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Design a toy

So I don't think I'm going to be able to come up with a coherent toy idea in 15 minutes (why did I ever write that as a prompt?), but I figured I could reflect on what I liked in a toy as a kid and what I as an adult would like to see in a kid's toy for 15 minutes and then maybe something would spring up? We'll see.

  1. Adult me would like a toy that can be easily cleaned. Yeah I know this is a boring thing to think about, but honestly kids can be so grubby and if they love a toy, that toy is going to get grubby. So one that can either be put in a washing machine or washed with soap and water is ideal.
  2. Kid me would like a toy that can bend and move. This is a bit vague, but honestly one of my favorite Barbies was my friend Saskia's soccer Barbie who would bend her knees and elbows. I thought it was so cool that I could actually make her move around and sit and pose. So I think a toy that could be used to act things out would be very fun.
  3. Kid me would like something that can be customized. I know that sounds corporate, but I liked being able to make toys my own (I mean isn't this part of what drives kids to cut their doll's hair?). It's nice to have a doll that a lot of other kids have, but it's also nice for other kids to know that is your doll. This could be done in a lot of ways. Obviously, the toy could have different clothes that you can buy, but really it'd be great if it came in a variety of colors and that kids could pick them. I would've loved it if each time I got a doll or stuffed animal I could pick the color of the hair/fur, the eye color, and other little things (like freckles for a doll or where the spots go on a stuffed animal). If I could've done that I would've felt so creative because it would be ideas I had made into something I could hold. And, again, it would be my toy not just a toy.
  4. Adult me would like a toy that teaches something. Kid me probably appreciated this on some level, but I'd like to give a kid a toy that has some feature that allows them to learn. This could be a lot of things. Honestly it could just be a talking doll that says its phrases in English first and then in another language so the kid learns a few key phrases (surely this exists already). Or it could be a toy that is some sort of puzzle and teaches problem solving in that way (or this could just be that things for the toy have to be assembled in a puzzle-like way). It cold also be a toy that comes with a book series so kids are reading and, maybe, even writing their own stories for the toy. Yeah like the toy could have a website where there are stories written by other kids (vetted of course).
  5. Kid me would like a toy that is big enough to be cuddled. Now it's not that I didn't like little toys like Legos, because I loved me some Legos, but I really liked being able to cuddle a toy at night (to be honest, I still do). There is something really comforting about holding something you love in your arms as you try and go to sleep.
  6. Kid me would like a toy that can go in the bath. I thought it was so cool when I could take a toy in the bath with me. Some kids don't like baths, I know, but maybe having toys they can take with them would help. Or, for kids like me who liked baths, it just makes it more fun. Also, if a toy can go in the bath it probably can be washed easily (see point #1), so that's a perk.
  7. Kid me would like a toy that is part of a group. This would work well with the book idea before, but feeling like toys are part of a larger narrative (although kid me wouldn't have said it that way) was pretty cool. I liked that my toy was friends with other toys or went on adventures with others. It gave me some structure to base my own imagination ideas around.

Okay, so if anyone can combine that into a toy, please make it and send me some royalties.

(Prompt by me)
Photo by Susan Dennis

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