toy design

a long time ago, i was seriously considering majoring in Toy Design.
did you know that there are some schools where Toy Design is a major in and of itself, pretty cool huh?


A toy designer is a very creative individual that is able to develop a completely new type of toy, game or children's activity, and then bring it to life. This means drawing, sketching or making a computer model of the concept, deciding how to make each detail, and then creating a prototype of the toy. Involved in this process are computer skills, possibility mechanical skills, creativity and originality and an ability to relate to the interests of children. Most toy designers spend a lot of time watching children play or thinking about modifications to existing games or toys that could be used for completely new projects.
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Most toy designers have a background in graphic arts or design as well as a good working knowledge of computers. Since most toys are now first generated through various computer programs before they are actually physically made by having the ability to do this themselves the toy designer can speed up the development process. A toy designer must also market his or her new toy to a toy manufacturer, unless they are already working on a specific project for the manufacturer. To market the toy the designer must be able to do a cost analysis and have preliminary information on the cost of production and the expected retail cost.
(from jobprofiles.org)

A degree in Graphic Design can seriously take you far because it's applications are endless.
its been hitting me more and more that just about everything we see and walk by is Design.
i can't even walk by signage until i've taken a good look at it, ha

but anyway, here are some examples i found online of some popular vinyl collectible toys you can find at stores like metropark, (sometimes) urban outfitters, and certain toy stores. :)





Tokidoki is pretty amazing at creating patterns and scenes with all their different characters (maybe you've seen them on LeSportsac Purses?)


OH! and if you haven't been to the HIGH to see the terra cotta army, its pretty amazing but it's leaving soon!
It's only $5 for students (with student ID).