INTERV I EW
“More fashion accessory than bicycle”
his French curves – templates commonly used by designers to create smooth curves – which remind him of his days as a designer at Ford, where he spent time honing his craft. Some of the objects are more obviously tied to his career, such as the shiny red Chopper bicycle. A defining product of the 1970s – “more fashion accessory than bicycle” as one commentator observed at the time – it might just be the most iconic bike ever made. “The American Schwinn company developed a children’s bike with the feel of a butch machine. It was a great success and Raleigh wanted a share of the market,” says Tom on the origins of the Chopper. “We were asked to come up with a design that would appeal to the same market, but this product had to have a new, distinct flavour. The big wheel at the back, as with a Formula 1 car or dragster, symbolised where the power came from. There were also the straight tubes, the car-like gear shift, the make-believe saddle spring and disc brake, and all of these things came together to form what became the irresistible Chopper.”
ABOVE Tom Karen was on the team who were tasked with designing the now iconic Chopper bicycle
handmade birds, as well as being part of a government project to get designers into schools. “I’ve run workshops for children in schools and galleries like Kettle’s Yard and the Sainsbury Centre. I love working with children, sharing their enthusiasm and creativity.” He adds: “Another new activity started with the arrival of my grandchildren; meeting their demands and getting useful feedback!” As industrious as ever, Tom continues to innovate – most recently devising games made from cheap household items, inspired by lockdown. As for the toy market today, he’s less than impressed. “Certain toys and games will go on forever and are likely to be kept from one generation to the next. But that doesn’t make money and explains why there are such a lot of plastic toys. Some have a novelty factor, but they’re soon discarded and replaced by another offering,” he observes. “I also don’t think toymakers always understand their target audience. I tried to point out to Airfix and Matchbox that they were neglecting the market for girls – without success!” Still spending much of his time in his workshop, tinkering and creating, the ideas continue to come, some of them far more ambitious in scale than paper birds (super- green cars and energy-efficient aircraft are mentioned), and Tom, it seems, couldn’t be happier. “Time in the workshop keeps me sane,” he says. “Making things always has. I set myself a practical task, settle down to doing it, and all my other cares disappear...” Toymaker by Tom Karen is out now via Bonnier Books, priced at £20.
A NEW BEGINNING When the Ogle years drew to an end, along with Tom’s marriage, he made a fresh start and moved to Cambridge. “I no longer wished to live in a village, and Cambridge was lively with restaurants, cinemas, theatre and an active art scene,” he says. “I found a lovely Victorian house with a workshop at the end of my garden and began a whole new chapter. I became an artist and enjoyed some of the happiest times of my life.” An active member of the local art community, he’s involved in Cambridge Open Studios, where he shows off his
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