CGTrader and our community of 100,000 3D design professionals have been hearing dramatic stories about 3D printing opening up entirely new worlds of possibilities in nearly every industry. The media has showered the new technology with exciting headlines and set the hopes very high, and there has been numerous for-the-first-time-ever moments across all fields. Not surprisingly, the toy industry has also been touched by the transformative power of modern technology and is now one of the industry's most promising growth areas. But what does that mean? Will 3D-printed, customizable toys soon replace some of the most iconic characters like Barbie and My Little Pony?
Many believe that this unexpected yet perfect marriage of digital technology and creative expression will result in a long-awaited manufacturing revolution and will undeniably have a critical impact on the toy industry.
Let's get real. How useful is it?
Given that the US toy industry alone had more than $22 billion in revenues in 2013, it's only fair to say that the potential here is huge. One of the most escalated aspects of the new technology that has got everyone convinced of its future success is mass personalization.
The growing demand for personalized products is already revolutionizing the clothing and footwear markets, since customizing your sneakers and designing bags has become an essential requirement to retain customers.
Custom-made toys. It's very likely that 3D printing will change the way we make purchasing decisions. Whereas today custom products are highly desirable, price-wise, they're still quite out of reach for many buyers. Until now, it's been a certain luxury to have something tailor-made, but that is slowly changing with the adoption of new approaches to product design. In the not-too-distant future, we'll be able to customize everything from furniture to cars, so the pressure that 3D printing puts on toy manufacturers is very real. For toy makers, it's a clear and, quite frankly, scary message - today's must-have toys will be replaced by personalized, customized 3D-printed objets d'art.
Although the idea of seeing the most popular, super-branded toys, like Disney dolls and Marvel superheroes, being pushed off the shelf by personalized 3D-printed items may seem far-fetched, it's actually a fairly reasonable threat.
When 3D printing breaks into mainstream retail markets, the combination of advanced customization (that is, the originality factor) and dynamic product offering will make the new technology a serious rival to any traditional manufacturer. That's why the biggest toy industry players have been closely following the advancements in additive manufacturing, and some have already successfully tested the waters.
Hasbro, one of the largest toy makers, has recently ventured into several innovative projects to investigate the possibilities that 3D printing brings to the table. Its partnership with Shapeways to launch SuperFanArt page, through which fans are able to create their own unique 3D printable expressions of Hasbro brands, including My Little Pony, Transformers, Monopoly, Play-Doh, Magic: The Gathering, Littlest Pet Shop and Nerf, confirms the company's serious approach to assessing the value of the adoption of new technology.
More recently, Hasbro and 3DPlusMe have launched a Super Awesome Me campaign, which lets anyone become a hero by putting a face on a Marvel superhero action figure. Jumping on the hot customization trend, which toy makers are placing their bets on to fuel sales in the industry, the company explores 3D technology's potential in reinventing its iconic products. The project is built around the idea that 3D printing itself is not fun for kids, it's what you do with it that creates value.
Priced at about $45, the Super Awesome Me personalized heroes are not too cheap, but due to the prefabricated action-figure body that helps to keep the costs down, they're approximately half the price of most of the entirely 3D-printed toys. It seems that comparatively high prices of 3D-printed toys may be one of the anchors delaying the take-off of the new trend.
Makies is one of the first successful examples of the customizable, 3D printable toys that already found its niche. This user-friendly platform allows anyone to design individual dolls in just about 10 minutes, selecting and modifying features, choosing skin tone, face shape and eye color, picking out hairstyle and cut, as well as selecting the outfit and accessories.
It's fun and easy, and the high level of customization means that the dolls hardly ever look the same. With a press of a button, you can have it 3D-printed and shipped to your doorstep at approximately $115 per item. Now, that's quite a solid reason for the media to run wild with the idea of Barbie getting her butt kicked by 3D-printed dolls.
Personal toy factory. Following the logic that 3D printing is just a tool, desktop printer owners are nothing less but on-demand toy manufacturers, enjoying an unprecedented opportunity to create their own personal toy factory. And from the perspective of multinational toy companies like Hasbro, home 3D printing is an ever-expanding, profit-sucking dark hole.
There are thousands of free or low-priced 3D designs online for all ages and interests that can be cheaply printed using nontoxic, durable ABS plastic. And then there is always that awesome option of customizing or designing your own toy, if you feel like it.
What is special about crafting your own toys is that you custom-build specifically for the person: personalized sheriff badges or chess pieces, rocket ships or poker chips, puzzles or Jenga blocks. There's an infinite list of choices, but more importantly, what we've noticed, there's a fast-growing demand for
