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
- Toldo Chair in Christian StudiesAssumption University
- Movember Institute Discovery Research Program FellowshipsThe University of British Columbia
- Canada Impact+ Emerging Leader in Quantitative and AI-enabled Electron Microscopy for Quantum and Advanced MaterialsMcMaster University
More from News
-
Waterloo battery researcher wins Canada’s top science prize
Linda Nazar receives NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal for research on cutting-edge energy storage technology.
-
NSERC laureates help save people — and the planet
Researchers at McMaster, Western and the University of Guelph honoured for work in human health and environmental protection.
-
Budget pressures put satellite campuses under threat
Universities wrestle with educational mission, financial realities.
-
Universities in Guelph, Toronto, Alberta and Trois-Rivières win Synergy Awards
From cell biology to sustainable packaging, the NSERC prizes recognize innovative research partnerships.
More from Campus news
-
Strike over, but strife remains at Laurentian
Faculty ratify new collective agreement, but say the deal still puts them behind other Ontario universities.
-
Faculty strike at Laurentian
Negotiations fail, picket lines rise at northern Ontario university.
-
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.
More from Articles
-
NSERC announces Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship winners
Research council kicks off a week of prizes with grants for early-stage academics.
-
Lessons from a quarter-century of innovation
Our four-part series spotlights scientists who overcame obstacles to successfully commercialize their biotech breakthroughs.
-
Feds announce $880 million for research
Funding will support both established health scientists and emerging cross-disciplinary researchers.
-
OCAD University celebrates 150 years of shaping Canadian culture
Art and design university launches $6-million campaign for 150 scholarships to mark 150th anniversary.
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.