New toy invention program launched at Ryerson University
Students will be trained in the creative and business sides of the toy and game industry.
Breaking into the toy business is no child’s play, but a new program on toy invention at Ryerson University aims to help.
Reportedly the first of program of its kind in Canada, the one-year course series will cover the principles of toy invention and gamification, an introduction to intellectual property, how to conduct market research and pitch a concept as well as a product prototyping at a hands-on toy lab.
The program is based out of Ryerson’s faculty of communication and design and offered through the university’s Chang School for Continuing Education, with curriculum input from OCAD University and Spin Master, the toy company that owns brands such as Etch-a-Sketch and Meccano.
The program is modelled off a similar collaboration between Spin Master and Israel’s Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art. (Spin Master designer Paul Reynolds is a faculty member in both programs.) Lorena Escandón, program coordinator at Ryerson, says Spin Master initiated the partnership believing it could similarly nurture a community of toy inventors in Toronto, where the company is based. “Toy invention is at the intersection of creativity, entrepreneurship and design, and we believe that Toronto is a creative and entrepreneurial city,” Dr. Escandón said.
Although she anticipates the program will primarily attract people from related fields – chiefly education, psychology, industrial engineering and graphic design – she notes that its case-by-case admissions processes means it can facilitate a pathway into the industry for anyone who dreams of creating the next Rubik’s Cube or Mr. Potato Head.
Featured Jobs
- Medicine - Associate or Full Professor Professor (Kidney Health)Université de Montréal
- Architecture - Assistant Professor (environmental humanities and design)McGill University
- Finance - Faculty PositionUniversity of Alberta
- Engineering - Assistant or Associate Professor (Robotics & AI)University of Alberta
- Sociology - Tenure-Track Position (Crime and Community)Brandon University
More from News
-
Feds launch $1.7 billion international talent attraction program
The program will provide funding to bring 100 top-tier international research chairs and their teams to Canada.
-
The risks and rewards of overseas campuses
Universities wrestle with establishing satellites abroad.
-
Teaching physicians, med students battle Quebec’s Bill 2 with strikes and lawsuits
Students strive to make up for lost time after fall labour disruptions.
-
Opposition MPs grill Minister on federal AI strategy
Evan Solomon points to billions invested in research chairs and computing infrastructure at House of Commons committee appearance.
More from Campus news
-
Quebec universities weather an unprecedented storm
The province’s institutes of higher learning are navigating immigration restrictions, language policies, budget cuts and challenges to academic freedom.
-
Reflecting the cultural temperature
A look back at some of Spring’s convocation speeches at Canadian universities.
-
Memorial med student makes art to assist classmates’ study
What started as a hobby is now helpful for both his degree and his fellow classmates.
-
UNBC prof developing toolkit to help women feel safe online
‘Digital rights is a very important form of gender equality.’
More from Articles
-
Fourteen women receive engineering scholarships in commemoration of 1989 Montreal massacre
Initiated by Polytechnique Montréal in 2014, the scholarship program has vastly expanded its support for female engineering students.
-
Critics mull challenge to Ontario’s Bill 33
Government regulation of student fees, admissions criteria, cause controversy around new provincial education law.
-
International student visa permits: What to know
IRCC announces 2026 international student targets.
-
Universities ‘absolutely vital’ to Canada’s AI strategy, minister says
Evan Solomon, Canada’s minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation, in conversation with University Affairs’ Christopher Guly.
Post a comment
University Affairs moderates all comments according to the following guidelines. If approved, comments generally appear within one business day. We may republish particularly insightful remarks in our print edition or elsewhere.