two metal rods.
On the solid wood beams, 14 horizontal grooves have been cut out where one can push in the plywood seat and foot plates as needed. The chair is made of beech and when it was launched, it came in clear lacquer and in brown or red stain.
The construction of Tripp Trapp facilitates practical industrial production, at the same time as the chair can be flat-packed and requires little volume during transport. This is important for a product that is sold all over the world.

Production in Slovenia

After the product benefits of Tripp Trapp had been communicated to the market, it turned out that the need for such a chair was great. It did not take long before the chair gained a foothold in international markets as well. There was plenty of room for a chair to grow with the child.
The first Tripp Trapp chairs were produced in Norway, but demand increased so fast that it was difficult to keep up for the local sub-manufacturer. In 1973, the Stokke management got in touch with a company in Slovenia. An agreement was made for the production of the laminated wood components and in a short time the production of the Tripp Trapp chair was moved to Slovenia.
(Illustration: Kjell Storeide, Kristine Landmark, Milena Rozman and others in LIK-STOLIK 2002. And Egil Hanken and Silvana Sivic in Slovenia 2002.)

A valued piece of furniture

Tripp Trapp and the designer behind the chair have received much praise from both lay people and experts. One year after the chair was launched, it was named furniture of the year by the interior magazine Bonytt. In 1995, the chair was honoured with the Classic Award by the Norwegian Design Council. In 2006, Tripp Trapp was named the best Norwegian furniture of all time by a professional jury in Verdens Gang. In 2017, Tripp Trapp was the clear winner of Aftenposten's competition, Norwegian design in 100.
One of the reasons why Tripp Trapp is embraced by so many is that the piece of furniture goes straight to the current focus on nature and environment. For the designer, it was important to make a piece of furniture that was robust and could withstand wear and tear over many years, in contrast to furniture that is fashionable and quickly replaced.

The best-selling piece of furniture

It is not always the case that the piece of furniture that wins prizes and awards is also a favourite among most people. Tripp Trapp has achieved this. From a cautious start in 1972 and 1973, sales of Tripp Trapp chairs jumped to over 10,000 sold chairs in 1974. By 1976, the number of sold chairs had risen to 25,000. Tripp Trapp was about to take the position as value creator no. 1 for Stokke. In 1985, 500,000 chairs were sold, but it was not until the year after that the sales reached their great numbers. Now Tripp Trapp is the best-selling Norwegian piece of furniture of all time. As of 2022, more than 13 million new Tripp Trapp chairs have been sold to people all over the world.

Tripp Trapp is also high in the statistics when it comes to second-hand furniture. The chair has a simple and solid construction. When used correctly, it is almost indestructible and this is a chair that is handed down to new generations. The biggest competitor to new Tripp Trapp chairs are used Tripp Trapp chairs.

Adjustments

The Tripp Trapp chair has not changed since 1975 (check), when it came with a two-part backrest. Over the years, new safety rules for children's furniture have emerged in many countries. They must ensure that children do not fall off the chairs. For the designer, it was an important point that the chair should give the children freedom to move as they wanted, also by climbing up and down the chair. The manufacturer must comply with regulations that apply in the countries where the chairs are sold and the Tripp Trapp chairs have since been equipped with harnesses that hold the smallest children in place.
Gradually, pillows have also been added to the chairs and a seat that allowed newborns to sit in a Tripp Trapp and participate in the social life around the table.

Text:
Eldar Høidal
Furniture museum/Viti