Cooperative Project - Jumbo Toy

Jumbo Toy

Design Brief

Jumbo Group B.V. is a committed team of people that aims to unlock the power of play to create meaningful connections. The company has a rich history in Europe and is well known for its popular games, including “Strategy”, “Party and Co”, “Hitster”, “Milles Bornes”, and many others. Moreover, it specialises in creating, manufacturing, and distributing games and toys worldwide, with a focus on puzzles, board games, educational games, and arts and crafts. The philosophy of Jumbo Group B.V. is that life is meant to be enjoyed through play, and it strives to make this a reality for consumers worldwide.

Design Outcome

This project required the student creators to generate concepts, sketches, play patterns, and early (playable) prototypes. In addition, they had to help with packaging and communication graphics for in-store points of sale. The students generated two product ideas, which are described below. The first product idea is the “Sparky/Angry Fire” toy, which is a fire-shaped lamp that encourages children to release their anger in a healthy manner using deep breathing techniques. Performing these techniques triggers visual cues (i.e., lights) in the toy that allow children to see their negative emotions decrease or increase, thereby helping them to learn how to regulate their emotional reactions. As requested in the client feedback during the interim presentation, this product idea was expanded into a range of toys that can help children to identify and regulate other types of overwhelming negative emotions. Sketches were created for each of the “Sparky/Angry Fire” product ideas to explain how certain visual or sensory cues can help with the regulation of certain negative emotions.

The second product idea is “Peek-a-Book”, a pop-up storytelling book with building blocks and characters that allows children to understand their emotions, with their parents acting as guides. There are four daily scenarios included in the pop-up book to guide both parents and children in storytelling. In addition, building blocks serve as unstructured play elements that help children with storytelling.

There are also labels to attach to the characters to show their emotional changes during storytelling. The product can be used for daily communication and educational purposes, allowing parents and teachers to increase their understanding of children.

Jumbo Group B.V. appointed the PolyU PTeC to provide consultancy services to support the launch of most of the design concepts generated by the student creators, with these subsequently distributed globally in 2024.

Participating Year 4 BA students include -

/Advertising Design
LAM Yim Ping
SO Yuk Hung

/Communication Design
LIU Kai Hei Anson
NGAN Ka Wai

/Social Design
CHAN Cheuk Yee
LAU Sze Lok Johannes

/Product Design
CHAN Wing Kiu
CHEN Xinrui
CHUNG Ho Kit
MAK Ho Long
WONG Tsz Kei
ZHANG Yijing

/Project Tutor
Aasavri TALWAR, Visiting Lecturer, School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University