DESIGN NAME: Australia
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Wooden Magnetic Toys
INSPIRATION: As qualified architects Esnaf Toys explore the architecture of every object they see. They had been interested in woodworking and wood modelling for quite some time but it was just a hobby until 7-8 years ago.
Then it was decided to take the next step and they came up with the idea of creating wooden toys which could be assembled and disassembled using magnetic joints.
The project was sitting aside for couple of years and then in 2013 the true inspiration came - they became parents and this felt like the right moment in time to get the project out to a wider audience.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: ESNAF TOYS have developed several collections of wooden magnetic toys. Their latest collection is called Australia. Some of the defining features are:
- each toys is made of several parts that can be assembled and disassembled using magnetic joints.
- puzzle-like toys posing a true intellectual challenge to children.
- unique minimalist design - the toys are kept long after the children
stop playing with them.
- true handmade toys and decoration - from the initial drawings to the packaging, everything is made by hand.
- natural materials.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: All the parts are magnetized and can be matched by colors. Parts from the same color form the correct animal. Parts with mixed magnet colors form a strange creature. Each collection is made of four animals and represents a geographic zone of the world. The toys can be used for play, storytelling, learning animals, home theatre and home decoration as they are "... toys for kids and adults". They can be collected too.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: This project started in 2013 and since then 4 collections were developed with each of them carrying a distinctive character - Animal Kingdom (African animals), The Brementown musicians (the animals from the fairy tale), Once upon a time (forest animals) and Australia (Australian animals).
In 2018 Australia was launched - our latest collection with distinctively colorful look and feel.
Esnaf Toys collections were exhibited at:
Maison & Objet and More - Maison & Objet digital platform, Paris, France
One Design Week 2015- PLovdiv, Bulgaria
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The process starts with drawing the concept images by hand.
Then the geometrical structure in four parts are defined - head, body, legs, tale. The elements according are categorized to the species and family they represent. Esnaf Toys use both original and repetitive patterns when it comes to the body parts - animals from the same family will share certain parts so that we give to children some basic concepts of zoology. In that sense their design is truly unique. Once the image is approved, the parts are made of various parts of wood and the neodymium magnets are incorporated. The magnets are axially polarized so that all the parts in the collection are interchangeable. The magnets are color-coded - the kids can assemble the toys the "correct" way if they match the colors or they can create their creature by mixing the color-coded parts. So the game is both educational, puzzle-like and creatively entertaining.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: The collection is made of four toys.
Single toys dimensions: approximately 14/10/3 cm
collection package dimensions: 14/19/8 cm
single toy package dimensions: 14/19/2 cm
TAGS: wooden toys, australia, wooden design, design toys, wooden magnetic toys, magnetic design, magnetic toys, toys, eco-friendly
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: The development of the project can be seen throughout the different collections. First, toys were made of beech and oak only. Then Esnaf Toys tried to work with woods that stand out (american walnut). They have put significant effort experimenting with a multidimensional assembly of the toys. The following year more types of wood were included and in the Australia collection some of the parts were painted with eco-friendly paints. But most of the latest research were based around geometrizing and categorizing the animals based on animal families. That way a significant reduction of the number of different shapes was achieved which made the collections more modular and added a whole new level of interacting with the toys. This step took the project to another dimension both in in terms of how the toys are made but also how children play with them. It also added some educational value - children can learn common characteristics of animals that are from the same animal families or share the same habitat.
CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge from a creative standpoint was to imagine an engaging interaction between the child and the toy - it had to be both fun and challenging and unique. It had to educate color matching, imagination developing, creativity, good taste and eco-friendly thinking. The creative challenge was to make a handmade eco-friendly product that has minimalist design and can be manufactured in large quantities. It is a challenge to develop a project into a product that is distributed to the final clients. It is a challenge a hobby to become a business. And it is not only a business challenge but a design challenge too.
ADDED DATE: 2019-02-18 11:02:10
TEAM MEMBERS (5) : Architect and Designer: Anastas Marchev, Architect and Designer: Bistra Popova, Project manager: Deyan Valtchev, and Package design: Studio Punkt
IMAGE CREDITS: image #1: Photographer Esnaf Toys, 2019
image #2: Photographer Esnaf Toys, 2018
image #3: Photographer Esnaf Toys, 2018,2019
image #4: Photographer Esnaf Toys, 2018
image #5: Photographer Esnaf Toys, 2018
video credis: Esnaf Toys, 2019
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Copyrights belong to Bistra Popova, Anastas Marchev, 2013.
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