A special session at this year’s Play Creators Conference will explore Spin Master’s Toy Invention Program, and its approach to teaching invention.

The Toy Invention Program – known as TIP – originally started in Israel, offered through Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art at the Department of Continuing Education and spearheaded by Spin Master’s Tal Schrieber.

It has since expanded to Ryerson University in Toronto, Doshisha University in Kyoto and London’s own Kingston University.

The talk – titled TIP Around the World – will be helmed by Spin Master’s Tal Schrieber, alongside TIP graduate Vered Shapiro and Fun-damental Invention’s Gary Pyper and Fuse’s Chantal Drenthe, both contributors to the London TIP course.

This year’s Play Creators Conference – sponsored by Hasbro – is taking place at London’s Twickenham Stadium on Tuesday, September 6th.

To buy your ticket to the conference, click here.

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Spin Master’s Rich Mazel, Fun-Damental Invention’s Gary Pyper and Gamley’s Hazel Reynolds will compete to banish their biggest pet peeves about the world of design to Room 101 at this year’s Play Creators Conference.

All three will put forward their best arguments to convince the host – Mojo Nation writer and creative consultant Deej Johnson – that their industry pet hate is the one that deserves to go into Room 101, never to see the light of day again.

“Despite popular demand, I’ll be back to host this year’s Toy Room 101 panel… I simply can’t wait to hear the industry pet peeves of this fantastic line up,” said Deej.

This year’s Play Creators Conference – sponsored by Hasbro – is taking place at London’s Twickenham Stadium on Tuesday, September 6th.

You can buy your ticket to the Play Creators Conference here.

For Conference sponsorship enquiries, email sarah@mojo-nation.com.

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Nikki Bauman, Manager of Fisher-Price Inventor Relations, Mattel

“What inspired me to go into product design was the Biomedical Engineering program at Wright State University in Ohio. It’s where I started college and set on my path to designing prosthetics, initially. Two years into the program, i realised how grossed out I was by Anatomy and Physiology class… And having to dissect roadkill – blegh! I then changed course and transferred into the Industrial Design program at the University of Cincinnati. I was much more comfortable designing furniture and electronics – not quite as gross! Then I discovered my love of toy design after two internships at Fisher-Price. 13 years into toy design at Fisher-Price, I’ve switched gears again and been on the Inventor Relations team for six years. It’s been a very long and winding path that’s landed me on my favourite team so far!”

Ste Smith, Creative Director, WITH Creative

“I was always curious about how things were made. Much to my Mum’s frustration, taking things apart to see how they were built – and sometimes not being able to put them back together again… But I really became obsessed when I got my first Super Soaker. A few pumps and I could spray my friends from a distance. I vividly remember the moment where – while hiding for cover during a battle – I looked down at my gun and thought ‘It was someone’s job to create this drench weapon?! I want that to be my job!’ Not only was I fascinated with how it was made, it was the why it was made that really gripped me. Those feelings of joy and the fun memories it creates, that’s why this thing existed. Every product I’ve designed and created in my career has been focused on sparking feelings of joy and happiness. That is why I do what I do.”

Alex Reynolds, Head of Research & Development, Casdon

“I’d go for TOMY’s Kong Man. I was always obsessed with how all the internal mechanisms created such an amazing and magical play experience… The magnetic wall was my favourite! As a child, I used to take it apart and be mesmerised by what seemed like millions of pieces all working in unison behind the scenes. Since then, I’ve always had the inclination to take things apart, see how they really work, and it’s inspired me to design my own toy mechanisms that bring ‘magic’ to kids.”

James Austin-Smith, Director of Innovation, Moose Toys

“I’m not sure that this put me on the path to toy invention consciously, but in an unconscious way my childhood toys had a big effect on me, igniting a passion that was never met until the world of toy design opened up to me. Starcom in particular had an awesome blend of ‘imaginative storytelling supported by a little moment of magic’ to produce the surprise and delight that I look for in my work today. It was a classic 80’s space-themed range of vehicles and pilots. The pilots had magnetic boots that activated features on the vehicles and allowed them to defy gravity as they clung to plates on the sides of the ships. The magnetic boots also triggered transformations in the vehicles and playsets that were powered by clockwork mechanisms, meaning they never needed batteries and made an awesome buzzing sound as they activated. It was great fuel to roleplay space adventures to, and has always stayed in my memories as an immersive experience powered by a great mechanism, married with an exciting execution.”

Phil Sage, Senior Director, Design & Innovation HUB, North America, PepsiCo

“At university, I would take the train from Swansea to London, and open my mind to the impossible. I was fascinated with getting around on the London Underground. Some describe it as organised chaos, but I appreciated its holistic system design. It gave me a deeper appreciation of how a product experience was made up of so many layers. It was designed that way; the system architecture, the trains, the technologies, the signal systems, the payment systems, the front-facing iconography and flow diagrams explaining where you are and where to go… They all need to talk in order to be efficient and embraced by its users, over and over again.”

Barry McLaughlin, Co-Founder, Barry & Jason Games

“As a kid I was fascinated by mechanical games with clever analog designs. I loved the simple-yet-satisfying action created by pushing down the lever to make a hippopotamus munch on some tasty marbles in Hungry Hungry Hippos. Or the use of gravity to send flaming orbs careening down the mountain in Fireball Island. Even KerPlunk had a special place in my heart, using the simplicity of a tube, some sticks and a bunch of marbles to create a pretty action-packed game… Whoa! I had no idea that the use of marbles in game design was so special to me until listing those three games together. What a breakthrough! How much do I owe for this session, doc? As for Barry & Jason, we carry this childhood wonder forward with creations that are simple, clever, and analog; with rich illustrations that often include backstories. And up next… Bring me my marbles!”

Luc Hudson, Co-Founder, Triclops Studio

“I didn’t have a huge collection of toys as a kid – unfortunately I can’t say the same now! But I did have – and still have – my original Boglin. I was obsessed with Jim Henson and his movies like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. I was fascinated by animatronics and the Boglin was like entry-level puppetry. While still at school, I made a clay head and tried to cast a puppet head from it, coating it with lots of layers of liquid latex. That interest in ‘bringing toys to life’ stayed with me through my early years as a designer when I made mechanical toys and automata – I think I get my mechanical mind from my Dad who is a car nut, specialising in the restoration of vintage Citroens.”

Fi Murray, Founder, Making Things Studio

“For me it was Crayola and their ‘sticks’ as we call them… Crayons, markers, pencils and so on! They not only opened my eyes to what a wonderful product experience feels like – from the iconic scents of their ink and wax to the quality of the lay down, to the packaging and design – but they also gave me the tools to create, to doodle and to have colouring-in competitions with my nan, Iris. She’d get me a colouring book, get me to pick a page and give me 50p if she thought I did a better job than her. She wasn’t a fan if I didn’t stay in the lines or started drawing something else! That was probably an early sign that I didn’t have the make-up to be a methodical detail designer!”

Richard Heayes, Founder, Heayes Design and PlayLenz

“I first started to think about design being something different from art when I watched Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet and Space: 1999 as a kid – I was an Anderson fanboy for sure! I loved the different spacecrafts, vehicles and gadgets which made me want to imagine what else International Rescue might need and how those might work. I used to draw up ideas and make them in LEGO! It wasn’t just how something looked but also how it functioned and how cool it was overall. My father was an engineer, so I learnt how to use basic workshop tools when I was fairly young and this gave me confidence to make stuff from what was lying around. From there, I continued to design spacecrafts, gadgets and imaginary objects of the future at school. I only discovered Industrial Design was a ‘thing’ once I left senior school, but luckily I found the perfect college and went onto study I.D. After working in I.D. for a few years, I discovered toys and games and never looked back. I try to keep that eight-year-old me front of mind even though the 50-year-old me often spoils the party with practical issues like costs and feasibility!”

Darren Lee Phillipson, Toy & Content Development Architect, Design Lead Play

“One of my biggest, singular creative inspirations as a young designer was when I came across an article about the 1980’s Italian design movement called Memphis. Designers such as Michele De Lucchi, Ettore Sottsass and Martin Bedin created products with geometric shapes in bold colours and patterns. Their creations really spoke to me and certainly helped to inform my own personal design language and overall approach to product and toy design.”

David Snow, Owner, The Fantastic Factory

“Product development came later in life for me; I was focused on a career in sales. It wasn’t until I was pitching to the BBC to get the rights for a Top Gear board game… Once we’d been through that development process, I got the bug and had a hand in developing lots more games. Developing these games was how I met my business partner, Steve; an all-round creative genius – that’s how we started The Fantastic Factory.”

Gary Pyper, Founder, Fun-Damental Invention

“I was a 16-year-old art student on a college trip to Barcelona, when – due to a San Miguel induced stupor – I opted to skip visiting Gaudi’s masterpiece The Sagrada Familia to instead wander around the shops aimlessly. That afternoon, I purchased a souvenir that has made a huge impact on how I have approached industrial design since. The object is the Christy sugar bowl produced by Alessi – but, more importantly, it was designed by Dr Christopher Dresser. Aesthetically, you might ‘place’ the bowl in the last few decades, but it was, in fact, first produced in 1885. A masterclass in playful and timeless design, with a single-shot plastic 20c twist. If I can recreate anything half as elegant and as timeless as this in my lifetime, I’ll be eternally satisfied.”

Geoff Smyrk, VP, Global Creative Director, The Marketing Store London

“For me, it was the LEGO Tug Boat. Just imagine a boat, that comes in bits – even the hull – and is made from relatively heavy parts, that you build and actually floats in the bath. It blew my mind!”

Peggy Brown, Owner, Peggy Brown Creative Consulting

“My story isn’t really about a product – I got my degree in Industrial Design, and the first job I took after graduation was as a staff designer at a game company: Western Publishing, which was later bought by Hasbro. My other options at the time were jobs at a tractor/farm equipment manufacturer, and at a company that made pots and pans. Not very exciting! Woowoo!”

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Gary Pyper, Stacey Pyper and Toby Kinsey are the team at Fun-Damental Invention, the UK-based invention studio responsible for recent launches like Buffalo Games’ You’re on Mute as well as Windy Knickers and Giddy Up from John Adams.

Fresh from moving into a brand new studio, we caught up with the team to find out how 2021 has been so far – and learn more about some of the fresh capabilities that come with having their impressive new space.

Guys! Great to catch up again. This is my first work trip out in the wild since lockdown eased so thanks for getting me out! Now, we’re sat in your swish new studio with the entire team. Gary, we’ve obviously spoken lots before, but let’s do a proper introduction to the full Fun-Damental gang…
Gary Pyper: Yes, let me introduce you to Toby. I’d worked with Toby previously for 15 years, so we knew each other very well. The most important thing about choosing someone to work so closely with every day is trust. It’s not just about trusting that each other’s work is good; it’s about both having the same philosophy, priorities and work ethic. We pretty much discuss and agree on everything.

Toby Kinsey: I can’t remember us ever having a row! We’re very aligned on what we want to achieve in the business.

GP: All three of us share risk, we decide where we want to put our time. In this business, it’s all a slightly educated guess, but we trust each other in the sense we all believe what we’re creating has a real chance.

TK: We also have different areas of strength. Concepts and marketing is Gary’s purview, whereas electronics and mechanism are more my area. We overlap and there are also parts where we differ.

How did you get into toy invention Toby?
TK: By chance! I completed a model making course and was kicking around. A colleague who worked in the toy industry at the time told me they needed another model maker, so I turned up with my portfolio. I was taken straight down to the studio and started working. That was in 1995 and I was there for many years.

Stacey, let’s bring you in! How did you find your way into toys?
Stacey Pyper: I have a design and licensing background. I met Gary 21 years ago; we worked in the same studio. Gary was on product design, and I was on packaging design. I progressed to ITV where I was Head of Creative Services. When we decided to start Fun-damental, everything fell into place. I fell into the world of Invention and taking care of the systems that allow us to run an efficient business.

GP: Any invention house that has a stream of ideas, presentations and ultimately agreements knows there’s so much administration involved. You need to stay on top of it all… For example, we hate to show a company an idea for the second time by accident. Stacey takes care of all that because I’m hopeless at systems and admin, but Stacey is a marvel.

SP: And of course, with a background in packaging, I also do all the cardboard construction mock-ups and anything else that’s needed!

We last caught up when you first launched the business, so how has the past year been for you guys?
GP: We’re placing a strong number of items and there’s lots more on the way. We have a very exciting new product out for fall with John Adams this year called Giddy Up. It’s an electronic hobby horse game that’s fully interactive. It’s hilarious!

We also have You’re On Mute with Buffalo Games, which was a super-fast turnaround. As soon as lockdown happened, Fun-damental acquired the trademarks for ‘You’re on Mute’. We had a game in development with Buffalo that fit that trademark perfectly.

How soon into lockdown did the penny drop that You’re on Mute was ‘a thing’?
SP: It was a two in the morning revelation!

GP: I assumed it would be taken, but it wasn’t, so we did it. We do that kind of thing very rarely, but it seemed like an obvious opportunity. Every meeting we had during the start of the pandemic, someone would say, “You’re on mute!” I was praying no one would cotton on! Buffalo did a great job with it and it’s in Target now.

Windy Knickers also had a super strong year and will be making an appearance globally with wider distribution for 2022. We also have some cool plush items launching with DKL Beysal. We currently have lots of exciting toys and games signed for 2022 and even have a few already for 2023, so it’s all happening!

Exciting times! Now, we’ve done quite a few interviews with inventor relations folks in the past year, and when I ask about exciting new studios, Fun-Damental almost always gets a mention! What do you think you and the team are doing that’s resonating with companies?
GP: We understand the challenge that inventor relations people have in selling things internally. We give them a package that makes that easier. We do that by having very finished graphics and visuals, we create whole marketing concepts, and we try to make really appetising sizzles. We love things to look nice! It’s like drawing a picture for your mum… You want her to say, “I really like that!”  We want inventor relations people to say “Wow I really like that!”

Is this a trend generally, that inventors are creating more polished concepts for companies that was perhaps needed in the past?
GP: Undoubtably inventor relations execs need more from inventors than they have done in the past. The gatekeepers are used to seeing very finished visuals everyday and everywhere; kids are creating content on TikTok that’s very polished and we have to meet that aesthetic standard.

SP: You have to have a huge amount of energy and drive to continue creating to the level and quantity that is required and expected.

GP: Absolutely. You need a total and unconditional belief that you’re creating cool stuff, whether it is or not. We’ve looked back at some things we’ve done and thought, ‘We wouldn’t have done that now!”

TK: We thought it was good idea at the time! We’re continuously learning. If I look back at when Fun-Damental first started, we’ve matured and the self-censorship of what we produce is far more considered now.

GP: Our capabilities are really wide now too. We can do full animatronics and electronics. We programme our own chips; we build our own robotics. It’s a skill set that isn’t common. Sometimes we’ll also do completely finished tooling CAD. It saves internal teams a lot of time and makes things easier for everyone.

Is there a category that Fun-Damental specialises in now? Or something you guys are starting to be known for?
GP: We’re starting to be known as quite left field. We don’t particularly concentrate on specific brand extensions, although we are happy to on request. The dream for us is to create really cool magic tricks that excite us. The dream for any inventor is to dance to their own tune.

TK: What excites us is the idea. That’s not limited to one area. Brand or category.

GP: To sell an idea, it has to make your jaw drop. Whether that translates all the way to shelf is another thing. A concept can’t just be nice enough to sit on shelf. It has to be so good that it will impact on a company’s business if they turn it down. To do that, it has to stop people in their tracks.

We should talk about this amazing new studio. Why was it important to establish a base like this?
GP: We were lucky because we moved in during lockdown and home-schooling, so it gave the kids a playground and a classroom! They had everything they needed, but they couldn’t  go to the park, so we installed a swing! It’s always been part of our ethos that we want a family business, and all our kids have been in our sizzles, the inventor relations teams know them and they’re a core part of our business.

SP: It’s also a really fun space because that’s in our DNA.

TK: It does affect how you ideate. I have a second specialised electronics studio at home and the environment does totally feed into what you do.

GP: Toby’s studio is like something straight out of Short Circuit. Its mind blowing!

TK: Ha! As a child, you have that sense of wonder about things, and you can’t lose that. We need things around us that makes us go “Wow!”

GP: This isn’t our job, it’s our life. At home, we’re continually coming up with toy ideas, there’s never been a line. It’s not work, it’s who we are.

Has the space added any new strings to your bow?
GP: We now have a photo studio, a full traditional machine shop and CAD workshop and lots of desk space. We’ve been taking on freelancers for special jobs and the intention is to carefully grow. We have everything we need to expand now. It’s funny really to think in two years we’ve gone from nothing to a backyard shed to a real studio.

SP: You have to have a total belief that it’s going to work.

GP: When we first started out, I was the driving force but Stacey and Toby unconditionally believed in me. I couldn’t have done any of it without them. That said, I don’t want to say too many nice things and destroy my grumpy old man persona!

Ha! It must also have a great space to bring inventor relations folks to if they’re over here or wanting to make a face-to-face visit.
GP: Definitely. Some are very excited to know there’s a pub next door – you know who you are! Everyone’s welcome. We even have a new cafe downstairs for bacon sandwich hangovers!

SP: We’re very proud of it. We love being here.

GP: As a kid, I dreamed of having a workshop with all my own stuff in it. It sounds like a toy industry cliché, but it’s literally the scene from Big when he buys his first apartment. We have a Big poster on the wall to remind me what it’s all about.

Aside from being in a creative environment, what else helps you have ideas?
TK: It’s about having that passion. I play a game with myself where I think about what Gary would say about a concept to push it further! It helps to drive development.

SP: Lockdown has had an impact because we usually like to visit London, go to shows, galleries and travel to see new things and absorb sights and sounds. You don’t realise the impact that has until you stop doing it.

We’re always thinking about ideas naturally. I’ll talk to friends who are decorating, and they’ll mention that they have no idea what colour to paint a wall. For me, it’s the opposite problem! We can’t switch that off.

TK: We’re always making stuff and creating, and for me the act of creating really drives me.

GP: It’s free therapy!

Ha! Before I let you go, looking at the wider inventor landscape, do you think the industry is in a healthy place right now?
GP: Overall things are looking very good. We survived the last year and are fortunate to be supported by one of the most resilient industries in the world. Not only that, but a swathe of remarkable new professional inventors have emerged and will undoubtedly reshape the future of the business.

Long-term, I think for independent toy invention to thrive, we all have to have a re-think in the industry about sharing risk. Times have changed and the way retail buying is monopolised – particularly in the United States – has had a huge impact in the toy companies’ ability to commit to new IP.

For invention houses to financially survive as early-stage incubators of ideas – rather than turn into micro distribution toy companies – investment has to be free flowing for early-stage ideation.

It’s easier said than done, but fundamentally we are all in the same boat, inventors and toy companies hand in hand, racing to get the most exciting and innovative products out the to the masses.

Well guys, this has been great. Congrats on the new studio – I’m already looking forward to my next visit!

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As Spin Master’s Director of Innovation, Harrie Sivanander wears two hats – that of a designer, and that of an inventor relations exec.

We caught up with Harrie to learn more about his history in the toy space, the role of wishlists and why a career in design has informed how he works with inventors.
 
Hi Harrie – great to catch up! So, some designers we speak to have their hearts set on toy design from the get-go, while others fall into it – which camp were you in?
I didn’t have toy design in mind at all! I’ve always been into creative stuff. I’d draw comic books and try to copy my older brother, who is a phenomenal artist. I didn’t know which area I’d go into, but I studied Industrial Design. While in school, I got an internship at Mega Bloks – a friend was working there and he helped me get in. As soon as I joined, I fell in love with the toy industry. It was a magical place, full of fun and it really flipped design on its head for me.

Interesting… In what way?
Well in design school, they teach you that form follows function. Everything has a meaning and you design with purpose. If it ever veered from that, my teachers would lose their minds! When I got to Mega Bloks, they would say to me “That looks cool, but why don’t you add some details?” I would ask what sort of details, and they would say “I don’t know – just do something cool!” I thought it was a joke – I couldn’t believe it! It was a beautiful thing to design with such freedom. Toy design really clicked with me.

Was Spin Master on your radar at that point?
I had a goal to move to Toronto, and I knew that Spin Master was there. I grew up in Montreal and Mega Bloks was based there, but I eventually moved to Toronto in 2014. I left Mega Bloks just as Mattel was taking over it. I would’ve loved to have stayed and seen what that transition was like, but I had already planned to move to Sweden.

Why Sweden?
I wanted to go on a bit of a design pilgrimage! I knew they worked differently over there and although there’s a lot of toy jobs in the world, there’s not a lot of toy companies – and they’re not spread out all over the world. I was excited to learn about sectors outside of the toy industry and branch out a little bit. I went to Sweden and met people from a variety of industries, and ended up at VeryDay, one of the coolest design agencies in the world.

They worked with incredible brands and I was able to partner with them on some stationery products. I got to understand VeryDays’ design philosophies, which are very different from those found in the toy industry. The toy space is so, so fast, and sometimes you’re tasked with creating things in a matter of weeks, whereas in Sweden, you could work on a power drill for years before it ever sees the light of day!

VeryDay was a dream place for me to be. When I joined as a contractor there, my manager said to me: “What do you think we should do?” I didn’t understand. I asked them what they wanted me to do, but he said “I’m going to be your manager, but this is your project. I want to know what your approach is and then we’ll work together on it.” That approach will stay with me forever. It really taught me that no matter how high up the corporate ladder you climb, you have to recognise magical attributes from people across the entire company – and some of the best stuff comes from your most junior people. If you trust them, they’ll elevate you.
 
How did Spin Master enter the scene?
Well I left Sweden and got back to Toronto. I had some friends from Mega Bloks who had since moved to Spin, so I went to check out the Spin office and it felt great. It felt good to be talking to toy people and in that toy environment again. An opportunity came up and thankfully it worked out. It was a beautiful fit right away.

You spent over two years as a designer at Spin before moving into inventor relations. Is there a launch that has your fingerprints over it that you’re particularly proud of?
I was hired to take on the Tech Deck brand. The brand had been with the LA team for a number of years but then it swapped with Spy Gear, so Spy Gear went to LA and Tech Deck came to Toronto.

When I came in, Tech Deck had dwindled from a $100m brand to a $1m brand, and by any real logic it should’ve been dropped, but the founders had a lot of history with it and it had a legacy behind it. Skateboarding was trending and the entire company got behind the brand again.

We had incredible packaging designers and they were a key part of Tech Deck’s successful rebrand – Dave Sarrafo was the main guy on that and his team did a phenomenal job. I met with them, met with engineers, looked at costing, looked at parts and it all came together.

Are you a skater? Would that help when designing for Tech Deck?
I was not a skater! I was not even a finger boarder! But I could tap into the culture and speak to the right people throughout the process. And within a couple of years, Tech Deck became a $20m brand.

Amazing. What were some of the biggest challenges involved in reinvigorating that brand?
We had a lot of cost challenges. The metal bearings, the trucks, the way everything fits – IKEA-esque – into the box. It all dramatically effected the cost. Usually when you run into cost troubles they’ll say “Remove a ramp.” I instead looked at assembly, manufacturing, material changes and new mold construction and found creative solutions to keep the coolness and value

Were inventors part of that process at all?
Yes, we tapped into the inventor community. I worked with Dom Yard on the Transforming Sk8 Container. That was a runaway hit and became a hero piece for the line. It was an incredible success.

Was that the first time you worked with an inventor?
Yes! I worked in the toy industry for almost ten years and didn’t know how much of the industry was related to the inventor community. Spin Master is so inventor friendly – they gush over inventors so much! At Mega Bloks, I never saw any inventor engagement, but here, it was like BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM – all these inventor ideas coming at you!

Lots of in-house designers have a sore spot with inventors because it’s competitive. Designers are sensitive and want to be celebrated for their ideas, and then inventor ideas come in and they compete. But I’ve never seen it that way – I always thought it was really exciting. I geek out about the execution of things, so taking an inventor idea and collaborating with them to turn it into a reality and something beautiful is a dream for me.

Absolutely, and you’re right, Spin has a great reputation within the inventor community. So on that, how are you working with inventors in your new role?
After doing design for a few years, I was asked to join the inventor relations team.

Traditionally, you see an invention, you visualise a home for it and then you pass it to the brand teams. So if you’ve invented a transforming Paw Patrol play-set, we know where that fits. Lots of inventors create cool things that don’t necessarily fit nicely into the business. I work on making these kinds of inventions align with company, so the brand teams have a better vision of how these concepts work for them.
 
So your current role is part inventor relations – seeing pitches, evaluating concepts – and part design – making those inventor items work for your brand teams?
Yes! My new title – which incapsulates both the design and the IR side of what I do – is Director of Innovation.

I’ll oversee prelim development of inventor items that come in, and work with the brand teams to make sure there’s a good fit. And with ideas that don’t have a clear fit, we’ll incubate those before taking them to the brand teams to see what we can do with them internally – and in collaboration with the inventor.

There’s a lot of money that goes into holding inventor items and this approach give us a massive head start to get the brand team excited about an item and get it to become a market success.

What sort of work will you be doing to items before handing them over?
All sorts! Aesthetics, manufacturing, assembly, brand strategy, packaging… We want those questions answered so we are handing over solutions and not a pile of problems.

Aside from a great idea, what makes for a great inventor?
It’s similar to what makes for great designers. You don’t want to be difficult to work with, but you need to maintain your passion. The best inventors are excited to collaborate and hear your ideas, but they’re also not afraid to tell you that you’re wrong! We are experts… But we’re experts at Spin Master. Inventors have access to all the other toy companies, so they have valuable industry perspective.

Also, it’s not just about selling. Some people do whatever they need to just to get a concept sold, but that approach doesn’t always translate into us making it a successful item. It’s a continued, passionate partnership with us that turns good ideas into magic.

Has a career in design made you better equipped to work with inventors?
Absolutely! Pitching my design work over the years has taught me so much about how to put together a concept presentation. I know what is going to get people and excited and what is going to put people to sleep. Often, the best stuff is buried in the mundane up front and people have already checked out. I know what inventors are up against.

For inventors reading, how much emphasis do you put on wishlists? Is that where inventors should be looking for inspiration?
There’s two types of inventors. One will design to the wishlists, and the other will throw your list out the window and design for themselves. Ben Dermer has always told me that you can’t really argue that one approach is more successful than the other. They are different methods of madness and each has its own merits.

If you’re going to design for yourself, it helps massively to take the advice we give you along the way and try to see what brands your idea could fit into – even if it wasn’t created with that in mind. I can help inventors with that too, but understanding our current line is really important. It will help you place items.

Is it a good time to be a toy inventor?
Absolutely. The inventor game has changed quite a bit. It was easier to sell your ideas once upon a time, and today, people require more from the invention – and from the inventor. There’s a lot of fresh talent coming through which is exciting. And for new inventors, I think it would be smart to partner up with some of the older inventors who are phasing out into retirement. They can turbo-charge younger designers into success.

What’s also exceptional – and intimidating to me from a designer perspective – is the multi-disciplinary nature of the current crop of inventors. I’m a great industrial toy designer, but my graphic skills and video editing abilities are not great. Younger designers and inventors seem to be able to do it all – they can sketch, they can make models, they create cool sizzle videos with cool music… The talent is explosive!

They’re not new inventors, but if you look at the likes of Gary Pyper or Steve Moore – they’ve come from backgrounds filled with excellence at invention studios that have a real legacy about them, and they’ve broken out on their own and are redefining the game. I’m sure other inventors are going to start hating them for it, but their ability to create amazing stuff on limited resources is unbelievable.

When I interviewed Naomi Brugnatelli from Jazwares earlier this year, she also called out Gary and Steve as being two of the industry’s brightest sparks – so you’re not alone in recognising their brilliant work. Before I let you go, how do you fuel your creativity?
Sometimes, you’ve just got to get started. With Zoom culture, we’re in meetings all the time, but you need to block time off to get started. You might not be brimming with creativity at the start, but just keep going and – even though it sounds like a cliché – creativity breeds creativity.

I think it’s important to allow yourself to think broadly right from the get-go, and then cull it back later. Tap into your juniors for inspiration. They might not know all the ins and outs of the industry, but don’t squash their ideas – they’re such a good resource of creativity.

Brilliant stuff Harrie. A huge thanks again for taking time out for this. I’m already looking forward to our next catch up!

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The post Spin Master’s Harrie Sivanander on creativity, new designers… and the two types of toy inventor appeared first on Mojo Nation.

How has lockdown changed how toy and game inventors pitch their concepts? What are some of the pros and cons of showing off ideas virtually? And what impact has the pandemic situation had on how inventors fuel their creativity? All this and more is explored in our ‘Pitching in Uncertain Times’ panel.

The session is chaired by Erik Quam (Director of Product Development at Fat Brain Toys) and welcomes Elizabeth Moody (SVP of Business Development at Seven Towns), Matt Burtonwood (Director at Open 2 Design) and Gary Pyper (Founder at Fun-Damental Invention).

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Seven Towns, Open 2 Design and Fun-Damental will be discussing what life has been like for toy and game inventors during lockdown in a special panel session at next week’s virtual Play Creators Conference.

Chaired by Erik Quam, Director of Product Development at Fat Brain Toys, the ‘Pitching in Uncertain Times’ session will welcome:

Elizabeth Moody, SVP of Business Development at Seven Towns
Matt Burtonwood, Director at Open 2 Design
Gary Pyper, Founder at Fun-Damental Invention

The session will delve into how the inventors have adapted to pitching during lockdown, covering the positives and challenges involved In creating and pitching concepts virtually throughout the conditions imposed by the pandemic.

The session will go out in a special daily Mojo Nation newsletter next week, (from Tuesday September 1st to Friday September 4th) as part of Mojo Nation’s Virtual Play Creators Conference, with all content released during the week totally free to watch.

For more information on this year’s Virtual Play Creators Conference, head to www.playcreatorsconference.co.uk

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The post Seven Towns, Open 2 Design and Fun-Damental to discuss ‘Pitching in Uncertain Times’ at next week’s virtual Play Creators Conference appeared first on Mojo Nation.

From creating rocket power cars out of deodorant cans as a kid, to bringing a blow-up doll to an ideas meeting at Seven Towns, Gary Pyper has always been an inventor.

He has spent a large chunk of his toy industry career working at Notting Hill-based design studio Seven Towns, first as design director and then as senior VP of design and development, where he oversaw work on hits including Greedy Granny and, the result of said blow-up doll meeting, Who’s the Dude? But after 15 years, Pyper has decided to leave Seven Towns to set up his own brand new invention house, Fun-Damental.

We caught up with Pyper to learn more about his history in the design space, what to expect from Fun-Damental and why Alan Partridge might’ve been onto something with that ‘Monkey Tennis’ idea…

How did you take your first steps into the world of toy and game design?
I’ve always been an inventor. As a kid, I was once confronted by my mum and dad who were concerned that I was sniffing aerosols because I was getting through a lot of deodorant cans. But what I was actually doing was making rocket-powered cars! I also made landmines underneath my carpet to try and scare my mum, and once I actually cut a hole in my bedroom door and screwed on hinges to make it like a prison door – so I was always taking things apart and making things, obsessively really.

I then went to university and did a product design course, graduated and got a job with a giftware company. They were designing lots of lines of seasonal giftware, but the great thing was that there were so many production techniques in play – you’d be doing resins, vinyls, production moulding etc.

One day, there was a problem and they needed someone to go to the Far East. I didn’t have any commitments so I said “I’ll go!” Next thing I know I’m in Shenzhen, in a factory, and I was there for six months. Up to that point, I’d imagined that everything came out of a big shiny product machine – I had no idea that people were there making it. I thought, as lots of consumers do, that craftsmanship is dead and that’s why everything is made in China. But what I realised is that it’s not dead, it’s just that everyone in China is a craftsman. So I saw everything get made and started to understand injection moulding and the processes, and I fell in love with it.

When I was there, we were working on licenced Sindy doll giftware. There was a situation where the rights to the doll line were up for grabs. We thought, why don’t we do it, and we went for it. We started making a full fashion doll range. That’s how I learnt how to build a toy line.

One of the first toy items I created was a Sindy boutique salon play-set, and I remember going to see the commercial shoot for it, and they’d built it life-size. I walked around it, just as I had walked around it in my head when I was designing it, and that was a real rush.

And what was it about seeing that that gave you such a rush?
Well as a kid, I was only good at making stuff. It gave me a sense of achievement, and if you make something, it only exists because of you; it’s a kind of acknowledgement that you exist and an endorsement. It was amazing to see.

That’s why being an inventor and licensing concepts is so appealing. You can just do the fun creative bit, over and over again. With that in mind, you also have to know how to do the other bits too.

And post-Sindy, you spent 15 years with Seven Towns, first as design director before becoming VP of design and development. How did your time there shape you as a designer?
I went to Seven Towns feeling pretty confident. I was young, I’d been in the Far East, I’d done all this stuff, I knew how it all worked, and then at Seven Towns I met some of the most remarkably creative people I’d ever met. In lots of toy firms, you get the engineering specialist and the graphics guy, and the marketing person, but good inventors have to be all of them. When you manage to find someone that can be all those, then they’re special – and they were at Seven Towns.

I was shocked when I first joined. My youthful ego didn’t last long! But I learnt a huge amount quickly.

Thinking back across your time at Seven Towns, which products that you and the team worked on do you look back on with fondness?
During my career to date, I have had a hand in over 100 products going to market so it’s tough to choose one. But it’s the ones that break the mould that you remember. The ones you can’t believe we did, like Who’s the Dude?

I bought a sex doll and wrote Who’s the Dude on it in pen and took it to our ideas meeting. It’s the ones that you think ‘this is too much’, but they then slip through the net! They’re the ones I’m most proud of.

And now, you’ve left Seven Towns to launch Fun-Damental, a brand new invention house. Talk us through it.
It’s a cross-category invention house. I’ll be creating games, toys, craft activities – everything. At the moment, the intention is that it’s a pure new concept IP creation company, not a design for hire studio.

I’m lucky through my experience that I have made lots of good friends in the business. I can’t be everything that Seven Towns is, as there’s only one of me, but over time I hope to become an established and well-respected major invention house.

And would you say there’s something in everything you design that has your stamp? What makes a ‘Gary Pyper’ product?
I think they’ve all got humour. The important thing about any product is that it provokes an emotive response. A lot of my creations are quick to get a reaction. I like to think of my products as magic tricks – they make you go ‘wow’.

I think the best products tap into a human need. Monopoly is about money, Operation is about death – they’re packaged in a comfy way but they’re big, fundamental themes. Look at Greedy Granny. It was created because everyone has got a grandma and it’s funny to (respectfully) laugh at old people! There were some concerns originally about theme, but it’s done very well and in the US it’s been massive. And it was based on my gran! She sits in her chair, and now she’s got a Greedy Granny sitting next to her! She’s very proud.

Where do you find your ideas come from?
Good props for toys and games are hiding in plain sight. Look at Who’s the Dude? Girls go out on hen dos and carry those blow-up men around. The fact is that until Who’s the Dude?, it hadn’t been shifted sideways into the game area.

That’s why many inventor submissions are mediocre. You get games that have been designed to be games. Back at Seven Towns we often referred to Alan Partridge with his ‘Monkey Tennis’ idea – two objects that shouldn’t be together, but that’s where some great concepts come from.

Looking at the industry today, are we in a good place creatively?
It’s a very exciting time. In the Sixties and Seventies, if you wanted to be a designer, you went to art college. It was a trade and you could only do it if you’d been trained. Now, there is nothing holding anyone back from making something.

I work with the Design Council as a mentor on their accelerator programmes, and we get a lot of inventors that have had an idea and just gone for it. They have no inhibitions about being wrong or feeling stupid and that’s amazing. The problem with it is overpromising. Making a product look good or saleable or appetising or YouTube-able is different from delivering an on-cost, on-time engineered product.

So it’s brilliant that anyone can make stuff without any inhibitions, but I think there does need to be some formal training as to how you make that thing, and how you make it economic.

You mentioned making products YouTube-able – has that been one of the biggest things to shake-up the world of toy and game design in recent years? The push towards products that could go viral?
Yes, but as a game inventor you can create lots of different types of games. Those mass-market, TV-advertisable, big-hit games are for a certain type of company. You go to another company and they don’t want to touch that because they’re very high-risk.

It started with a couple of companies doing those types of ground breaking products that were a massive hit, and one game – Pie Face – changed the whole industry but you have to be cautious using social media as your muse. Just because people watch something, doesn’t mean it’s good. It just means a lot of people have looked at it.

The main aim should be to design good products for kids and families. But there are so many people you have to circumnavigate first, and so many criteria. Shelf-space is a hotly contested battlefield, and to get something on shelf you have to make it a credible product and ensure it has guaranteed sales.

What do you do to give your ideas the best chance of being licensed?
Companies reflect the people that run them and work for them. They have the same personality. If you get to know the people, you get a feel for what the company wants. I know what certain companies will think is cool and funny because I know them really well. But as companies change, their wants change, so you have to be intimately close – not in a creepy way, but in a friendly way!

There’s good and bad ideas, but good ideas can be better for some companies than others. I’ve been in meetings where someone has said “that’s no good – I don’t like it at all”, and then in the next meeting I’ve sold it. As long as you have a good product, it will find a home if you meet enough people.

It’s a bit like being a gambler and working out percentages. You might have the best idea but only one person to sell it to, or an okay idea and lots of people to sell it to. You have to work out how to split your time.

Some of the best things I’ve ever done, initially no-one wanted. Some of the big hits at Seven Towns relied on good product, but more importantly good timing. It only takes one person to do something different and for it to be a success and then everyone steers towards it.

Can you talk us through your creative process when it comes to ideation?
Well, coming up with new ideas isn’t always fun! If I met one of the world’s leading brain surgeons I wouldn’t go up to them and say “I’ve had a fantastic idea for a new way to poke around in someone’s head”, but making toys and games and writing kids books seems to be the two things that everyone presumes they can do!

It’s not easy. It’s like if you were a gold miner, you wouldn’t expect to find the best stuff just lying on the surface. You’ve got to dig really deep in places no-one else is looking, and sometimes it makes me feel quite ill! I question myself continually!

I also think it’s key not to be interrupted. Ideas are like little flames on a candle. Interruptions blow the flame out. The best place for me to come up with ideas was on the bus. I was never going to meet anyone I knew, no-one would be staring at me, I was anonymous and the ideas would come. Even now with Fun-Damental, my studio is away from the house and 95% interruption free.

You have to also be very, very self-critical. You need a little man on your shoulder saying ‘you’re shit at this!’ If you haven’t got that, you’ll always believe every idea is the best idea ever. It needs to get past the demon on your shoulder.

While the process of coming up with ideas is very laboured, when one sticks, it can snowball very quickly. If I look back over my notes, any concept where I’ve scribbled ‘good’ next to it the second I had the idea, they all sold. But I never start making something the minute I think of it. To progress an idea in your head or physically, you need adrenaline. When you have adrenaline, you become irrational, so you can quite quickly believe in something that’s bonkers.

The more you labour over an idea, you more precious you get over it. And there’s no shortage of ideas out there, so I don’t go back over old ideas. I just try and think of something else. You eventually sometimes cover the same ground again and that’s hard too because then you discount things because you thought of it 15 years ago, but no one has ever seen it!

What’s the biggest mistake new or amateur designers make when looking to establish themselves in this industry?
It’s the ‘one idea’ problem. There’s a trend of people having an idea and starting a company around that one product. I think it’s because lots of inventors and entrepreneurs don’t understand licensing or even know you can go and license a product. This means they’re stuck filling their garage with product and starting a business.

It’s really important to teach new designers about licensing as an option to market, because that then frees them up to keep creating and not get precious about one idea.

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