Joseph Gonzalez
Designer. Artist. Innovator.
Toy Prototypes
Featuring my project prototypyes of different categories of toys. Each section below showcases my 3D computer models, 3D prints, papercraft, plush, and hard toy models.
Plush Toys
This section features my plush toy prototypes, ideation, and the process I took to make them.
Rocket & His Greatest Invention; Rocket Plush Toy
I created this plush toy as part of my (BFA) toy design thesis project where I written and illustrated a children’s storybook inspired by myself and interest. Part of this project was to also conceptualize two toy products based off my own book and to develop a plush toy prototype of my character from the book. You can find the rest of this project on my “Character Development & Storybooks” page.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas is a multipurpose stacking plush toy playset and a kids pillowware set; Chickpeas comes with one plush toy, 3 donut pillows, and a tree trunk base pillow. You can rearrange the pillows in various arrangements to create different shape trees with a nest that your Chickpea can rest on. Choose from a long line of Chickpeas to be your best friend, each one has a different color, egg badge, and gender making each one of a kind. Along with being a multicategory toy product it is also a decorative product that your child can arrange on their bed just like the grownups.
Winston the Elephant
Winston the Elephant is a plush toy I created as a personal project experimenting by using techniques used in creating papercraft and packaging layouts. Then apply it on fabric, sewing, and stuffing it.
Snails in a Shell
Snails in a Shell was part of a project going around the theme of containers for an art exhibition presented by the “Joan Mitchell Foundation” Alumni Council in partnership with “Taller Boricua Gallery”. These snail toy models feature a hard plastic shell with abstract, geometric, and contemeratry art patterns with a plush slug body that fits inside the shell.
Hard Toys & 3D Models
This section features my hard toy prototypes, 3D computer models, 3D prints, ideation, and the process I took to make them.
The Manta Ray Airplane
This is a personal project of a toy airplane I constructed In the hight of the COVID-19 Pandemic. I first designed the concept, 3D modeled it using Solidworks, 3D Printed, Painted using spray paint and model enamel paint, assembeld it, finally did the electrical wiring to add the LED lights and on/off switch. During the process I experemeted with new techniques an materials such as special effect spray paints like glitter spraypaint and transferring my Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator art work on to the physical prototype.
Tuning Rocket Xylophone
"Tuning Rocket Xylophone is a rocket ship shaped Xylophone introducing children to creating their own music. Allowing for creativity and experimentation to explore new ways of creating and discovering sounds and music.
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It comes with song card to aid you on your journey of discovering new tones of the song.
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Hit each key with your wrench shaped wooden mallet to create different tones giving you the opportunity to create your own tunes!
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Tuning Rocket Xylophone is packaged in and open window box with art work surrounding the box with clouds and the stars in the night sky showcasing the product in a unique magical environment.
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This Xylophone Focuses on a childs’ development in 3 parts; physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development.
This is a personal project a rocketship Xylophone as a side project to keep up my practice. I first designed the concept, 3D modeled it using Solidworks.
Armor-Drillo
"Armor-Drillo is a mining drill that transforms into a helicopter. This vehicle is a robot drone that mines through mountaintops and can fly when turning to helicopter mode. This toy when pushed forward can move the drill or propellers in both modes. Armor-Drillo has to cameras in the front for drill mode and three carmeras in the back for helicopter mode these cameras are the eyes of this machine. It also has four grills in the front two on each side on two of the four yellow armor pieces on the Armor-Drillo. In that it has tank tracks for the wheels, engnies and finaly piping detail that stick out on this toy.”
I created this hard toy as part of my (BFA) Toy Design Program thesis project. Part of this project was to also conceptualize this toy through a 3D model created using Solidworks and to develop a hard toy in the "F.I.T’s Toy Design" program’s machine shop.
Clockwork Kid
This is a personal project of a clock character toy to teach kids how to tell time. I created this through 3D modeling, 3D printing, then paint it.
Sunset Racer
This is a personal project of a futuristic car design using my own first 3D printer. I created this 3D Model using Solidworks.
Activity Toys (Games & Papercraft)
This section features my activity based toy prototypes such as games and papercrft toys, ideation, and the process I took to make them.
The Squid's Artisic Journey
I created this game to go along with my storybook as part of my (MA) art education project for a course called “Literacy and Language for Young Children” at The City College of New York & developed it further for Toy Creators Academy.
Featuring my concept and construction I have developed in this project.
Rules of the game:
1. Begin by setting up the board, and accessories.
2. Each player chooses a squid piece.
3. During every turn, a player picks a letter card.
4. The player writes a word beginning with that letter.
5. The number of letters in the word that player has spelled, will help determine how many clouds of ink the squid piece will move.
6. Continue steps 3-5 for each turn, The first person to reach the finish line wins.
You can find the rest of this project on my Character Development & Storybooks” page.
Cableman & The Rise of Television
I created this activity book & papercraft as part of a Joan Mitchell Foundation “Creating a Living Legacy” program art exhibition. Which showcases artwork side-by-side from art apprentices, art legacy specialists, and C.A.L.L artists associated with the program. I created this book inspired by my own toy design practice, interest in papercraft toys, and my time in the C.A.L.L program with artist "Jaime Davidovich" who was a conceptual artist and television-art pioneer.
Play Feature Steps:
1) Cut and fold template patterns using scissors.
2) Assemble the template with glue to create your Cableman figure.
3) Insert any of the tv screens to customize your Cableman figure.
4) Flip through different channels and use the figure to create your own stories.
You can find the rest of this project on my Character Development & Storybooks” page.
Starlings
Starlings Papercraft is a line of print and plays toys that are in the shape of stars. Each of these star figures have designs based on different themes and patterns. What makes this different from other paper toys, is after building it you can collect and assemble your own papercraft toy from the different themes presented. You can also decorate and color your own starling figurine. This is one of a kind papercraft that is fully customizable and collectible.
You can find the rest of this project and build your own on my "Starlings” page.
Thunder & Lightning Dragons
This is a personal project of 2 types of twin robot dragon printable papercraft toys each one with a different color; gold and silver.
Robo Hounds: Wolf, Fox, & Coyote
This is a personal project of 3 types of robot canines printable papercraft toys each one with a different accessory. What makes them differen is the armor accessories they have but their bodies are the same.
