Manufacturing & Production
What is a rigamajig? That is a very great question. Rigamajigs are education toys for children to encourage imaginative play. They were designed by Cas Holman, who works in industrial design at RISD. When Rigamajig was created, she was actually working on designing the rigamajig, the final product was chosen from four or five other options. However, Rigamajig’s first design, the Work-yard Kit, was released in February of 2011, and it soon launched into the High Line in June, 2011. From there, it took three years to make the Rigamajig ready for mass production, along with gaining lots of helpful feedback from teachers and children’s museums (Interview with the Inventor, 2016).
With her company, Heroes Will Rise, Holman works to design and manufacture tools for the imagination. She focuses on toys that are abstract, in order to give the children more imaginative play forms…and Rigamajig is no different (Create. Educate. Impact., 2016)! It is manufactured by Kaboom. Kaboom is a nonprofit organization that is based in Washington D.C. Kaboom strives to bring balanced and active play to the youth of America, especially those in poverty. To them, helping people realize the importance of play and the role it plays in promoting healthy lives and families, is very important (Association of Children’s Museums, 2015).
KaBoom! © 2016 Cas Holman
Design & Prototyping
When Rigamajig began, Cas Holman (who also works as a Professor of Industrial Design at Rhode Island School of Design) was working with Friends of the High Line, for High Line Park in New York City. Helping Holman create and develop, were various learning educators, woodworkers, and children (Association of Children’s Museums, 2015).
Rigamajigs are manufactured right here in the United States, and are highly energy efficient. Rigamajigs are made out of highest grade Baltic Birch Plywood. Furthermore, the wing bolts, hexruts, and brackets are 100% recycled nylon. The set includes wooden planks, wheels, pulleys, nuts, bolts, and rope (Association of Children’s Museums, 2015).
Marketing
One of Rigamajig’s greatest strengths, is that it’s equally marketed to both boys and girls. In their advertisements and pictures, it will most likely show both males and females. Furthermore, it is usually marketed to schools for educational purposes. This could be partly due to the fact that Rigamjig says that there must be adult supervision at all times when children are using the Rigamajig. Lastly, Rigamajig is only marketed to children older than four years old (Rigamajig, n.d.).
Sales
The main medium of sales for Rigamajig is through Elementary Classrooms (No Instructions, No Right Answers, 2014). Schools can apply for a Dr. Pepper Grant which would award the school a rigamajig. However, the grant process is very lengthy and educators must be very specific on how much it will be used and by whom (2014 Rigamajig Grant Program, 2014). So far, there are 28 elementary classrooms with a rigamajig for their students (No Instructions, No Right Answers, 2014).
Lastly, one could purchase a Rigamajig through the company Play World for around $3,500 (2015 Buyer’s Guide Sale, 2015).
User Support
Rigamajig’s support is based on prevention. In their brochure they outline some ways to care for their toy. First off, they pointed out that a key safety point is making sure the planks are soft and smooth, so they recommend periodic inspections. If at any point them get dings or dents, Rigamajig reccomends using 300 grit sandpaper to care for the wood planks. This should be followed up with refinishing the surface with childsafe varnish. Furthermore, as for the wingbolts and nuts, they can be washed in a washing machience, or simply with soap and water (Rigamajig, n.d.).
Maintenance
When Holman was working on her design, she realized that even if children who were used to extremely structured play and being told what to do, could adapt very quickly playing with her ‘hot mess’ style. This style has to do with hands on – free play learning. When she was working on developing the Rigamajig, Holman realized that the more non complicated the blocks were made a difference. The reasoning of her and her team was that the less they design, the more the kids design (Holman: Adventure Plan Encourages Creativity, 2015).
Recycling & Disposal
Because Rigamajig is already made out of recycled material (wing bolts and brackets are made of 100% recycled nylon), recycling it is fairly easy (Association of Children’s Museums, 2015). The plywood the Rigamajig planks are made of is recyclable, and can be used as a source of energy containing neutral carbon (Wood and Wood Products Can Be Reused, 2016).
