It doesn’t seem to matter how carefully you sit down and think about how a kid might interact with something you’ve designed. “We have a lot of kids come into the office to do hands-on product testing for us,” Budd says. With a prototype in hand and functionality in place, the team will present it to senior leadership for feedback. We have a workshop with a nice raft of tools, an electronics lab, and 3D printers.” Hands-on product testing “We design all the internals in-house with Fusion 360. “We’ll sit down and work out all the mechanisms,” Budd says. Prototyping is a multi-layered process for proof-of-concept of both mechanical and electronic functions. Once the initial design reviews are completed and vetted, a product designer will provide sketches, and Budd and his team will go to work on prototyping in Fusion 360. Of course, the marketplace is a huge consideration for desirability and demand from kids, parents, and distributors alike. The Moose Toys engineering team will get involved early to ensure the idea is achievable with materials and price points. The team’s typical design process starts with very high-level concepts from the creative team. Most of the company’s design work and prototyping for mechanical items is done in Melbourne in conjunction with work in their Los Angeles and UK offices. Every year is different, and we’re always working on different products and improving what we already have on the market.”įusion 360 is now Moose Toys’ core platform for design and manufacturing. “Things that are hot one year are completely old news the following year. An efficient design and manufacturing process is key to transforming new ideas into products kids will love - and making it all happen quickly. Copycat products are always lurking around the corner. Speed to market is critical to get ahead of trends and fickle consumer demands. It isn’t all fun and games in the toy business, though. It’s known for many popular toys and brands, from Shopkins to Little Live Pets, Goo Jit Zu, Akedo, and a new line this past year based on the popular Australian animated series “ Bluey.” Above all, the company’s core mission is to make children “Superhappy,” as they put it.īehind the scenes: Prototyping a toy design It now has more than 600 employees with annual global sales exceeding $1 billion and a distribution network in 100 countries. For the Mixies Crystal Ball, we worked it out by using the form tool and applying decals and things to the surface of the form.”īased in Melbourne, Australia, with offices worldwide, Moose Toys is a family-owned and operated business founded more than 30 years ago. “With Fusion 360, we could get a plush look for our early internal renderings. “Soft goods are an extremely difficult thing to try and model in CAD software,” Budd says. This made for another design and engineering challenge. But you rarely see a plush toy combined with hardware. The electronics alone are impressive with Magic Mixies. It certainly gave us the opportunity to do something better rather than a siloed approach if we had still been using SolidWorks.” “We did all the design reviews and collaboration remotely with our global teams. “It was probably the highest complexity for a project that we ever ran entirely remotely,” Budd says. Design and manufacturing for the first Magic Mixies was completed and available in just 18 months - even during the height of the pandemic. The team used Fusion 360 to take the entire concept to a working prototype within 3-4 months. Quick turnaround without sacrificing qualityīut the mist was just one component of an incredibly complex - and fast - development cycle for the intricate product. “We went for a lot of development on that mist, and it’s something that hasn’t ever been done before,” says Carl Budd, engineering manager, Moose Toys. The wizardry behind Magic Mixies was an extraordinary design and manufacturing process powered by Fusion 360 - even down to the mist that emanates like fog to create a mystical moment. This award-winning, best-selling toy didn’t happen by magic, though. Real mist billows as a new plush animal emerges with surprise and delight. With waves of a glowing wand and a dash of magic potion, they can cast spells to conjure a fortune-telling pet from a cauldron or crystal ball. It’s an entire experience where kids channel their inner sorcerer. Moose Toys’ Magic Mixies isn’t just a toy. See how Moose Toys uses Fusion 360 to prototype, design, and make the highly successful Magic Mixies toy line.
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