As a designer of children’s books and products, it’s always satisfying to work on projects that appeal to both kids and adults. Lately, working with amazing illustrators has led us into the realm of paper toys and sculpture, which are irresistible to build and maneuver.
I was very excited to work on the latest brainchild of our beloved author, Taro Gomi. Play All Day is comprised of pop-out paper toys, sculptures, and boxes bound in book form. It made perfect sense for Taro Gomi to venture into the 3D realm—his art has already encouraged open-ended play in hits like Scribbles and Doodles. I found the range of projects inside the book super-inspiring in their simple, satisfying execution, and am lucky that building monkey chains for cover photos is just another day at work!
Junzo Terada’s colorful, patterned animal illustrations were just begging to be turned into paper sculptures as well. The team worked with Junzo to transform flat illustrations into 3D models. For a while, conference tables in the office were crowded with rounds of colorful test sculptures to balance each animal structurally, in the end coming together as a Magical Menagerie of animals. A step more decorative than model airplanes or other classic paper toys, these multi-purpose animals serve as toys, room décor, or even mail-worthy gifts that are simple and quick to build.
We liked this project so much that we are following it up with Jungle Friends in the near future, with even larger-scale animals in the works!
And then there are the gems we come up with entirely on our own, like the one that releases this month: Port-a-Pug! Fabulously conceived by pug-enthusiast editor Christina Amini and senior designer Amy Achaibou, with several rounds of models built by our industrial designer, Ben Laramie, this little guy graced our floor in various forms until he was just right for production. It was impossible to ignore the developments of properly nicknamed “Pugsley” posed on desk corners. The final build-your-own kit attests to the power of spreading joy through paper-sculpted friends.
Who wouldn’t want to play with paper, especially when pugs are involved!
Eloise Leigh
Designer
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