The Pikado is a design game born from the collaboration between artist Gonzalo Arbutti and Mon Petit Art. What a quirky object! It seems to come from another galaxy…

And yet, it is inspired by nature! More precisely, by burdock fruits. You surely know those little prickly balls that are hard to remove from clothes after a walk in the forest.êOut in the fields! These plants amused Gonzalo Arbutti so much that he turned it into a game: Pikado!

Gonzalo mainly works with wood; so it was only natural that he used this material to create a large-scale replica of burdock fruits. The tiny hooks of the plants have been transformed into long wooden stems. These cling to spheres of different sizes. In no time, you've created giant burdocks! Their subtle touches of sky blue make for a very sophisticated and elegant design game.

Pikado is a stylish game with many facets. A game of skill, it transforms into an artistic version of pétanque. No need to worry; Pikado is durable, and you can toss the sticks onto the ground without fear of breaking them. Place one of the Pikado sticks on the ground and hold the others in your hand. Take a few steps back and throw one, aiming at the one on the ground. There you go! As they fall, the wooden rods intertwine into a very artistic structure. There you have it—our two sticks hooked together!

Children will be able to imagine many games around this intriguing and playful design object, which can be taken apart and reassembled at will. Finally, for older kids, Pikado becomes a decorative, stylish, and original piece. Your living room will instantly take on the vibe of a modern art gallery, sparking curiosity among your visitors, to whom you can share the story of the burdock plants...

But burdocks didn’t just inspire Gonzalo Arbutti; they are also the source of a great invention that you use every day.ûrement tous les jours... You want to knowîWhat a story?

Autumn 1941, Swiss Alps, a beautiful autumn afternoon. Georges Mestral, a brilliant 34-year-old engineer, steps out of his home to indulge in his favorite activity: a hunting trip. His dog is already several meters ahead, disappearing into the woods.
A few hours later, here are our two friends on the way back. Empty-handed, they still enjoy this beautiful walk, and the dog goes back and forth among the fallen leaves. Georges Mestral, however, is bothered by a tingling sensation along his left arm. With his fingertips, he brushes the sleeve of his hunting jacket; about ten small prickly clumps are stuck to it. He recognizes the fruits of the burdock, small plants with sharp hooks that cling to anything that passes by. He tries to remove them, but in vain: there are dozens! They seem to have stuck to the fabric... after some effort, our hunter finally manages to detach the little balls from his jacket. Surprised by the resilience of these little plants, he decides to examine them more closely under a microscope; they are indeed made up of hundreds of tiny hooks that latch onto the fabric's weave... Eureka! Georges Mestral has made an incredible discovery!

Inspired by these little plants, he invented... Velcro! These self-gripping fasteners, known as "hook and loop," are everywhere today: baby diapers, kids' sneakers, school bags, and you can even find them under some carpets and tiles! This is how a simple walk in the forest can lead to great discoveries...