MakieLab

The toys we had as children were never made to suit us individually—at least not like this. MakieLab, a new toy and games company based in London, has stepped in to produce customizable toys for every toy lover—young or old. They develop digital and physical toys that are internet-generated and 3D-printed. These eco-friendly dolls are affectionately named MAKIES and creating one is a fun process. First, the user decides on the gender after which the digital doll can be customized in any aspect: skin, hair, eye colour as well as different facial features, outfits and even poses. Then, as the creator proceeds to the next stage of the physical product, the customer chooses the specific outfit to be shipped out with the doll. As a result, each toy is unique to its user, both physically and digitally. The dolls are sized to fit Lilypad Arduino sets (open source hardware controllers), but the company is also interested in Bluetooth, RFIDs and near field tags, and similar small bits of electronica that can be stuffed in, hooked up and played with. The digital MAKIES are highly customizable and able to do anything in their 3D environment while the physical MAKIES are still limited in clothing and skin colour selection. Fortunately for toy lovers, MakieLab continues to work on diversifying the physical MAKIES while they expand their digital options for the user.