Wednesday, December 10, 2014

The Doc McStuffins 'Doc Is In' talking playset

In an October 2014 TIME article covering the 13 most influential toys of All Time, Disney's Doc McStuffins toys were listed among the perennial classics. Somewhat surprising, considering the other toys listed.

While the relatively recent character of Doc McStuffins may not be as indelibly etched in our pop culture as Disney's Winnie the Pooh (yet), or the toy line as iconic and generation-spanning as Barbie, the children's show has still made a tremendous impact on its audience and the widely popular toys have become big sellers.
One of the major producers of the Doc McStuffins line of toys for Disney is Just Play, and a few years ago I was called in to help them create their 'Doc Is In' playset.
 
For what it's worth, in instances like this I'm usually provided a starting list of features to be included, and/or some basic play pattern.  More specifically style guide reference helps get the character figures right, and lots of screen captures of the shows' backgrounds were essential in getting those details integrated into the design. 

Anyway, here's where it all started, with 3/4 view pencil roughs of the interior and exterior;



















Here are the cleaned up versions;




















After reviewing the initial pass, various changes were discussed and quickly handled with some patches;



... The doctor bag elevator idea was nixed for a more typical balcony lift.

 The 'hot spot' where either the exam table or bed plugged in changed from wood texture to the puzzle cut.

The reception desk changed to a more curvy design. ...
































Having all changes done and everything approved, the exterior view was revised accordingly and both were rendered up for presentation.
Here is how those turned out;

























Here is the actual playset as produced by the people at Just Play toys;