Toy 3

-Principle that toy is based on: Pushing/springs

-Description: This toy is supposed to look like an egg carton with eggs inside. The child presses down on each egg, and the eggs stay down once they are pressed. However, one of the eggs will pop up when pressed (the child cannot anticipate which egg will pop up). The "popped" egg is chosen when the child first presses on the button in the middle (see image) at the beginning, which will cause a ball to spin around and eventually settle underneath one of the eggs. When the child presses on the "chosen" egg (i.e. the egg with the ball underneath), the pressure pushing down will cause the ball to exert pressure back up, thus popping up. 

-Construction Cost/Durability/Safety: The construction will involve plastic, a ball, and something along the lines of a spring to pop up when the child presses on the "chosen" egg. I estimate this to be around $4.50, based on the costs of plastic, small balls, and springs. The toy should hold very well, given that the materials are of decent quality, and do not see any challenge to that, including attempts to bend or snap the toy in half (again, assuming the plastic and other materials are of decent quality). The toy should be safe for children above 3, as the "popped" egg is small and may be a choking hazard for younger children.

What I learned: Children like the element of surprise and unexpectedness to keep them continuously entertained. I have found that once children have discovered how something works and can anticipate what will happen next, they become bored quickly and move onto a different, new item. This aspect is present in adults as well, suggesting surprise and unexpectedness is vital in all products.