WHAT'S IN THE APPLE ?!

• How to Play?

My toy was made for my sister. After conducting an interview, I summarized several key points: she likes plush toys, enjoys drawing, loves traveling and adventure, and dislikes anything that makes her feel bored. So, my toy is an apple full of possibilities. On the outside, it is a apple plush made with fabric and the sewing machine. If you open it, you'll find a small apple inside. If you unfold it from one side, it turns into multiple apple slices. But if you unfold it from the other side, it reveals a small world I made with needle felting drawing.

Video of the toy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ywKj0tubBZy_kZIP9kCgsZ20shicYCmV/view?usp=sharing

• Play Value

What impressed me the most in the documentary we watched is the idea that a good toy should be 'open-ended'. My understanding of this is that a toy should not be limited to a 'correct' way of playing with. This means that a toy should have many possibilities. Based on this idea, I struggled a lot to intentionally make my toy more open and "designed for play". 

As for the toy I designed, I set two aspects of play value. First, the apple is like a magical pocket for you to always discover something new about it. An small apple is inside the big apple, a small world is revealed when you unfold the small apple. The exploration of these layers is a process of playing with it. The other aspect of the play value is the drawing part. My original intention was to create a DIY toy where each person who owns this apple can create their own little world hidden inside. For my sister, I used needle felting to draw the four seasons on the apple slices. This way, when she opens the little apple, she might feel as if she's traveling through time. This is a unique and special-designed toy for an individual. It contains tons of possibilities. 

• Reflection

During my presentation, I remember the professor mentioning that the connected apple slices resembled a storybook. This gave me a new perspective to think about. I realized that this small apple truly holds infinite possibilities. Since each person would draw something different on it, every apple would be completely unique. If I had more time, the first thing I would do is remake the large apple. It is slightly distorted, and its size is not quite ideal, making it somewhat flawed overall. Secondly, I would like to enhance the playability of my toy—perhaps by adding an apple-scented fragrance. Additionally, other people's presentations inspired me a lot. If possible, I would love to integrate NFC chips into each apple slice so that when you unfold a scene, you can hear a corresponding sound. This means I hope my toy can engage not only visually but also through scent and emotion, creating a more immersive experience. What I am most proud of is that people seemed to really like the needle felting illustrations I made. They also highly appreciated the way I used needle felting to connect the apple slices together.