Gold Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design · 2020
MoFU Mighty Omega Folding Universe Puzzle Toy
by Yoshiaki Ito
- A' Design Award 2020 Gold Winner in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: MoFU
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 76,755
- Verification code 1FB478D76E · Verify this award
About MoFU Mighty Omega Folding Universe Puzzle Toy
MoFU are transforming toys that are also brainteaser puzzles. Starting as identically shaped cuboids that slide out of boxes on drawers, each MoFU unfolds into a different kind of animal - pig, monkey, tiger, hippo, and giraffe. Each animal is its own character with cute and iconic features, but each is also a distinct puzzle. Folding a MoFU back into the correct cuboid shape so it can perfectly fit back into its box is a brainteasing challenge.
Within the expansive tradition of playthings that bridge cognitive engagement with aesthetic pleasure, Yoshiaki Ito's MoFU Mighty Omega Folding Universe Puzzle Toy emerges as a distinguished contribution to contemporary design practice, synthesizing the ancient human fascination with animal forms, the geometric rigor of modernist sculptural traditions, and the interactive possibilities of transformable mechanisms. The collection presented here demonstrates remarkable chromatic sophistication, deploying a carefully calibrated palette of warm earth tones punctuated by a single cool accent that creates visual harmony while maintaining distinct identity for each creature in the menagerie. The faceted treatment of organic forms suggests dialogue with early twentieth-century experiments in Cubist sculpture and the more recent digital aesthetic of low-polygon modeling, yet the warmth of the chosen hues and the evident tactile appeal of the matte surfaces soften any coldness that pure geometric abstraction might impart. Technical accomplishment reveals itself in the precise engineering of articulated joints that enable transformation between compact folded states and fully realized animal configurations, a mechanism that invites repeated manipulation and rewards sustained attention with the satisfaction of successful form resolution. The choice of animal subjects spanning multiple continents and ecosystems suggests thematic engagement with biodiversity appreciation and natural world wonder, positioning the objects as vehicles for both imaginative play and informal zoological education. The central gorilla's extended arms create a compositional gesture of embrace that metaphorically gathers the surrounding creatures into a unified community, perhaps inviting contemplation of interconnection within the natural world. One might consider how the tension between geometric stylization and organic reference reflects broader cultural negotiations between technological modernity and enduring human attraction to the animal kingdom that has inspired artistic representation since paleolithic cave paintings.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- MoFU are transforming toys that are also brainteaser puzzles. Starting as identically shaped cuboids that slide out of boxes on drawers, each MoFU unfolds into a different kind of animal - pig, monkey, tiger, hippo, and giraffe. Each animal is its own character with cute and iconic features, but each is also a distinct puzzle. Folding a MoFU back into the correct cuboid shape so it can perfectly fit back into its box is a brainteasing challenge.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 85mm x 70mm x 60mm when folded in their 3D-printed boxes and at their most compact. Dimensions change with various poses. The maximum possible height is the fully unfolded giraffe at 370mm, and the minimum possible height is a fully recumbent monkey at 35mm.
- Tags
- Toys, Animals, Ecology, Recycled, Plastic, Geometric, Abstract, Transforming, Brainteaser, Puzzle
- Production Technology
- MoFU are 3D-printed using 100% recycled PET plastic from water bottles using selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing. The 3D-printed pieces of the toy are united by elastic bands which run through the center of each piece. The pieces are finished with polyshot surfacing and deep-dye coloring for safe use by children and maximum lifespan.
- Design Challenge
- I had to think about the shape of each piece very carefully and how it could fit with its neighboring piece like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Additionally all of the pieces had to be folded together into the rectangular shape of their box.
- Project Duration
- MoFU project development started in Brooklyn, NY in April 2018. The first animal, a pig, was created in May 2018; the monkey was finished in September 2018; the tiger in December 2018, the hippo in March 2019, and the giraffe in Jun 2019.
- Operation Flow
- MoFU emerge from identically shaped boxes, but each transforms into a different animal figure with articulated joints. Elastic bands form the animals' tendons and ligaments, allowing maximum transformability and infinite possible poses.
The toys are figurines, but they are also puzzles with varying degrees of difficulty. Folding them back into the correct cuboid shape so that they can fit back into their boxes ranges from simple for a child hippo to difficult for an adult monkey. - Research
- Each piece of each toy had to be precisely shaped to fit with its neighboring piece like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. Pieces that approximate parts of an animal body must also be folded and nestled in a specific way, fitting perfectly together to revert to a cuboid shape.
Finding the perfect tension of the elastic bands was difficult as the pieces must freely rotate and fold, but not be at all loose. The holes bored for the bands had to be precise to the half-millimeter for the toy to function properly. - Inspiration
- Japanese origami, Kumiki puzzles, Transformers.
- Image Credits
- Photgrapes by Yoshiaki Ito, Video by Aria Wetzler and Yana Birykova
- Patents
- Yoshiaki Ito
Colors of MoFU Mighty Omega Folding Universe Puzzle Toy
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We specialize in innovative product design, transforming concepts into award-winning reality. With expertise in toys, puzzles, and sustainable design, we bring Japanese-inspired aesthetics and Brooklyn creativity to every project. Our approach combines playful innovation with technical precision.
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