Archives for April 2025

3 Ideas for project 4:

“For parents looking for more diverse and inclusive toys, introducing dolls that showcase conditions like down syndrome or promote race equality is instrumental for children to learn about empathy, tolerance, and acceptance. Children who wear glasses or hearing implants would benefit greatly from playing with dolls which showcase these aids.”

I had no experience with diverse or inclusive toys before. The article by Laura helped me have basic knowledge of this kind of toys as well as the significance of this kind of toys. 

1. a tumbler toy – culture diversity

This is a tumbler body with a weighted body and interchangeable heads and clothing pieces. The heads have different skin tones, hair colors, and hair styles, reflecting different ethnic backgrounds. The clothes have ethnic patterns and symbols inspired by various global traditions.

The primary users would small kids. They can mix and match the heads and clothes, learning about the diversity of global cultures and creating their own inclusive characters. 

references: https://www.amazon.sg/Making-Believe-Diversity-Buddies-Plush/dp/B0BZ9SYRKN

I may use 3d printing and laser cutting to do the body and head parts. Clothes will use sewing technique.

2. a disabled cat – disability inclusion

This is a soft cat plush with magnetic, attachable legs, tail, ears, and eyes. Some of the parts represent physical differences, like a prosthetic leg or a missing eye. Inspired by real-life experiences with animals who live with disabilities, instead of being abandoned, some of them were well treated and adopted.

This toy invites both kids and adults to create their own unique version of the cat. It sends a message that differences are part of life, not flaws to fix. The toy also reflects on resilience, empathy, and the naturalness of physical difference.

This is a cat adopted by my neighbor. He lost one eye and has dental problems.

The majority of the toy will be made by sewing machine. For its prosthetic leg, I would consider 3d printing.

3. a soft music pillow

This is a soft pillow covered in patches of cultural patterns, each of which represents a different country or tradition. When pressed, each patch plays a unique sound sample from that culture. For example, a Chinese textile pattern might play a traditional Chinese instrument tune.

As a toy for small kids, it offers a multi-sensory, playful way to introduce users to world cultures through textiles and sound.

I will sew the patterns together and use digital techniques to play music.

3D printing model:

Mask:

Project Name: Cat Deity

Idea: Cat Deity looks evil but has a kind heart. A young person discovered saw Cat Deity and was frightened. However, sensing fear, the Cat Deity reached out its tentacles into a heart shape, instead of attacking the person. Cat Deity wasn’t a monster—it was offering kindness. 

I used laser cutting to create almost all the elements. After finishing the box, I continued drawing the character in Illustrator and designing slots to attach its tentacle parts. 

    

For the kinetic mechanism, I chose a system that allows vertical movement. However, due to friction, it didn’t always move smoothly—so I added rubber bands to help pull down the horizontal board. 

To simplify the action of the tentacles reaching into a heart shape, I redesigned it as a 45-degree rotation. I used sticks to push the two tentacles up, fixed them at one point so they could pivot, and relied on gravity and rubber bands to pull them back down. After measuring, a small heart was set between the two tentacles. I think overall mechanism is good, while it wasn’t as smooth as I expected. If I had more time, I would improve the motion. Also, I would make the Cat Deity fluffy to conform to the original character setting.

I have no experience with 3D modeling before, so this task wad quite challenging for me. I’m still getting used to the Blender interface, and I find the tutorial moves quickly. I think it perhaps more suited for those with some background in Blender or related 3D modeling software. Creating my own character has been especially difficult, as it has many tentacles that are complex to control. I gave up lots of details to simplify the character. The model was not as good as I expected.

• Name: Cat Deity
• Age:???
• Species: A mixture of octopus and cat
• Favorite food: Fish
• Favorite activity: Sleep

Cat Deity is a mysterious, ancient being with the body of a cat and tentacles of an octopus. Lived in a temple, it adores sleeping in the sun. Fish is its favorite food. It looks evil, but it is very kind.

Story:

A young person discovered a dark temple. Inside slept the Cat Deity—its large eyes closed, tentacles slowly swaying in its dreams. 

The creature’s strange form—fur and suction cups, whiskers and writhing limbs—frightened the person. The person reached for the weapon in panic.

Sensing fear, the Cat Deity opened its golden eyes. Instead of attacking, it purred softly. Its tentacles gently reached out into a heart shape. 

The person’s fear melted. The creature wasn’t a monster—it was offering kindness. The Cat Deity blinked slowly, then tucked itself back into sleep.

Kinetic Element:

Tentacle Forms Heart Shape: The tentacle slowly lifts and curls into a heart shape in front of the Cat Deity.

Use two flexible arms like iron wire connected to a wind-up mechanism with gears that could rotate the tentacles to form a symmetrical heart. Each “half” of the heart is one curved section of the tentacle.