Enter the world of designer models and factory sets from the Czech building kits VARIANT® and ROTO®, and enjoy plenty of fun in a playroom full of bricks! The exhibition World of Bricks from the Czech building kits VARIANT® and ROTO® will be on display at Vsetín Chateau from September 2 to October 16.

The author of this popular traveling interactive exhibition is Ing. arch. Petr Šimr, Ph.D., known under the pseudonym PEESKO®, who focuses on collecting, exhibitions, education, and design. This time, the World of Bricks will present at Vsetín Chateau a selection of models from two Czech building kits: VARIANT® and ROTO®. On display will be not only factory sets but also prototypes of the ROTO construction kit—unique examples of Petr Šimr’s latest creations, which the public will be able to see for the very first time.

The Czech plastic polytechnic construction kit VARIANT® has been on the market for over 50 years and is manufactured by Kaden s.r.o. in Nový Hrádek. Structurally, it resembles the metal Merkur set, as it is connected using classic screws and nuts, but it is made from high-quality flexible plastic. Generations of children have been captivated by its versatility, reusability, and the possibility of building various models according to instructions or their own imagination. In addition, it includes gear wheels with chains, making it possible to create models with moving mechanisms. The VARIANT® kit supports the development of fine motor skills, spatial imagination, and creativity in children.

The purely Czech plastic construction kit ROTO® is based on the typical parts of the original socialist-era Plasticant kit, produced by the company DUBENA (Český Dub). Today, the redesigned kit is manufactured by the Czech company EFKO®—also the maker of the legendary Igráček figure—with production facilities in Nové Veselí and Korouhev near Polička. Petr Šimr added the ROTO® kit to the World of Bricks exhibition portfolio in 2023. He appreciates that the kit “contains more than 72 (!) different elements and allows for tremendous variability in assembly.” Thanks to its compact basic parts, models can be put together very easily and quickly. For the manufacturer, he currently designs new factory models, the prototypes of which will be on public display for the first time at the Vsetín exhibition.