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THE ROCKING ELEPHANT
JANUARY 2018
TOYS ARE SLOWLY BECOMING MORE AND MORE OBSOLETE WHILST TECHNOLOGY IS EVOLVING WITH EVEN THE YOUNGEST OF GENERATIONS. I WANTED TO DESIGN AN EXCITING NEW STYLE OF TOY INFLUENCED BY MODERN THEMES AND SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS, SUCH AS THE ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORT CONCERNS, TO HELP DEMONSTRATE THAT TOYS WILL ALWAYS BE EXCITING.
THE KEY FEATURE OF THE ROCKING ELEPHANT IS THE MATERIAL. I ENGINEERED A LAMINATION OF MICRO-PLY AND FLUTED CARDBOARD FOLLOWING A SERIES OF MATERIAL TESTS. THE LAMINATION IS STRONG AND RIGID, QUALITIES TAKEN FROM THE MICRO-PLY, AND THE FLUTED BOARD PROVIDES EXTREMELY HIGH COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH.
THE COMBINATION ALSO MINIMISES WEIGHT COMPLETELY, MAKING IT PERFECT FOR LARGE SCALE TOYS.
WHEN FULLY ASSEMBLED, THE ROCKING ELEPHANT IS A LARGE OBJECT, AND ORDINARILY DIFFICULT TO TRANSPORT, WHICH LEADS TO ANOTHER VAST SELLING POINT OF THIS DESIGN.
LEGO HAS PROVEN THAT CREATING TOYS BY HAND IS NOT ONLY GOOD FOR ENCOURAGING PROBLEM SOLVING, BUT IT ALSO PROMOTES HAND-EYE COORDINATION AND EDUCATION THROUGH THE POWER OF PLAY.
THIS IS A CHARACTERISTIC I WILL PROMOTE THROUGH THE ROCKING ELEPHANT. I'D ENCOURAGE THE ROCKING ELEPHANT TO BE FLAT PACKED AND ASSEMBLED AT HOME, MUCH LIKE IKEA. THE CARDBOARD PROVIDES A COMPRESSIVE SPRING LIKE FEATURE, WHICH MEANS THE PIECES OF THE ELEPHANT CAN BE COMPRESSED AND SIMPLY SLIDE TOGETHER BEFORE EXPANDING AND TIGHTENING INTO THE SLOTS. THIS MEANS NO ADHESIVE IS NEEDED, AND THE TOLERANCE OF THE INTERLOCKING PIECES ALONE HOLD THE STRUCTURE TOGETHER.
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