Designer toys are limited edition toys and collectibles created by artists. The most famous is Munny, a customizable vinyl figure made by Kidrobot. Urban Gnome is another example - a bone china garden gnome inspired by London street art. Creating designer toys involves drawing isometric and multiview designs, then making a paper prototype that is tested before full production. Templates like Munny and Cubeecraft can be used to design and prototype original paper toys.

1. digitalillustration+design
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design
project 9: urban toy
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What is an Designer Toy (urban toy, vinyl toy etc.)?
Designer toys is a term used to describe toys and other
collectibles that are produced in limited editions (as few as
50 or as many as 2000 pieces) and created by artists and
designers. Designer toys are made of variety of materials;
plastic and vinyl are most common, although wood and
metal are occasionally used. The term also encompasses
plush, cloth and latex dolls. Creators of designer toys
usually have backgrounds in graphic design, illustration or
self-described low brow art; some are classically trained in
art and design, while others are self-taught. Designer toys
first appeared in the 1990s and are still in production today.
The Munny
Go to: http://www.kidrobot.com/
The most famous designer toy is known as MUNNY,
developed by the company KidRobot. Munny is a do-it-
yourself toy from the American designer toy company
Kidrobot. The owner of a Munny can decorate it using pens,
pencils, markers, paint, and supposedly, ketchup. The
action figure is made out of vinyl and has moveable joints.
The first Munny action figure was white, and has since been
available in other colors such as black, pink, and glow in the
dark green. The figure is housed in a box which includes 4
random accessories that vary from a different series (1
through 4, 4 being the latest) and can be many things, such
as a carrot or a hat. The doll also includes one out of a
series of collectable coloring book which have been
designed by a variety of people.
Urban Gnome by Vitamin
Go to: http://store.vitaminliving.com/urban-creature-
urban-gnome/cat_12.html
This bone china item is the alternative to the traditional
garden gnome. These new gnomes have been inspired by
London's wide ranging expanse of street art. They feature
different graphic styles from stenciling and doodling to
graffiti wildstyle. The gnomes stand 21cm tall.
Becoming a Toy Designer – Urban Toys

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part 1: the design
1. One of the best ways to communicate one's ideas is
through some form of picture or drawing. This is
especially true for the designer.
2. The representation of the object three-dimensionally is
called an isometric drawing.
3. A drawing of an object so that each of three faces is
seen from the top direction is called an "orthographic"
or "multiview" drawing (or “three-view” drawing).
4. Designers are responsible for creating both an isometric
drawing and a multiview drawing. This is how the
product will be manufactured.
part 2: the prototype
1. A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a
concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated.
2. The prototype is the first unit manufactured of a
product, which is tested so that the design can be
changed if necessary before the product is
manufactured commercially .
3. Papercraft toys featuring interlocking tabs for
construction serve as inexpensive and easily produced
prototypes.
4. Cubeecraft is a great example of Papercraft toys used as
prototypes: The subject matter of each Cubee is heavily
grounded in the subset of pop culture sometimes
referred to as “geek culture”; each piece personifying
concepts spanning from classical literature to the
newest video game. Originally inspired by commercial
package design, I fine tuned the Cubees structure for
over a year in advance of launching it to the public.
Cubees are meant to be quick and user friendly.
Toy Design Project
isometric drawing
multiview drawing

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Munny Template (Design Stage)

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CubeCraft Template (Prototype Stage)

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Samples of Papercraft Prototypes

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Making Your “Designer” PaperToy

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Making Your “Designer” PaperToy

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Making Your “Designer” PaperToy

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Making Your “Designer” PaperToy

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Making Your “Designer” PaperToy

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Making Your “Designer” PaperToy