1. Chime Bear – a favorite toy
   
2. Fisher Price Little People
   
3. WeebleWobbles
   This is how most people remember them.
   
   but they used to look like this:
   

   and have also been produced in more sculpted versions:

   
4. Consider basic Shapes. How would a square or rhombus move? What about a gang of Conic Sections?Here is another favorite character from my early years.
   

It’s all well and good to say you are making some toys, butfirst you need to settle on some character designs. Here are a few I am considering:

1. angry frog amputee in a wheelchair
2. space monkey
3. monkey nun
4. penguin mercenary
5. drug addled sloth
6. koala in recovery
7. red panda ninja
8. Ari the vegetarian alligator
9. Lucitonya the evil ninja assasin – that is, she assasinates evil ninjas
10. midget and squidget
11. gary the ex-con sock monkey
12. gracy the night club chanteuce sock monkey
13. monkeybear
14. pink grim reaper (”Why’s everyone so Oosy-Goosey?”)
15. Alien cheerleader squad
16. mad scientist animals – maybe a beaver – so they can build
17. Dr Snake
18. Crime fighting team of obscure house pets: hermit crab, parrots, cockatoos, goldfish, myna bird (evil henchmen), snake (watch out for connotations)
19. Mythological Creatues – but not greek or roman they are done to death. Maybe Mayan?
20. Nerdy animal mascots – like hedgehogs with plasic rim glasses
21. leaders of world religions
22. action figures for obscure movies – Krull, Magnolia, Session 9, Enchanted April
23. Creatures from another dimension – in the mathematical sense. dot for 1D, figure 8 with arms and legs for 2D, nesting doll for 4D

Project Goals

1. Design Characters (3-5)
   Character Designs should be simple but interesting. Designs should be on par with Kid Robot or Sanrio in terms of simplicity and appeal
2. Model Characters
   Begin with a clay maquette, then produce a 3D model in Maya. Model must be suitable for 3D Printing:
   • one piece construction with possibility of peg & hole base
   • Hollow with a modeled inside
   • Must be set to appropriate scale 2″ – 4″
   • Include a hole in the design to allow character to be hollow (and save on production cost)
3. Send Models to 3D printer – This will be expensive. Start saving now.
4. Cast Models Create silicone mold and resin cast the prototypes. BrickInTheYard.com for supplies.
5. Design Packaging & Marketing. These may not be as fully realized as the toys themselves, but should be at least in a fairly developed comp state.

via Facebook

Sergio Huston August 16 at 6:47pm
Hey Moriah, I was wondering if I could pick your brain.
This semester I am doing my capstone. My goal is to design a line of toys and produce a prototype, including packaging. I am thinking of simple designs like the munny and dunny figures, but am having trouble setting on a particular direction. I was wondering if you could give any insight on what sort of simple toys seem to work well.
Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Sergio

Moriah Burchfield August 17 at 6:32pm
www.tomopop.com
Graphically elegant designs. Beauty in the slightly horrific. Zombies are big of course. Vamps. Anything in juxtapose mag. I think u should think back to your childhood or even further to your parents and grandparents. Take an icon, a slinky for example. How can that be translated into something new? Ask yourself if the slinky can become a character. Maybe it isn’t the slinky itself. Maybe it is an aspect of the slinky. Maybe it is an etch a sketch or rubics cube u use instead. I’ve seen wonderful vinyl toys that are everyday objects like clouds or raindrops, sushi or toast or marshmallows.

I hope this makes since. I will look more when I get to a computer. It’s hard to search on the iPhone.

Sergio Huston August 18 at 11:40pm
Thanks moriah!
I really like your idea of making something new from kidville.
I bet I could revisit some of my old fischer-price toys with a more modern (and twisted) concept.
Sort of Weeble-Wobbles of the Damned

sergio

Moriah Burchfield August 19 at 9:07am
That’s a great idea. I really like the idea of playing with a persons nostalgic inclinations. Weeble wobble of the damned is awesome. I’d buy that. Can u imagine a whole zombie set? Greatness. Keep me posted on your progress.

After a great deal of debate, I have finally settled on a project for my capstone. At first I considered doing a website or complicated 3D model, but moved away from these in order to design something that draws on a broader range of skills and experiences.

After discussing my options with Professor Bruce Barnes, my capstone advisor, I have elected to design a like of toys with the goal of completing a limited production run of a completed product