16 Animali Puzzle, 1957

16 Animali puzzle by Enzo Mari for Danese.

Enzo Mari is one of the most prolific Italian designers of the 20th century, known for his experimental approach to design. 16 Animali is an iconic modernist wooden puzzle designed to produce 16 different animal shapes, with just one continuous cut, from a single piece of wood.

First produced for Danese Milano in 1957, the Animali puzzle marked the start of a long collaboration between Enzo Mari and Danese Milano. The modular puzzle became one of the best-known examples of educational design.

In 2003, Danese reissued a limited run of 200 puzzles each year. Each puzzle comes with an official authentication and quality control number and date of production.