Already in the year of its launch, when it was granted a starring role in the German comedy film “Men”, this easychair ascended to the status of cult object. But what was probably the most famous piece of German furniture in the design-infused 1980s has even more stories to tell. It owed its very existence to the fortunate coincidence that designer and manufacturer happened to be on the same wavelength. Helmut Lübke, at the time managing director of COR, wanted to demonstrate his commitment to avant-gardism, realizing that the time was ripe for new forms. The curious point of depart u re for this successful product was an old doll’s chair from the 1930s, which appealed to Lübke and which he warmly recommended to designer Peter Maly as model. The latter, somewhat irritated by this challenge, abstracted the toy further and further, basing his eff o rts on a strict nine-centimetre grid. All radii are likewise a factor of nine. There thus emerged a meticulously calculated, harmonious design in which formal rigour is coupled with a playful air. The press was thrilled – not least because Lübke and Maly proceeded to present their showpiece all over Europe. It was no accident either that Zyklus found its way into Doris Dörrie’s film.