While this may have been another quick job for Disney Consumer Products, it was a load of fun to do. I've always liked pop-up hoop tents, whether for children's play or adult camping. I was tapped to bring that feature to a Cinderella pumpkin coach, which did have its challenges.
I didn't necessarily have to design the prototype but it did need to have a degree of plausibility in execution.
Again, this was a quick one. I had a next-day delivery deadline so not much preliminary exploration was done. I went from approved rough to renderings. The figures were added afterward to show some scale.
I came across the above while cleaning through my computer hard drive a couple of years ago. I had neglected to look this one up, to see if it was eventually produced by DCP, and if so; how it turned out.
I think it turned out pretty well, if simplified for cost & function;
Some time back I posted the work I had done for Mickey's Motorhome Camper, as well as Mickey's Magic Choo-Choo. There was a lot more done over the course of 3 or 4 years for Mickey's Clubhouse toy line.
Some of the concepts fell into different categories, like this role-play cash register;
This was revisited and refined a bit more for a second pass;
..and here is the final;
Among the other items were a number of sets that involved vehicle and track play. Here are the cars designed for the line;
Once the line of vehicles was established, that led to the fun track play;
Here is a concept for a large rig that opened up to become a race track and pit area.
This concept successfully went on to become a drag set.
Here was a fun idea for Goofy's Garage, which was in the form of a giant Goofy shoe.
I started by exploring a few different ways the garage could open, offering some track play for the cars as well as some other features;
Some of the best elements were combined into one more pass.
Lastly, more ramp and track play was added to the top, and it was rendered up for line presentation;
Trimming costs to reach a lower price also removed some of the height, but it turned out to become a really fun set;
The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse toys have been in the Fisher-Price catalog for years now, and I always enjoy working on items for their line. I posted the train set for Mickey I designed a while back. ..And there's been a lot more in the line, most of it making it to the toy stores I'm glad to say.
Among many toys I got to work on was this camper motorhome play set for Mickey and friends.
I recall at the time there were a number of other concepts being pitched internally and to Disney, this was part of a batch. As a result there weren't a lot of iterations going in, they just knew they wanted a motorhome that expanded into a fun play environment.
I went with a retro body style, working with the shows' motif but inspired by reference I found from old Disney cartoons and my affection for old teardrop campers from the 1940s.
The rest was taking these basics and blowing it out into something theme appropriate, play interactive, and very 'Mickey'. The vertical climbing wall roof feature was the only stretch, conceptually, I had also considered a rooftop deck.
.. anyway, here are the concept drawings as pitched;
I didn't find out the ultimate fate of this particular concept for a few years, it being among several that were developed further internally using my work as a springboard of sorts. I almost forgot about it until I came across the renderings in my files and Googled for it.
Here is how Mickey's Camper looked when it came out.
It's clear the size and features went through some minor changes, but the exterior is virtually identical to my design.
..I do like the added pull out awning;
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;
A while back the folks at Kid Trax were working on a 6V ride-on quad for Mickey and Minnie Mouse. They sought to create something beyond a standard children's ride-on, something clearly reflecting a classic Mickey aesthetic and not something adapted from generic design, like a lunch box with a sticker. I was called in by the creatives at Disney Consumer Products to help them from the ground up in creating the look.
Right from the start I was leaning toward a retro feel, taking cues from the 1950s coupes and souped up 40s models. Something that echoed the era of classic core Disney characters. .. Still, it wasn't a car in which to sit but a straddle rider, so the overall configuration would still resemble a typical modern quad. It offered some aesthetic challenges in exploring a range of looks from which to choose.
Here are the initial rough sketches of some possibilities I came up with. The perennial Mickey ears are already apparent in the design, the 'gears' motif intentionally tying into the 'Mickey's Clubhouse' show aesthetic, a very popular Disney show at the time;
They did like the old hot rod coupe look, leaning toward C and D the most, C being the final choice.
The next step was to tighten it up and create the Minnie version.
.. Ending up with this;
In this post-modern era of 26" rims and thin rubber, I found myself reveling in the notion of big fat white-walls and chrome hubs.
Decidedly old school.
.. This is another one of those cool projects where the final product ended up looking virtually identical to my work (Well done, Kid Trax!). Again, it's uncommon, as often so many hands are involved in creating and producing toys, so it's very satisfying and I take it as a complement. On a more practical and professional level I view these as an example of design efficacy and good communication.
Hopefully my colleagues and contacts see it as another good reason to call on me.
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