Frequently Asked Questions

Children do not always handle toys the way adults expect. Toys can be dropped, dragged, knocked together, sat on, pulled and carried around the home. Durability therefore needs to be considered as part of the design process rather than simply how a product looks when it is new.

A toy prototype can be handled, pulled, dropped and repeatedly used to reveal weak points before the final design is produced. Testing helps designers understand how materials, joints, curves, finishes and construction methods behave under the kinds of impacts that may happen during everyday play.

Drop testing can reveal weaknesses that are difficult to see during normal inspection. A joint may appear strong on a workbench but respond differently when the toy hits a hard floor. Designers can then strengthen, reshape or simplify the affected part before the product is finalised.

Where and how a prototype breaks can reveal important information about its construction. A failure may show that a section needs to be thicker, a joint needs to change, an edge needs a different shape or two separate parts would work better as one piece. Prototyping allows those changes to happen before production.

The first prototype rarely answers every question about a product. Designers may need several versions to refine proportions, materials, movement, construction and the way the object feels in the hand. Each prototype provides information that can be used to improve the next version.

Laboratory and workshop testing can show whether something works mechanically, but observing children playing with it provides different information. Real play can reveal whether children understand the toy, return to it, invent new uses for it or lose interest quickly.