CHAPTER ONE Shopkins Take the Toy World by Storm One of the biggest toys in the world right now is so small you can fi t a couple of them in your hand Shopkins are itty-bitty super cute grocery-themed characters that have stolen the hearts of kids and adults all over the world Moose Toys a company based in Melbourne Australia fi rst introduced Shopkins in July 2014 with 150 different collectibles At the same time they began to release very short online videos featuring the Shopkins world Those videos helped spread the Shopkins love in a big way By February 2015 a dozen videos had been posted on Shopkins offi cial YouTube channel those videos had been viewed 26 2 million times Working with Toys From toy inventors to store clerks the toy industry supports approximately 618,350 full-time jobs in the United States Kids have fallen in love with Shopkins In fact the tiny colorful toys were such an instant hit that they began to sell out in stores nationwide within a matter of weeks and online in as little as 24 hours A second series of the miniatures was released in November 2014 Shopkins come packaged with a shopping bag or shopping basket which can be used to carry the characters All 9
Ultimate Toy Collector Shopkins packs of Shopkins come with at least one character you cannot see before you purchase With the 12-pack for example kids can see 10 of the Shopkins in the package along with four shopping bags and a basket but inside the basket are two blind-packed characters This packaging technique adds to the fun of collecting and opening the toys All Shopkins are grouped into teams by their location in the grocery store categories include fruits and vegetables dairy bakery sweet treats party food frozen foods and health and beauty Beyond individual characters children can add to their collections with a shopping cart that holds up to 60 Shopkins or playsets such as the Fruit Veg Stand So Cool Fridge and Spin Mix Baking Stand Shopkins are obviously popular with kids but adults also are beginning to see how great they are The Toy Industry Association of America named Shopkins a fi nalist for one of its 2014 Toy of the Year Awards The toy review site TTPM com named Shopkins to its 2014 Holiday Most Wanted List while Toy Insider a website specializing in toy news and reviews named Shopkins to its Hot 20 list for 2014 We know that girls love all things miniature so we created these cute collectible characters with intricate detailing 10
W a n t to Design Toys I Designing toys sounds like fun but it’s actually a lot of hard work Toy designers often start projects by sketching ideas They may draw hundreds of ideas before they land upon one they want to actually develop Once the designers have a concept they like they will design a prototype of the toy A prototype is a model of the toy It shows how the toy looks and moves how durable it is and what materials it’s made of At this stage when the toy can actually be held and operated is a good time to make sure that it’s safe If the prototype doesn’t work the way the designer intended they may adjust their plans and create another prototype When the designers have a prototype they’re happy with they can try to sell their idea to a toy manufacturer Many toy designers specialize in a certain type of toy For example one designer might make dolls while another focuses on educational games or puzzles Many toy designers go to college to study art industrial design or engineering There are a handful of U S colleges and universities that offer special degrees or certifi cations in toy design including the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles If you think you might like to become a toy designer you’ll want to work extra hard in your math science English and art classes Of course creativity is another very important job requirement Yes toy designers do get to play on the job and they get to make kids happy If those are things you think you’d enjoy maybe you should become a toy designer when you grow up 111111111
