DESIGN NAME: The Woonkis
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Toy
INSPIRATION: How could I mix together minimal designs plus mechanics to create a new concept of action figures? And always having as a target being 100% natural. From the attraction to wood to "what if the wood attracts itself to build action and toy figures?"
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: They are a family of wooden magnetic toys. Using kneecaps and magnets they can move like a human being. They can actually move like a brakedancer. They have diferent accesories to create a different worlds from a surfer to a viking warrior. Minimalistic design. No plastic only wood.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: After opening the box you will find a 13 cm tall creature made of wood, magnets, and steel kneecaps. The woonkis are built with 11 pieces: 2 hands, 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 feet, a head and 2 pieces for the body all joined together by magnets and kneecaps that make possible the endless movements. Use your imagination to play with the woonkis and recrate any possible adventure: surfing in Hawaii, fighting in Greenland or climbing the Mount Everest.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in September 2015 in Segovia (Spain). It finished in January 2017 in Segovia (Spain) and was exhibited in Maison and Objet in Paris in January 2017 and Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg in February 2017.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: We design on paper. Then we redesign using a 3D software to verify: measures, mechanisms, balances, resistances etc. Then we translate it into CAM software so that a CNC machine can drill it from the beech wood board that has already been cut, planned and sanded. We separate the pieces from the board by sanding them, and we need a new hand sanding for the finish. The magnets are inserted into the wood by pressure and kneecaps screwed. Some of the accesories are painted with eco friendly paint.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: The woonkis are 7,5 Width X 4,5 Depth X 13 cm Height
The packaging is 18 cm Height x 8 cm Diameter
TAGS: wooden toys, woonkis, wooden figures, wood and magnets, magnets, 100% natural, wood, design, building, construction, playing
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: The research was focused on "playable" toys, those with wich you can create stories. Action figures are the main category, but there are few ecofriendly. The second main focus of the research was around the mechanics, how to reproduce the human movement as closely as possible; this is the major difference with the action figures in the market. And, of course design as a must.
CHALLENGE: Design challenges: The most difficult part was to decide how to make the woonkis versatile move and at the same time to make them cute looking, friendly to the eye.
Production challenge: use CNC machinery to produce in Europe; having to invent non-existing mechanisms and processes; in Spain is really expensive and difficult to start a company moreover a factory. Price challenge: to be able to fit a high quality product into market prices (we deal with a lot of intermediaries that rise prices).
ADDED DATE: 2017-01-20 10:57:35
TEAM MEMBERS (2) : Pablo Saracho de la Presilla mastermind, designer, producer and Mayte Ruiz de Velasco mastermind
IMAGE CREDITS: Photographers: Aitor Diago & Pablo Saracho
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