Anything At All’s Josh Finkle on sketching, selling and solo inventing

Josh, it’s great to catch up. We last caught up back when you were at IDEO, but you’ve since launched your own invention studio, Anything At All. What prompted the move?
I always knew in the back of my mind I wanted to do something on my own. A few years before I left, my mate and mentor – Steve Moore – left to do his own thing. And I’d been with IDEO for 12 years – I’d worked with Adam Skaates and he left to set up his own thing with Ryan Kratz. Two days after Adam left I thought: What am I waiting for? I’d been there for a while and learned so much, and I felt I was ready to take that leap.

What are you drawn to inventing? Or does the name Anything At All answer that question!?
The name definitely made sense because people would ask me this question when I went out on my own. I’d talk to the different toy companies and they’d ask: “What’s your specialty?” And I feel like my specialty is really cool transforming mechanism-y things… But during my time at IDEO I worked on everything, and as a solo inventor, I still work on everything.

And did you feel supported by the toy companies when making that leap? Were they excited to engage with you as a newly solo inventor?
Definitely. Everyone I talked to was very supportive. But being at IDEO for so long, everything was very collaborative, and we’d never really reveal who worked on what. So while they were supportive, some didn’t know what I was capable of. I’d say it’s taken me a year and a half to do some good work, show it to the toy companies and have them understand what I can do.

That makes sense – and how has the journey been so far?
I’ve licensed two things that are going to come out this year – one in the Spring and the other at the end of the year, or maybe the start of 2027. One’s in the vehicles category and one’s in infant-toddler category, but that’s all I can reveal for now!

Nicely teased! Let’s check back in when they’re out. And how have you adjusted from being in a team at IDEO to being on your own now?
I was super comfortable and thrived at IDEO. I was in the office and there were a lot of people. And in terms of idea generation, it was tonnes of brainstorms, like one a day sometimes, or two a day. It was crazy. But then I went remote. I was the first remote designer there – it was like a year and a half before COVID. So I’d made that adjustment of working alone even before I left to set up Anything At All.

But the biggest difference I’d say is in idea generation. Instead of doing tonnes of brainstorms with a wider team, I just sit here with my notebook, doodling pages and pages of ideas. And I have more ideas than I have time to execute, so I’m constantly looking through my notebook and picking out what to work on next. And then I get to make everything myself instead of handing projects off to other people. But ultimately, it hasn’t been too much of an adjustment for me.

What are some of the reasons an idea would leap from the notebook into actual development stage?
Well, there’s something cool about everything in the notebook! But I have to look at these through the lens of why a toy company would – or wouldn’t – do this. It might come down to cost or whether it fits their brands or feedback I’ve received. That lens helps to weed the ideas out. But then there are ones I choose to work on because I’m just really excited about it. I have that luxury more now that I’m on my own… If there’s an idea that it doesn’t fit any categories or it’s not on any of the wish lists – but I think is really cool – I’ll make it.

Are in terms of selling your ideas, are you a natural salesman? Or is that something you had to learn?
I learned at IDEO that I’m good at the heads down type stuff, and I’m not especially loquacious… But I can get up in front of people, and flip to being super excited and engaging. When I went on my own, I would talk to a lot of other inventors and get advice from them. I feel like my style is less pushy than others… And that’s fine with me.

If they like it, they like it! If not, there’s other ideas.
I’m super happy and excited about the work – and I care about details and want to show off cool models – but I’m not going to push it on you. It’s more like: ‘Here’s some cool stuff, I hope you enjoy it.’

I’d imagine the best approach to be sell is a way that feels natural to you.
I just want to be authentic. I’m not going to try to be something I’m not just to sell more things. I’m just going to be me and make cool stuff.

Absolutely. And what makes someone effective at inventor relations? What do you value?
Well, I’ve just focused on a handful of companies so far, but the IR people who value my work and come to me directly for certain asks are the ones I spend my time on. I feel a little guilty and wish I would do more work for more companies and brands, but I just don’t have enough time. I have to work on ones that either I’m excited about, or that I can see are clearly nurturing me. There’s a few people in the industry I can say are clearly coming to me and wanting my work.

Last time we spoke, we chatted about your Fly Frogs project. How is that going?
Yes! That started as an NFT project but I always knew I wanted to make these into real toys. And then back in 2021, I designed a frog and gave the files to my NFT holders for them to print on their 3D printers. When I left IDEO, I spent some time turning my frogs into these physical 3D printable figures. It’s been this side hustle passion project that I’m still working on and it’s really fun. I just designed a new one last week – the Wizard Frog.

Beautiful!
It’s an interesting business model – and it falls into this trend of me doing work where my parents don’t understand the business model.

Ha!
They still don’t really get what a toy inventor is and I’ve talked to other toy inventors who are older than me and they say their parents still don’t understand what it is they do. And then I did this whole NFT thing and my parents obviously didn’t get that. And now what I’m doing is designing digital files made for people to 3D print on their printers at home. I sell the digital files and people subscribe monthly for $10. Then they have access to the files to print as many of them as they want. And if they subscribe, they’re licensing the idea from me, so they can print them and sell them at craft fairs or on Etsy or wherever. It’s a fun side project.

Last question! What fuels your creativity?
It’s actually a lot different to back when I was at IDEO – because we had a whole team of people who would grab inspiration from all sorts of different places. For me now, I don’t go on TikTok. I know there’s a lot of fun stuff and inspiration to see on some of these platforms, but I don’t want to be on there. I spend enough time in front of the computer in CAD, I don t need to be looking at all these other things!

Instead, I get a lot of ideas from my kids or my kids’ friends. Or just sitting with my notebook sketching out ideas and mechanisms and things for brands. I don’t make too much of a conscious effort to spend time getting inspiration. I just sit down and get to work!

–

To stay in the loop with the latest news, interviews and features from the world of toy and game design, sign up to our weekly newsletter here

More Recent Interview

Inventor Mandela Fernández-Grandon on design, collaboration and the joy of playtesting

“Working with others offers a list of benefits…” In conversation with Mandela Fernández-Grandon.

Dina Al Rifai – Creative Director at The Loyal Subjects – on how being a collector shapes her approach to design

“I usually start with the emotional hook – what is this product supposed to make someone feel?” In conversation with The Loyal Subjects’ Dina Al Rifai.

“Play is evolving…”: Hasbro’s Tim Kilpin talks kids, Kidults and KPop Demon Hunters

Tim Kilpin, Hasbro’s President of Toys, Board Games, Licensing and Entertainment, on recent highlights – and things to get excited about.

Spin Master’s Angus Walker on bringing classic horror brands into TCGs with Hellbreak

“Faithfully representing these beloved characters was our design team’s top priority”: Angus Walker – VP, Marketing & GBU Lead, Games & Outdoor at Spin Master – talks Hellbreak.

As he retires, Make It Real’s Dominique Roy reflects on career highlights, mentors and lessons

“Even though you design something once, the injection machine will produce one unit every 30 seconds – that’s a serious responsibility”: In conversation with Dominique Roy.

Zatu Games’s Rory Kelly on Yubibo, demoing games and celebrating ten years in the industry

“If someone can explain a game in 30 seconds, I’ve done my job.” Catching up with Zatu’s Rory Kelly.