{"id":55117,"date":"2023-04-25T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=55117"},"modified":"2024-05-09T07:51:13","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T14:51:13","slug":"moose-toys-magic-mixies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/moose-toys-magic-mixies\/","title":{"rendered":"Fusion Helps Moose Toys Put the ‘Magic’ in Magic Mixies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

See how Moose Toys uses Fusion to prototype, design, and make the highly successful Magic Mixies toy line.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moose Toys\u2019 Magic Mixies<\/a> isn\u2019t just a toy. It\u2019s an entire experience where kids channel their inner sorcerer. With waves of a glowing wand and a dash of magic potion, they can cast spells to conjure a fortune-telling pet from a cauldron or crystal ball. Real mist billows as a new plush animal emerges with surprise and delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This award-winning, best-selling toy didn\u2019t happen by magic, though. The wizardry behind Magic Mixies was an extraordinary design and manufacturing process powered by Autodesk Fusion<\/a> \u2014 even down to the mist that emanates like fog to create a mystical moment. \u201cWe went for a lot of development on that mist, and it\u2019s something that hasn\u2019t ever been done before,\u201d says Carl Budd, engineering manager, Moose Toys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quick turnaround without sacrificing quality<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the mist was just one component of an incredibly complex \u2014 and fast \u2014 development cycle for the intricate product. The team used Fusion to take the entire concept to a working prototype within 3-4 months. Design and manufacturing for the first Magic Mixies was completed and available in just 18 months \u2014 even during the height of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was probably the highest complexity for a project that we ever ran entirely remotely,\u201d Budd says. \u201cWe did all the design reviews and collaboration remotely with our global teams. It certainly gave us the opportunity to do something better rather than a siloed approach if we had still been using SolidWorks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The electronics alone are impressive with Magic Mixies. But you rarely see a plush toy combined with hardware. This made for another design and engineering challenge. \u201cSoft goods are an extremely difficult thing to try and model in CAD software,\u201d Budd says. \u201cWith Fusion, we could get a plush look for our early internal renderings. For the Mixies Crystal Ball, we worked it out by using the form tool and applying decals and things to the surface of the form.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based in Melbourne, Australia, with offices worldwide, Moose Toys is a family-owned and operated business founded more than 30 years ago. It now has more than 600 employees with annual global sales exceeding $1 billion and a distribution network in 100 countries. It\u2019s known for many popular toys and brands, from Shopkins<\/a> to Little Live Pets<\/a>, Goo Jit Zu<\/a>, Akedo<\/a>, and a new line this past year based on the popular Australian animated series \u201cBluey<\/a>.\u201d Above all, the company\u2019s core mission is to make children \u201cSuperhappy,\u201d as they put it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the scenes: Prototyping a toy design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It isn\u2019t all fun and games in the toy business, though. Competition is stiff. Speed to market is critical to get ahead of trends and fickle consumer demands. Copycat products are always lurking around the corner. An efficient design and manufacturing process is key to transforming new ideas into products kids will love \u2014 and making it all happen quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s a fast industry,\u201d Budd says. \u201cThings that are hot one year are completely old news the following year. We have to be very, very agile. Every year is different, and we\u2019re always working on different products and improving what we already have on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fusion is now Moose Toys\u2019 core platform for design and manufacturing. Most of the company\u2019s design work and prototyping for mechanical items is done in Melbourne in conjunction with work in their Los Angeles and UK offices. The team’s typical design process starts with very high-level concepts from the creative team. The Moose Toys engineering team will get involved early to ensure the idea is achievable with materials and price points. Of course, the marketplace is a huge consideration for desirability and demand from kids, parents, and distributors alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the initial design reviews are completed and vetted, a product designer will provide sketches, and Budd and his team will go to work on prototyping in Fusion. Prototyping is a multi-layered process for proof-of-concept of both mechanical and electronic functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe’ll sit down and work out all the mechanisms,\u201d Budd says. \u201cWe design all the internals in-house with Fusion. We have a workshop with a nice raft of tools, an electronics lab, and 3D printers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Hands-on product testing<\/h2>\n\n\n

With a prototype in hand and functionality in place, the team will present it to senior leadership for feedback. But the real litmus test? It\u2019s the kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a lot of kids come into the office to do hands-on product testing for us,\u201d Budd says. \u201cIt’s good to get that feedback as well. It doesn’t seem to matter how carefully you sit down and think about how a kid might interact with something you’ve designed. They will always find a new way to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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