Playskool, a division of Hasbro, Inc., has launched the first-ever MP3-based developmental toys designed for infants. "Made for Me" was developed in collaboration with Evo Design of Watertown, Conn., an award-winning design firm launched in 1997. Evo has developed other groundbreaking products for companies such as Bose, Timex, Graco, and LeapFrog.
"The folks at Playskool knew we were skilled in designing consumer electronics, as well as juvenile products," says Tom McLinden, President of Evo Design. "We took the challenge of merging the two fields-something that hasn't been done before-creating a fully-functioning consumer electronic that would appeal to adults as well as designing a tactile and fun experience for infants, head-on." This is the first time that Playskool has entered into the juvenile products category.
The cornerstone of Playskool's new "Made for Me" product line, the whimsical and rugged kid-friendly MP3 player (approximate retail price $79.99), is powered by Creative Labs, a worldwide leader in digital entertainment, and features 128 MG of storage (roughly 60 songs). Parents can choose from a library of 50 pre-loaded songs, transfer music from CDs, download tracks online, and even record their own voice singing songs or reading stories. Evo also helped manage the development of the interface for the included software which enables parents to organize songs into categories or shuffle the tunes. The MP3 "brain" can easily be removed and used in the "Made for Me" suite of products which includes "Day to Dream Soother," an animated screen to soothe baby to sleep which attaches to crib or playpen (approximate retail price $34.99), and the "2-in-1 Infant Gym," an activity station that encourages motor skill development (approximate retail price $39.99).
The Evo Design team began working with Playskool executives starting January 2006 with the goal to be the first to market a line of MP3 developmental toys. With customization the main focus of the product line-a trend in product design as well as with the electronics industry-the "Made for Me" line not only provides parents the power to customize the song selections that their child listens to, but comes in three different color palettes for parents to choose from to match room decor or personal preferences. There are also different animal characters or "skins" in various color palettes to cover the MP3 player.
"One of our main challenges was to communicate that this wasn't just a toy, but a real high-quality, high-technology MP3 player that parents could control," says Aaron Szymanski, Evo's Vice President and Design Director. For instance, all the buttons and detailing for an MP3 player are there, although inflated for little fingers. Even the way the player lights up has been refined, instead of bright primary colors of the rainbow, the player glows in more subdued but equally entertaining hues.
The Evo Design team quickly realized that they were delving into uncharted territory in the juvenile toy world-establishing sophisticated electronics designs while bringing the personality of the brand to life in a line of developmental toys.
"In a way, we've become pioneers in this new area of design," explains Szymanski. He sees a trend in more and more companies wanting to compete in this new space. "As parents become plugged into more high-tech electronics, they want the same choices for their children."
Ultimately, Szymanski predicts that due to the design and the sophisticated function of the "Made for Me" line, the product will be used in ways that the company never intended. "People are creative. Although the MP3 player is designed for parents and their infants, I foresee some excellent cross-over potential-from being collected by college students to hanging on the backpacks of a bunch of school girls."
Evo Design: https://www.dexigner.com/directory/detail/9182