If you think developing new toy concepts for a living is all fun and games, you're only half right. According to Neil Hamilton, a toy inventor at Cincinnati-based Bang Zoom Design, it's also a lot of hard work, requiring the perfect balance of creativity, design, engineering, and marketing. We caught up with Neil and asked him to tell us a little bit about his job.
Q. Did you always know you wanted to be a toy inventor?
A. I've always been interested in mechanisms. While most kids were playing with their toys and riding their bikes, I was taking them apart, studying them, and discovering ways to make them better. But I didn't even know the job “toy inventor” existed until college.
Q. Where did you attend college, and how did your college education prepare you for your career?
A. I attended the University of Cincinnati's Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning (DAAP) program and majored in industrial design. My education taught me the basics of the design process and prepared me for the tight deadlines that must be met to sell a successful idea. It also gave me the opportunity to intern in different companies and see how they work to complete projects.
Q. What was your career path to your present position?
A. My last internship was with Bang Zoom Design, a small toy-inventing firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. I immersed myself in the toy industry, developing concepts and building prototypes. My hard work paid off, and Bang Zoom offered me a full-time job after graduation.
Q. On a basic level, what skills does your job demand?
A. My job consists of two separate skill sets. The first one is the ability to recognize trends and to understand what a child sees as fun and then to be able to take that information and come up with an idea that a toy manufacturer can produce and market to children. The second skill is to be able to take that idea and design, engineer, and build a working prototype to demonstrate the viability of the idea.
Q. Describe the toy-inventing process.
A. A toy starts out as an idea. That idea is then created as a prototype to work out all the bugs and get the idea to a point where we can present it to a toy company. Once presented, if the company likes the prototype, it will license the concept from us. The toy company is responsible for manufacturing, marketing, and distributing the toy to all the toy stores around the world.
Q. What are the most rewarding aspects of your job that make it all worthwhile?
A. The best part of the job is when a child's favorite toy is something I invented. Knowing I'm bringing joy into people's lives is very rewarding.
Q. What words of advice would you give a person interested in entering your field?
A. If you want to be a part of the toy industry, the best path is to get an internship with a toy manufacturer during college. The experience will give you a better understanding of the industry, and you will be able to determine whether the job is right for you.
