What is Matador
Matador is a construction set with wooden blocks that get connected through wooden pins. The blocks have holes to fit the pins.
The idea was generated over 100 years ago: a father watched his children getting frustrated while playing with wooden blocks; any complex structure they tried to build simply collapsed. Being an engineer, he designed a wooden toy construction set made of blocks that could be connected with wooden pins. The idea took off and has delighted many generations of children.
The possibilities are almost limitless. Each set comes with its own building instructions, all with clear illustrations on how to assemble the models. However, Matador will also encourage your child to put together their own ideas.
Our 21st century society is driven by technology, made from computer chips and plastic. But we all want our children to grow up naturally, to use their hands, put things together and not just shift pixels around on a computer screen. There is no better way than encouraging your child to play with wooden blocks.
Matador is made of untreated wood from copper beech trees, grown in Austria in environmentally sustainable forests. All Matador parts are made from non-toxic materials and comply with the very stringent European EN 71 1-11 standard, which specifies safety requirements for toys.
Matador-Ki
The Matador-Ki range is designed for the 3 to 5-year olds. The larger 4x4 cm blocks have rounded edges and corners and are perfectly suited to their little hands.
Each set has its own assortment of tools: a wooden hammer for assembling the parts and pliers and a wedge to take them apart again. Once the child has constructed her model, she will want to play with it for a while and show it to her friends. At any time she can take her model apart and build another one. Here we have an example of a dog on four wheels, which can be pulled with a string:
There are four sets in the Ki series, from Ki1 with 65 parts to Ki4 with its 245 parts. The larger sets allow the budding engineer to build quite sophisticated machines, which really work!
Matador-Classic
The Classic range uses smaller blocks (2x2 cm), which allows the building of more complex models. This is the toy for young and old alike which has delighted many generations of children in Europe.
Today it is as valuable for promoting creativity and analytical spatial thinking as it was three generations ago. Considering the overuse of computers and other electronic devices, Matador today is more helpful in unlocking our children’s potential than ever before.
The Classic series extends from Classic 1 (230 parts) to Classic 5 (710 parts). The building instructions, included with every set, have detailed illustrations of many models, but there are virtually no limits to a child’s creativity.
There are also expansion sets which take you from one level to the next. For example, the Classic 1a kit extends the #1 set to a #2 set. This allows you to start off with a less costly, smaller kit. Once your child is ready for a bigger challenge, you simply upgrade without having to invest in a completely new larger set.
Extension Kits - Cogwheels
This kit provides a valuable extension to the Classic range. It contains 14 wooden cogwheels in five different sizes.
Building instructions are included with suggestions for models suitable for all the Matador Classic kits, from no.1 up to no.5.
Extension Kits – Electric Motor
After building a model, what can be more exciting than to see it moving on its own? Matador provides a gear motor running from two AA batteries.
Large Construction Kits
These are larger kits with more parts designed for kindergartens, daycares, early childhood centres and schools.
You might consider getting one of those sets if there is more than one child in the home! It also allows your children to build more models, without having to dismantle them so often.
KiGa 3 is the smallest kit with 330 of the larger Ki parts, including 3 sets of tools and instructions, for children aged 3 upwards.
KiGa 6 has 660 of the larger Ki parts with six sets of tools and instructions.
KiGa Classic contains 1300 of the smaller Classic parts and is designed for children aged 5 and up.
See Some of the Classic Models in Action: