As part of Barcelona's "1999 Spring Design Show" and parallel with the André Ricard exhibition, the Foundation will be presenting ToolToys, organized jointly by the Dansk Design Centre and the Joan Miro Foundation. The curator is Alexander Manu.

ToolToys is a term coined by Alexander Manu himself in order to emphasise the importance of the recreational aspect of the design process The exhibition, which contains more than 160 objects, tries to identify the particular properties that make a tool a tool and a toy a toy, and how these can be combined in a single object, the ToolToy.

ToolToys are products that satisfy not only the requirements of functional tools but also give the pleasure associated with toys. The actual function and playful predisposition of a ToolToy is the same. In market terms, the ToolToy is something that serves to satisfy the consumer's social, personal and/or psychological requirements, as well as his or her need for self-assertion. The success of an article depends on its design, but good design is not just a question of functionality.

As a counterpoint to the André Ricard exhibition, ToolToys tries to show that design can call upon functionality, but it can also appeal to the emotions by removing the barriers between work and play.