Toy Concepts -Sean Graff

Fortify

My first toy is called Fortify and it is large magnetic building blocks. The physical principle that this toy is based on is magnetism as there are magnets in each corner of the cube that allow for the blocks to stick together. A child can interact with this toy in many different ways. They can build a fort to sit and play in with their friends, build structures to enhance different activities such as nerd wars or snowball fights, or they could use them as barriers to a playing field. One of the key components to these blocks is their ability to fold down in order for them to be easily stored and not take up very much room so a child can bring them out as they please without taking up a large section of the house all the time. Construction cost will go into the metal frame of the top and bottom faces as well as the metal foldable bars. Other costs include the magnets and the fabric that surrounds the cube. Safety and durability go hand in hand with construction cost as the higher priced fabric and type of metal/magnets you use will make it more durable and safe in the long run but also cost more. From thinking about children's toys I mostly focused along the lines of how I could have enhanced certain experiences or games from my childhood. I tried to think of a simple object that could have the ability to be used in many different facets. As a child and thinking back my friends and I created a lot of different games and I think the creativity aspect of being a kid is overlooked in toys. I think it is important to have the toys set a foundation and for the kids to take it from there rather then one toy being the whole experience in itself.

Play Along

My second toy is called Play Along and it is an attachable drum kit that you can put in your car. The principle this toy is built on is sound. The child can interact with this toy by tapping on the different pads with their fingers or hands in order to make the different drum noises come out of the speakers. Smaller children would be more content just making the noises in general while older kids may enjoy trying to follow the rhythm of the song playing on the radio and trying to make their own beat. The construction cost of this product lies in the wiring of the different sounds and the quality of the speakers as well as the sound pads. The plastic encasing would not cost very much in the long run and the straps would need to cost enough so that there is no safety concerns for the product. The durability of the product would be high as the only damage it would take would be the person tapping on it as well as some effects from the different bumps and such on the road. As far as safety as long as the straps are properly fastened and tight enough the toy shouldn't move on whatever bar it is situated on and be perfectly fine. Once again I wanted to think about certain experiences that could have been more enjoyable as a kid and one that stood out was car rides. There are not many toys that are really built to be played with in cars besides electronics which aren't ideal for many reasons. I think that this product could be a fun addition to a car ride and keep kids entertained.

Wacky Racers

This product is called Wacky Racers and are customizable push carts where a kid can sit on it and power it with their legs. The physical concept that this is based off of is gravity and momentum. Children can interact with this toy in many ways. First they can customize their own toy with all the different add ons so that each kid can have a unique racer all to themselves. They can use them to race their friends, go down the driveway, or simply ride around. Construction costs would be low as the racers would be made out of all plastic as they are made for smaller children. The durability should be high as none of the pieces are small or easily breakable thus they should stand the test of time. Safety is basically up to how each child decides to use it. While thinking about children's toys I remembered my friends and I would race things similar to this product all the time. Each of us had our "go to" vehicle of choice and each was unique and random to the person. This was the concept that I tried to bring to this toy was a sense of uniqueness and belonging to the certain owner in that no one has the same one as you.