Avi Mateu
Peoncero (1930) Navarcles
Mateu never knew his parents. As a child he lived in the Casa Maternitat in Barcelona, from where he moved to the Casa Caridad. At the age of 12 he was adopted by a family from Navarcles, where he has lived for the rest of his life. What makes Mateu more extraordinary is his desire to make children happy. He says that perhaps it is because as a child he lacked anyone to play with, or perhaps he had a vocation to be a teacher. What is clear is that for Mateu children have been his life. In summer, when he goes down to the square, there is already a group of children waiting for him to make kites, jump rope or make them dance with the hoop. Better known as Avi Mateu not only plays, he also invents games and makes toys, especially spinning tops, of which he has a collection of more than 200. He does not like to see children playing with mobile phones, he says that the toys from before are the prettiest there are, however simple they are, like string spinning tops, which can be made to dance in many ways and require technique. Among the games he likes the most are “the wall palm, bottle caps and tazos”. On the wall of his spinning top museum, there is a writing that says: When you see him there in the square, everyone thinks to themselves, how can it be that Grandpa Mateo plays every afternoon? And you may not remember that for any child the most beautiful toy is to play with someone older.
Remember: Sizes may vary by 1 to 2 centimeters.
