Marjorie Abbatt, née Norah Marjorie Cobb, nee Marjorie Josephine Cobb (18 March 1899 – 10 November 1991) was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 toy

Toy

A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...

 maker and businesswoman.

After studies at Somerville College

Somerville College, Oxford

Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...

, Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

, she married (Cyril) Paul Abbatt in December 1930. In 1932, the two set up a business of toy manufacture — Abbatt Toys. Their philosophy was that toys should be functional in design as well as educational in play. In 1932, they opened their own shop in London, designed by their friend, the architect Ernő Goldfinger

Erno Goldfinger

Ernő Goldfinger was a Hungarian-born Jewish architect and designer of furniture, and a key member of the architectural Modern Movement after he had moved to the United Kingdom.-Biography:Goldfinger was born in Budapest...

, at 94 Wimpole Street

Wimpole Street

Wimpole Street is a street in central London, England. Located in the City of Westminster, it is associated with private medical practice and medical associations. No. 1 Wimpole Street is an example of Edwardian baroque architecture, completed in 1912 by architect John Belcher as the home of the...

. The shop was unique in the sense that children were encouraged to touch and play with the toys on display.

Their toys won great acclaim, and in 1969 the Abbatt climbing frame, designed in the early 1930s, won The Observer

The Observer

The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...

newspaper design award. Marjorie Abbatt was also made president of the International Council for Children's Play. After Paul Abbatt died in 1971, she sold the business. In 1981, she was made an honorary M.A.

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 by the University of Nottingham

University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...

.