Sunday, March 09, 2008

Conversations in Toy Design

I am often reminded that I am back in undergrad, when conversations like this happen:
Youngest classmate: Man, we just saw the grossest thing.
Me: What happened?
3rd youngest classmate: We saw this old couple, making out in public. ALL over each other.
Cute Gay Korean Dude: Ohh, what if they're in love!?
Fellow 30-something: Where did you see this? On the street?
3rd: McDonalds.
Me: McDonalds!? (laughter)
Youngest: Yeah, they were sitting at McDonald's, just going at it, all out in the open!
CGKD: Hahaha. Was it really that bad?
3rd: Yeah, it was gross! There was tongue and stuff!
Youngest: I don't know. But they were too old to be making out.
Me: How old are we talking?
3rd: I don't know, but they should not have been making out.
Youngest: I don't know, but people over 30 should not be making out.
Fellow: Over 30!? (rolls eyes)
Me: Wow. That's old. Um, don't even talk to me anymore.
3rd: It was bad! They were like: (suddenly starts to mime-re-enact the couple, with flailing tongue)
Everyone: AUGgggh-EEWWW!!!!
During a class break for History of Industrial Design, I showed my BFF the new super-cute Vancouver 2010 Olympic mascots, designed by Meomi:
BFF: Why are the Olympics in Canada again? Wasn't it just there?
Me: I don't know... They have a lot of snowy land?
BFF: Like, why isn't it in some place new, like Greenland or Iceland?
Me: I don't know. I don't really follow the Olympics much anymore. I feel like it's not quite as exciting as it used to be.
BFF: I think it's still exciting. Where else has the Olympics been? Has it ever been in L.A.?
Me: Yeah! The '84 Olympics!
Fellow 30-something: '84 Olympics? Were you there?
Me: Yeah, my brothers were big into Track & Field, so we got tickets to see that.
Later, it dawned on me, that about half my class weren't even alive in 1984. And I was old enough to remember going to the Olympics. I remember that, and seeing that really awesome Orwellian Apple commercial.

In Marketing class, we did an exercise where we made up toy concepts and quickly brainstormed marketing plans around them. One of the classmates brought up the idea of advertising one of the toys on shows like "Yo Gabba Gabba".
Teacher: Have you all seen "Yo Gabba Gabba"?
Class: Yeah!
Teacher: What do you guys think of it?
Me: I LOVE IT. It's crazy!
Teacher: Yeah, that show seems to appeal to twenty-something or thirty-something parents, who grew up with rap music and that sort of thing. But Fisher Price actually passed on that license...
Me: Whaaa!?!?
Teacher: I know, right? But SpinMaster got that license, so it'll be interesting to see how well that performs.
Me: Yeahhh!
Go SpinMaster! That's where I'll be interning this summer. I will be on cloud nine if I get a Dancing Brobee doll out of it!

I've found that the sweatshop–er, sewing lab hours are conducive to conversation, as we're basically doing light manual labor, pushing fabric across the machines and yanking thread all day.
Cute Gay Korean Dude: I saw the movie, Jumper.
Me: Was it any good?
CGKD: Yeah, I liked the movie. It was fun. But I don't really like those actors, Hayden Christensen and the girl.
Me: Wait, the brown-haired girl?? The girl from The O.C. –you don't think she's cute?
CGKD: No. Uh-uh.
Me: What!? I think she's sooo cute.
CGKD: No. You are so much cuter than she is.
Me: ...
I would guess the straight boys in class might disagree with that. But I'm not complaining...

As my class was busily sewing up cute stuffed animals designed for infants, we discussed our Chinese Astrological signs. My BFF was sewing a little fuzzy hippo, the quirky Korean girl designed a patched bunny, and I was working on a chubby squirrel.
Quirky Korean Girl: Do your friends sometimes think you are like a kind of an animal?
BFF: Hmm, yeah, I get koala, panda, sometimes otter...
Me: So all the cute animals, basically.
QKG: (looking at me.) What about you?
Me: Well. I used to be a little obsessed with monkeys. So if you asked my Californian friends what animal they'd associate with me, they'd say monkey. I had an email list that had monkey in its name, and some of them call me the Monkey Queen.
BFF: Monkey? No, I don't think you're like a monkey.
Me: No?
QKG: No. I think... more like... squirrel.
Me: Squirrel!?
BFF: Yeah. I can see squirrel. Like, "Chee-chee-chee-chee-chee!"
Me: Huh. I like squirrels... But I'm clumsy.
QKG: You're a squirrel!
Me: Squirrels aren't clumsy. They jump from branch to branch and climb walls! They're like Spiderman!
BFF: So squirrels are aspirational?
Me: Yes. Squirrels are aspirational. That's what I'd put as a strength for my infant toy if I made a marketing report for it. "Squirrels are aspirational."

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Saturday, March 08, 2008

The madness continues.

I wanted to blog about my first day I had at the local Head Start classroom, but I'm about to start an insane week of school:

Sunday 11am - 6pm
Sewing lab hours (for Soft Toy class)

Monday 10am - 9pm
Hard Toy lab hours (woodshop)
Hard Toy class
Ancient Art History class (midterm exam)

Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Soft Toy class (finalizing infant toy, sketch storybook characters)
Hard Toy lab hours (woodshop)
Computer Drafting class (Diego Boat drafting project due)

Wednesday 1pm - 9pm
Motor Learning class (Infant Toy analysis paper due)
Computer Graphics class (spaceship & alien rendering due)

Thursday: 9am - 5pm
Soft Toy class (final Infant plush due)
History of Industrial Design class

Friday: 9am - 4:30pm
Intern at a Head Start class of 4-to-5-year-olds
Marketing class (possible midterm exam, tbd)

I'm not even quite sure how completing this week is even possible. The Saturday after, I take off for a much needed Spring Break, in Sunny California, thank GOD.

Wish me luck!

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Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Happy TV Break Time

I don't want to spoil it for those who have Project Runway Tivo'd or whatever, but I really enjoyed the finale episode. All the clothes were so wonderful, and I wasn't sure who I'd pick to win. I ended up rooting for one collection that wasn't even very cohesive; I thought it was the most fun and the one I'd want to wear the most. That one didn't win, but I was still really happy for the one who did win in the end. Plus, there were a lot of Asian models, AND, how great was it to see Posh Spice as a guest judge!? Fieerrrrce.

I also loved seeing Tim Gunn visit Christian's tiny NY apartment. As if the little 21-year old wasn't already impressive, it was great to see that he could make such amazing clothes in such a tiny space. It's so New York: a young aspiring talent, struggling with the urban life, working like mad, but not really minding it because he loves what he's there for!

I even enjoyed the ads. In particular:
  • I now really really want to try an Oreo Cakester (yes, advertising works)
  • Seeing a commercial for Aquadoodle, made by SpinMaster, who I'll intern with this summer
  • Seeing an ad for yet another new dance show, hosted by Elizabeth Berkley (of Showgirls fame!)
I must admit, I do sometimes enjoy this cheesy fad of dance shows. I love America's Best Dance Crew on MTV and I used to get into that celebrity ballroom show. But do you remember the original awesome dance contest show from the 80s? Let me refresh your memory:



Oh yes, Dance Fever, complete with celebrity judges. You know you loved it. I think they need to bring it back, you know, for the kids in my class who weren't even born yet when this was on.

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Saturday Happy Fun Times

I didn't get to meet the animator last Saturday, but I think it was for the best.

He emailed me recently to say hello. His email address looked related to a website, and being the resourceful ex-tech-professional nerd that I am, I had to check it out. It turned out to be a web page that pointed to some of his animated shorts...

Aaand, unfortunately, I didn't like them. They were not aesthetically pleasing, not very clever, and not very funny.

That's the tricky thing about being a creative professional, when you date other creative professionals. You have to respect the quality of their work. And if it's no good, then it's especially awkward.

Oh well. ANYhoo, I did end up having a lot of fun Saturday with my class BFF. We started with the Michel Gondry "Be Kind Rewind" exhibit, which was small, but still amusing. We wished we had seen the movie first. Maybe we'll go back after seeing the movie.

Then we filled the rest of the day with more fun, including:
  • wine-tasting at Vintage, a Soho shop that sells local NY wines. The BFF found a strawberry wine that featured a unicorn on its label. She was pretty ecstatic about that.

  • browsing the madhouse of Kid Robot's apparel sale (didn't buy anything)

  • delicious chocolate espressos at Aroma Espresso Bar

  • browsing the madness of the Marc Jacobs sale (didn't buy anything there either, but we did get a free photo w/ a giant skunk)

  • red velvet cupcakes and banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery

  • book-shopping across the street from Magnolia (to do some research for our storybook project)
Well that was all the fun I'll have for a little while, because next weekend we have class all day, both Saturday and Sunday. And I have a midterm and a paper due next week, along with a crapload of design projects that need to be completed before spring break. Ack! Good thing it's still fun (except for maybe drafting in Cobalt)!

Speaking of which, I have to run to my Motor-Learning class now!

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