Michael Limber: Toy Design

TOY DESIGN

As Design Director for toy company WowWee, my video game experience applied directly, with many of the same principles of game play and human psychology in effect in interactive toys.

In addition to play spec and logic flows, my activities at WowWee included executive strategic product planning, building and directing the US design team, presenting product proposals, developing a branded online world, holding creative "think tanks", and frequent travel to Hong Kong.

Mr Personality WowWee Mr. Personality—the world's first interactive split-personality robot with over 3 hours of humorous dialogue and numerous modes. I worked with writer, designers, and engineers to design initial concept, play spec, logic flows, event dialogue tables, facial animation tool user interface, from prototype through final product factory testing and marketing.	Tribot Designed play spec, logic flows, event dialogue tables for WowWee Tribot— nominated for 2008 TOTY Toy of the Year Award. This toy has sold almost 1 million units to date. Worked with writers, engineers and the factory to tune the content to suit the market and the technology.	Orson What was to be WowWee's flagship product, Orson was a real marvel, at over 1 meter tall. I designed the play spec and flows as a virtual valet, able to use his online connectivity, camera, and IR sensors to alert you vocally to important appointments and alarms of your choosing, even when parked.
Rovio Designed UI for WowWee Rovio, a remote controlled omni-wheeled surveillance bot.	Character Bot A desktop control widget for WowWee ChatterBots—animated desktop characters, plugged into your computer, that comment on thousands of keywords as you type. This simple control widget allows for triggering commentary on demand (and shutting it up)!	Moonki Product concept for electronic plush dolls with emotive technology and touch response. Using RFID dolls could sense touch, light and each other, moving their eyes and expressing a wide vocabulary of short emotive sounds.
Pocket Bots Layout for a software tool included in the proposed toy WowWee PocketsBots—a set of colored line following bots that play games using simple customizable logic, Users visually program instructions using drag & drop rules, and then scan the bot over the bar code at right to load the program and then play the game.	Bear Crimbo I worked with author Matt Goss to design play spec, logic flow, and dialogue event tables for proposed toy item WowWee Bear Crimbo.	Loudmouths Original concept, play spec, logic flows for proposed toy from WowWee called LoudMouths. Crazy interactive electronic plush toys that really take a beating—and make a wacky wailing as you do it.
WowWee Island Directed the development of a proposed branded online world called The Island of WowWee—thematically integrating the company's entire product line and creating an online recurring revenue opportunity.	Mr Personality Directed marketing animation introducing WowWee's Mr. Personality—an interactive robot with a unique form of omni-wheeled locomotion, an animated face and a split personality.	WowWee Showroom Me with Mr Personality in the WowWee Hong Kong showroom 2007.

TOY DESIGN

Mr Personality

Tribot

Designed play spec, logic flows, event dialogue tables for WowWee Tribot— nominated for 2008 TOTY Toy of the Year Award. This toy has sold almost 1 million units to date. Worked with writers, engineers and the factory to tune the content to suit the market and the technology.

Orson

What was to be WowWee's flagship product, Orson was a real marvel, at over 1 meter tall. I designed the play spec and flows as a virtual valet, able to use his online connectivity, camera, and IR sensors to alert you vocally to important appointments and alarms of your choosing, even when parked.

Rovio

Designed UI for WowWee Rovio, a remote controlled omni-wheeled surveillance bot.

Character Bot

A desktop control widget for WowWee ChatterBots—animated desktop characters, plugged into your computer, that comment on thousands of keywords as you type. This simple control widget allows for triggering commentary on demand (and shutting it up)!

Moonki

Product concept for electronic plush dolls with emotive technology and touch response. Using RFID dolls could sense touch, light and each other, moving their eyes and expressing a wide vocabulary of short emotive sounds.

Pocket Bots

Bear Crimbo

I worked with author Matt Goss to design play spec, logic flow, and dialogue event tables for proposed toy item WowWee Bear Crimbo.

Loudmouths

Original concept, play spec, logic flows for proposed toy from WowWee called LoudMouths. Crazy interactive electronic plush toys that really take a beating—and make a wacky wailing as you do it.

WowWee Island

Directed the development of a proposed branded online world called The Island of WowWee—thematically integrating the company's entire product line and creating an online recurring revenue opportunity.

Mr Personality

Directed marketing animation introducing WowWee's Mr. Personality—an interactive robot with a unique form of omni-wheeled locomotion, an animated face and a split personality.

WowWee Showroom

Me with Mr Personality in the WowWee Hong Kong showroom 2007.