How To Create a Toy Design That Kids Will Love

Creating a toy that fully captures the imagination of children can be quite rewarding. Not only do you get to witness how your toy idea is produced, developed, and brought to life, but you may even reap the monetary rewards if your toy is a commercial success.

We explain how to optimize your toy idea—whether it’s a board game, designer toy, plushie, the next collectible craze, or some other fantastic imaginary concoction for kids—to give it its greatest chance of success.

Plus, we include a step-by-step outline of the toy creation process, from blueprints to production, so you have what you need to embark on a successful toy design journey.

Questions to ask before creating a toy

For many new toy creators, designing new toys is an outlet for their creative energies. More than a financial investment, it’s a way to express themselves, and can bring feelings of accomplishment and pride.

But! The financial aspects shouldn’t be overlooked, and your venture into new toy creation should include some best practice business decisions. From researching current toys already on store shelves to calculating production costs, you’ll want to ask the right questions before investing in an idea for a new toy.

Determine how unique the toy is

Before launching a new children’s toy, you’ll want to do some market research. This means assessing what’s currently available from other toy companies, such as Mattel, Hasbro, and Spin Master, as well as any smaller players with products similar to yours.

Consider their current products and how your toy idea can be different and unique.

Attending a toy fair or two, such as those in New York or China, can also provide valuable industry insights.

Doing this research before committing to development and manufacturing provides a better chance of success. If the market is saturated with similar products, it may not be worth investing in producing yet another identical toy.

On the other hand, if you discover your toy idea is unique, or puts enough of a twist on established ideas (like targeting a new age group), you may have a goldmine in the works.

Consider any courses that may be helpful

Whether you have a one-off business idea or plan to make a career of toy design, consider taking courses to fill any skills gaps you may have. Udemy courses are an excellent way to get started with toy design. There are a variety of courses that cover topics related to adapting toys for children with special needs, creating stuffed toys, designing 3D printed toys, and more.

If you want to pursue toy design as a career, then getting a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts (BFA) can give you an edge over toy creators without similar qualifications. Business classes may also be relevant when it comes to designing and producing toys. Market research and business planning are important elements for any business venture, and these courses can give you key insights.

Additionally, there are many online resources, like The Toy Coach, that provide advice on how best to start out with toy making, from initial sketches all the way through finding companies who work in mass toy production.

Account for manufacturing costs

When creating children’s toys, product development can get expensive quickly. Even if you have a wonderful idea, you’ll want to remember the many costs associated with turning a design on paper into a product on store shelves.

Not all children’s toys are created equal, and when you’re working with textiles or specialized features the cost can differ greatly. To ensure your vision aligns with your budget, consider the complexity of the desired design, all necessary materials, and the labor required to achieve production.

If, after doing some initial legwork, the project seems more and more viable to you, consider writing a business case. A business case will help ensure that you’ve considered your project’s most important aspects, and can also help you acquire financing and investors.

Don’t let unexpected costs ruin a great toy concept. Before manufacturing, calculate all necessary expenses, such as research, materials, and labor.

Decide how you’ll market the toy

In making a great toy, it isn’t enough to just create a fun, engaging product. You need your creation to reach people. Which means you also have to develop a product marketing plan.

Knowing the psychology behind your target market is key to successfully marketing children’s toys. You’ll want to do enough research into child psychology and children’s development to reach your target market effectively.

Consider the marketing channels that would best fit your target demographic—and their parents! In today’s digital world, over 83% of companies worldwide market using social media, and many toy companies are moving from traditional marketing channels like TV and radio to social media.

Social media also provides opportunities for interaction between your company and potential customers, including parents.

Understand patents, trademarks, and legal protections

As a toy creator, you should understand the legal asset-protection measures in the toy industry. Patents, trademarks, and other protections can ensure your toy idea is innovative without infringing on another toy maker’s products or copyrights.

Know how to get these safeguards—through intellectual property lawyers or industry attorneys—and how to avoid violating another company’s products. Do your research and consult industry-leading professionals, so you’ll know you’re protected while navigating this complex area of law.

The toy design process in 8 steps

After you’ve properly researched the market for a new toy idea and planned for costs and legal protections, it’s time to begin designing your toy.

If you’re new to toy design but have a great concept, think about working with an experienced designer who can help bring your vision to life. Upwork has a huge talent pool where you can find professional toy designers, packaging designers, and other team members for your project.

Once you have a solid toy concept and the team you need to create it, you can move forward with the design process.

1. Prepare toy design sketches and blueprints

You’ll typically start by preparing toy design sketches and blueprints, giving you a solid foundation for creating the toy. This includes coming up with a specific design idea and then sketching out what it looks like so everyone can visualize it.

As a new toy creator, you’ll want to take a hands-on approach in the creation process. Observe how children interact in their environment and what new elements you could incorporate into your design.

One way to do this is by talking with friends and family who have younger children or attending informal focus groups organized by educational institutions and child psychologists.

After you’ve finished creating the toy design sketch, you may want to create a blueprint that delves into the toy’s dimensions, materials, and construction. This step establishes how you’ll make the toy with exact specifications for later stages in the toy design process.

2. Create the toy prototype

You’ll produce a prototype in the second step of the toy design and production process. This generally involves 3D modeling or sculpting to show what the new toy will look like before sending it off for manufacturing and production.

To create prototypes, you can use several methods such as traditional clay sculpting, or newer and more efficient processes such as CAD software or 3D printing technology. Prototyping tools like Adobe XD can also make the design process smoother.

Key elements in this step include ensuring prototypes adhere to any necessary safety regulations, product specifications, and cost factors that might be involved with developing the new toy.

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3. Create packaging mockups 

Once you complete the prototype for the toy, it’s time to start conceptualizing the toy’s packaging. This is usually a collaborative process between the packaging designer and the creative director, which might be you if you’re starting as a toy creator. 

During this step, you’ll put together packaging ideas that make the toy stand out on store shelves while also providing key information to potential buyers, like age recommendations and how to assemble pieces. 

Packaging designers may also add fun elements to the packaging, including illustrations and eye-catching colors. 

For a helpful introduction to the fundamentals of product packaging, take a look at our guide to package design.

4. Create test toys

Toy creators are always working hard to develop exciting new toy designs, but the fourth step in toy production can be the most exciting. This is when you’ll create one or more test versions of a new toy. 

The first version of your test toy should contain all the features intended for the consumer product, while the second version and additional versions might have some unique features, so you can experiment with potential adjustments before deciding on the final toy design. 

This is an important step in confirming that a toy can meet all technical specifications, while also providing you with valuable feedback on how people react to various iterations of the toy. 

5. Receive final toy samples

The fifth step of the new toy production process is receiving the final samples of your new toy. After months of prototyping and perfecting, the new toy has finally arrived in the hands of its creator (you), ready to be presented to others. 

At this point, the toy manufacturer will thoroughly inspect each piece, encompassing every detail from the accuracy of parts to manufacturing quality.

This step ensures that each new toy works as expected and lives up to your expectations, before you release it for mass production. Whether it’s an action figure or a plush toy, there’s no better feeling than seeing your finalized creation for the first time.

6. Design final packaging 

Now that you’ve finalized your new toy, the final development process for its packaging begins. 

Here, a packaging designer might work with 3D computer models and graphic designs to create a mockup of how you want the final packaging to look—all while ensuring it adheres to safety regulations. 

You’ll refine graphic design concepts until all stakeholders are satisfied with its looks and agree it’s suitable for market presentation. 

During this process, graphic designers must also develop full campaigns around the toy’s launch, which involve creating banners and other promotional materials for both physical store shelves and online sales platforms.

All of this comes together in one neat package, ready to be presented to potential customers before finally being shipped out.

Once you finalize the packaging, production can begin.

7. Begin toy production

Once you complete the prototype for the toy, it’s time to start conceptualizing the toy’s packaging. This is usually a collaborative process between the packaging designer and the creative director, which might be you if you’re starting as a toy creator.

During this step, you’ll put together packaging ideas that make the toy stand out on store shelves while also providing key information to potential buyers, like age recommendations and how to assemble pieces.

Packaging designers may also add fun elements to the packaging, including illustrations and eye-catching colors.

For a helpful introduction to the fundamentals of product packaging, take a look at our guide to package design.

4. Create test toys

Toy creators are always working hard to develop exciting new toy designs, but the fourth step in toy production can be the most exciting. This is when you’ll create one or more test versions of a new toy.

The first version of your test toy should contain all the features intended for the consumer product, while the second version and additional versions might have some unique features, so you can experiment with potential adjustments before deciding on the final toy design.

This is an important step in confirming that a toy can meet all technical specifications, while also providing you with valuable feedback on how people react to various iterations of the toy.

5. Receive final toy samples

The fifth step of the new toy production process is receiving the final samples of your new toy. After months of prototyping and perfecting, the new toy has finally arrived in the hands of its creator (you), ready to be presented to others.

At this point, the toy manufacturer will thoroughly inspect each piece, encompassing every detail from the accuracy of parts to manufacturing quality.

This step ensures that each new toy works as expected and lives up to your expectations, before you release it for mass production. Whether it’s an action figure or a plush toy, there’s no better feeling than seeing your finalized creation for the first time.

6. Design final packaging

Now that you’ve finalized your new toy, the final development process for its packaging begins.

Here, a packaging designer might work with 3D computer models and graphic designs to create a mockup of how you want the final packaging to look—all while ensuring it adheres to safety regulations.

You’ll refine graphic design concepts until all stakeholders are satisfied with its looks and agree it’s suitable for market presentation.

During this process, graphic designers must also develop full campaigns around the toy’s launch, which involve creating banners and other promotional materials for both physical store shelves and online sales platforms.

All of this comes together in one neat package, ready to be presented to potential customers before finally being shipped out.

Once you finalize the packaging, production can begin.

7. Begin toy production

During the seventh step of the toy design and production process, mass-producing the final version of the new toy goes into full swing.

This is where all the hard work and creativity pay off. Your manufacturers will use their tools and existing templates to create replicas of the newly designed toy at scale.

From here, they can make certain adjustments or tweaks to ensure a quality product, such as changing colors or adding extra features. After everything looks great, you can distribute your product for sale.

8. Maintain quality control

During the final step of toy design and production, your product management team has one of the most important roles—maintaining quality control of ongoing toy production operations.

The toy user experience depends on proper diligence during this phase. It involves testing toys to ensure they’re suitable for their intended user base and meet safety regulations before being distributed throughout the marketplace.

Product managers need to collaborate with different teams, such as marketing, engineering departments, and vendors, to guarantee all user requirements are fulfilled while meeting manufacturing budget targets.

Ultimately, maintaining quality control during production is a complex but rewarding process that guarantees only high-quality toys make their way into the hands of children.

FAQs About Toy Design and Development

Designing a toy that resonates with children and stands out in the market can be a complex process, with many factors to consider. Whether you're an entrepreneur just starting out or a small business looking to expand your product line, it's important to understand the various aspects of toy creation, from the initial concept to the final production stages. Below, we've answered some frequently asked questions to help guide you through the key considerations and best practices for successful toy design.

What should entrepreneurs consider before creating a new toy?

Entrepreneurs should thoroughly research the market to determine if their toy idea is unique and assess the competition. Understanding the manufacturing process and accounting for all associated costs is crucial. Additionally, considering partnerships with industrial designers can help bring the toy concept to life and ensure the design is practical and feasible.

How important is the manufacturing process in toy creation?

The manufacturing process is critical in bringing a toy from concept to reality. It involves selecting materials, ensuring the toy meets safety standards, and managing production costs. Entrepreneurs should work closely with manufacturers to maintain high-quality standards throughout production, as this directly impacts the toy's success in the market.

How can small businesses market their own toy effectively?

Small businesses can market their toys effectively by developing a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes digital and traditional channels. Utilizing partnerships with retailers, leveraging social media platforms, and creating engaging content can help reach a broader audience. Additionally, building a strong brand presence and showcasing case studies or testimonials from satisfied customers can enhance credibility and attract more buyers.

What are the benefits of collaborating with an industrial designer for a new product?

Collaborating with an industrial designer can greatly enhance the toy design process. Industrial designers bring expertise in ergonomics, materials, and aesthetics, ensuring that the toy is not only visually appealing but also functional and safe. Their insights can help refine the new product design, making it more marketable and easier to produce during the manufacturing process.

Hire expert toy designers to get your idea off the ground with Upwork

When it comes to product design, Upwork Talent Marketplace™ is here for you.

Whether you’re looking to develop a new toy or take your existing prototype to the next level, Upwork has a range of top-class toy designers who can help you make your vision a reality.

If you’re new to product development and toy design, Upwork makes finding professional toy designers easy with clear options that bring their professional services right to your fingertips.

With cutting-edge tools and resources at their disposal, these experts can craft high-quality toy designs in no time, turning your dream toys into a reality.

If you’re a toy designer looking for your next project, Upwork can help you too. Check out the top jobs for toy design professionals today.

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Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this article. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.

This article is intended for educational purposes and should not be viewed as legal or tax advice. Please consult a professional to find the solution that best fits your situation.