toyfair2008

Smart lab – solder free remote control kit for kids (and more)

Smart lab – solder free remote control kit for kids (and more)

@The NYC Toy fair 2008 Smart Lab had a giant amount learning / science kits for what I would say are on the younger side of the maker timeline – remote control rockets, coin sorters, door alarms, electronics lab, first electronics, microscope, motor mania, rock star mic kit, shark model, stars & planets, voice changer, […]

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Cardboard design

Cardboard design

@The NYC Toy fair 2008 some old ideas are getting a modern treatment, and doing it in a eco-friendly way. Cardboard design (made in USA) has castles, forts, rockets, playhouse, dollhouses, teepees, dens, chairs and pods made from cardboard. They also have “liquid” cardboard, it’s created so it can take a variety of shapes – […]

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Amazing linear propulsion systems – no toy application (yet!)

Amazing linear propulsion systems – no toy application (yet!)

@The NYC Toy fair 2008 not everyone is a toy (or kit) maker – I met with two engineers that just showed up with their working prototype (The Z-drive) in hopes a toy maker might use it for something. It’s pretty incredible – I think these guys are getting my “MAKE’s best of show”… The […]

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Swing-o-graph – draw with a pendulum / swing

Swing-o-graph – draw with a pendulum / swing

@The NYC Toy fair 2008 I saw the German made “Swing-o-graph” – the pictures pretty much explain it all, but just in case – you put the marker/pen in the holder, a “swing” moves the paper around and creates spirograph-like designs. This is one of the products that might fall in to a (re)make – […]

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Wooden hydraulic power kits

Wooden hydraulic power kits

@The NYC Toy fair 2008 there are some toy makers that are doing new things, White Wings is traditionally known for their high performance paper gliders based on the science of flight. Their planes were created by Japan’s foremost paper airplane authority, Dr. Ninomiya – they have robust balsa fuselages and special paper for the […]

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Hydrodynamic building sets

Hydrodynamic building sets

@The NYC Toy fair 2008 Bridge Street Toys had their geek-famous hydrodynamic building sets – you can build a model of an ice cream factory, a water treatment plant, a distillation plant and many other industrial structures. It shows how a siphon works, balance the flow through the plant by adjusting the valves. The user […]

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Liberty puzzles – Old meets new – Laser cut wood puzzles

Liberty puzzles – Old meets new – Laser cut wood puzzles

@The NYC Toy fair 2008 I was pleasantly surprised to find Liberty Puzzles. Liberty Puzzles are classic wooden jigsaw puzzles, made with real maple-veneer plywood and archival paper and inks. Each puzzle image is mounted on quarter-inch plywood, and then laser-cut to all sorts of puzzle designs and shapes (the pieces are little gears, people, […]

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