The 4th and 5th grade class learned a bit about product development when they were given the task to design their own Stuffed Monster plush toy. Some students were influenced by the popular toys they know and love, such as Ugli Dolls, Pokemon/ Yugi-oh trading card characters, and stuffed animals from the current marketplace; still others drew upon their imagination, best-loved pets, or favorite holidays for inspiration. All students made use of textures in their designs, incorporating swatches and written notes with drawings of their monsters from multiple viewpoints. I transformed their drawings into plush toys in early 2009. Each stuffed monster became a portrait of the student’s creativity at this stage of childhood, and all have been sold (back to the parents, naturally!) as a fundraiser for their school.

Information on how I did the project with kids in the classroom is in the 'Making monsters' page in the sidebar.