If I were LEGOs, I would be shaking in my boots right now over Blocklets. Blocklets are a new toy designed by Mark Plaga and Gabe Cantor that are made from laser-cut acrylic and wood and feature an open-source design.
Despite looking more like microchips than building blocks, Blockets actually are a serviceable building toy able to create everything from a simple cube to a robot. Cantor and Plaga have taken their idea to Kickstarter where they are seeking funds to start manufacturing Blocklets in North Carolina. The project is currently slightly over goal, which means that you can expect to see Blocklets floating around the Internet and your local toy store sometime soon. Mark my words, these will be the new Buckyballs.
What's Driving This Trend
- Open-source Toy Bricks
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Embrace open-source design for traditional building toys to foster creativity and customization.
- Laser-cut Toy Designs
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore innovative methods of laser-cutting acrylic and wood to create unique and versatile toy designs.
- Crowdfunding for Toy Manufacturing
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Utilize crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter to fund and launch new toy manufacturing projects.
Who This Affects Most
- Toy Manufacturing
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate open-source design principles and laser-cutting techniques to create innovative and customizable toy products.
- Crowdfunding Platforms
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Offer crowdfunding services specifically tailored for the toy industry to support new product development and manufacturing.
- E-commerce and Retail
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Embrace the trend of open-source toy bricks and laser-cut designs to diversify product offerings and attract new customers.
