Actual toys, and how they started in Second Life

The SURFER toy I Invented gets some PRESS!

Thanks Trans World Surfer Magazine!



The Original "Sketch" of this mechanism made in SECOND LIFE

Another picture

Void within a Void

Foofnick art for capsule Machines

In addition to creating these characters I also designed the art that went in the Machines that sold them.

FOOFNICKS, something else I created years back

Lonk, Hoz, Pimmy, Roop, Orf, Teepo, Yilp and the rest, they popped out of my head one day and on to pages of my sketch book. I licensed them to a company that makes toys for gumball machines.
Ive seen photos of the toys online- I think people like them!

A Picture

The bridge between machine and world

Me at Stanford with the Second Life people

Here I am last year sitting at the SECOND LIFE table explaining to anyone who asked how I used SECOND LIFE tools to design real Noggin Bop toys!
It was a great experience with some really interesting people.

Sketchbook Page

Since I am an artist first and a product desiner second...Here is a page from my sketchbook. I dont ask why, I just draw whats in my head.

Noggin Bop model made JULY 2006 via Second Life

And here is the second Life Noggin Bop model I built in July of 2006! Wow! And its just getting to market now!

Noggin Bops, my invention

So there I was, experimenting with the set of rudimentary 3D building tools provided in a free account in the online world of SECOND LIFE when I had a eureka moment. I manipulated blocks, curves and cylinders to form the layout of a wind up toy mechanism. It was easy for me, as I have been working as a toy designer for ten years and my brain just works that way.
It turns outthat the second life tools were perfect for sketching ideas in 3D. The camera tool allowed me to get images out of the Game environment and into my computer where I could add measurements and make notes.
Two prototypes later and I had a working toy that I showed to the folks at Cal Creations who loved it!
A month or so later I was driving home in the rain and thinking of the swinging head motion, the noggin motion, the noggin dancer, the noggin bopper- Noggin Bops!
When I told the Second Life people my story they flew me up to Stanford University to be a part of their New Products Expo presentation! That was a fun day !

Now, almost a year later the toys are hitting the market. Cal Creations are telling me that they are getting lots of interest in the toys.. and I am excited! Imagine, An invention that WORKS and that people LIKE!