The dancing Whale.
Dancing whale is a stuff toy for kids with down syndrome. Studies show that children with down syndrome are reluctant to playing with toys with light or excess movement as down syndrome can cause development disfunctions and deficits in pattern integration and cognitive abilities.
So the Dancing whale is a soft toy with blue wave light patterns which are smooth lighting not harsh lighting, which will light up in waves and make the toy seem soothing compared to other lighting toys in the market.
Here as some reference sketches
To Implement this I bought my basic fabric and also started researching on stitching patterns.
Though i don’t have a circuit in place yet i did experiment with LED Buld lighting which will not work for my toy, so i will need to use LED Strip or other forms of lighting – ordered LED Light on amazon.
My main concerns with building the to are –
1. Matching the Fabric and light hues
2. Whether to use transparent tubing or smoky tubing
3. Making sure that the tube is not popping out of the toy and sits within the spectrum of the fabric
4. How to stich the tail.
To ideate I did some online search and here are the references :
Apart from the Dancing whale, I also ideated on Mr. WAI and Stretchy feet.
Mr. WAI – Mr. Who am I, Is a toy intended for toddlers especially in preschool. It can be worn as an everyday tag and lights up to the color you want. The color specifies which identity the toddler wants to take up for the day.
Whereas, Stretchy feet is a toy for babies which helps them stretch their legs away from their body.