Rasti
Encyclopedia
Rasti is a construction toy
made from plastic, similar to Lego
, Tente
and Mis Ladrillos, that was produced by the Knittax company in Argentina
between the 1960s and the 1970s.
Having obtained a considerable popularity in the toy market in Argentina, the "Rasti" was exported to countries such as Canada
and Germany
(from where the original design came) until its production moved to Brazil
where its license was granted to the company Hering
, and remained in production for several years although with lower quality (the shafts were made in a single piece of plastic with a low coefficient of rigidity).
In Europe, nevertheless, with new colors but with the same basic pieces that dazzled the children of Argentina in the sixties, the Rasti still continued hitting Europe after the new millennium (“Rasti-2000”), demonstrating to have survived the passing of the years and to have maintained in the affective memory of those who are more than 40 today, and that, like before, today buy Rasti but for their children.
Between the more popular sets sold in the Rasti decades, there are the Minibox 600, the Multibox 800, the technical kits 501 and 502, the three variants of Rasti Mobil (202, 203 and 204), the Motobox 45 and its more complete version the Motobox 90, and the more large set, the famous and always desired "Starbox 1000".
Rasti was the preferred toy of children that today are between 40 and 50 years old for whom it was nearly an excluding toy, main entertainment and source of ideas, of great creativity, an adaptable game-toy, with the right pieces —and not very sophisticated— that allowed to carry out almost anything that the child's fantasy could imagine.
Rasti is a trademark for the nostalgia and good moments for the childhood in the industrial Argentina of the sixties, a name that is destined to remain.
German Rasti fanpage
Construction set
A construction set is a set of standardized pieces that allow for the construction of a variety of different models. The pieces avoid the lead time of manufacturing custom pieces, and of requiring special training or design time to construct complex systems...
made from plastic, similar to Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
, Tente
Tente (Toys)
Tente was a line of construction toys created in 1972 by EXIN-LINES BROS S.A., a plastics and toy company based in Barcelona, Spain which ceased operation in 1993. Subsequently, the trademark and patents were acquired by EDUCA BORRAS, and as of 2008 the toy line appears to be discontinued...
and Mis Ladrillos, that was produced by the Knittax company in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
between the 1960s and the 1970s.
Construction
The construction method allows joining pieces with some pressure, locking the blocks for deformation of the semi-rigid plastic pins which, in a different way from the other brands, avoids the friction and wear between the pins and the internal surfaces of the blocks. This system avoids the fragility and instability in the models, giving a solidity not got by another construction toy or block system until that moment.Quality
The quality of the Rasti bricks produced in Argentina was so high (the shafts were made in chromed steel with plastic points for joining the special holes in the wheels), and its popularity was so large during the 1960s, that the word "Rasti" became of regular use and is still used as a generic noun to describe the objects that can be built and unbuilt in pieces saying: "it was broken like a Rasti" or "you can build it like a Rasti".Having obtained a considerable popularity in the toy market in Argentina, the "Rasti" was exported to countries such as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(from where the original design came) until its production moved to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
where its license was granted to the company Hering
Hering
Companhia Hering is a Brazilian textile and retail clothing company, being the leading clothing textile company in Latin America....
, and remained in production for several years although with lower quality (the shafts were made in a single piece of plastic with a low coefficient of rigidity).
In Europe, nevertheless, with new colors but with the same basic pieces that dazzled the children of Argentina in the sixties, the Rasti still continued hitting Europe after the new millennium (“Rasti-2000”), demonstrating to have survived the passing of the years and to have maintained in the affective memory of those who are more than 40 today, and that, like before, today buy Rasti but for their children.
Between the more popular sets sold in the Rasti decades, there are the Minibox 600, the Multibox 800, the technical kits 501 and 502, the three variants of Rasti Mobil (202, 203 and 204), the Motobox 45 and its more complete version the Motobox 90, and the more large set, the famous and always desired "Starbox 1000".
Rasti was the preferred toy of children that today are between 40 and 50 years old for whom it was nearly an excluding toy, main entertainment and source of ideas, of great creativity, an adaptable game-toy, with the right pieces —and not very sophisticated— that allowed to carry out almost anything that the child's fantasy could imagine.
Rasti is a trademark for the nostalgia and good moments for the childhood in the industrial Argentina of the sixties, a name that is destined to remain.
External links
Rasti in ArgentinaGerman Rasti fanpage