Kid Robot: Toying with Perception
Basecamp is a Web-based collaboration tool that, says Paul, provides “complete security, reliability, and accountability. It’s project-based, and you can really control who sees what. All our Chinese manufacturers use it, as well as a lot of our Asian and European designers. Thanks to Basecamp, we don’t even use email anymore with our factories. All messaging is stored online, and you can’t erase it. So it creates perfect accountability, because everything’s posted online, files never get lost, and versions are tracked.”
Working Across Continents
Tools like Basecamp allow Kidrobot to engage in cutting-edge collaborations that are uncommon in the staid toy industry. An example? “We’re working with artists in Germany on some amazing new toys. So the Germans do drawings, then a 3D modeler in Los Angeles creates detailed prototypes. Then our factory in China chimes in and says, okay, we can’t imagine making what you’re envisioning without an injection-molding process. Then my production manager in New York jumps in and says we can’t afford to make it injection-molded — it has to be vinyl, because molds cost less.
None of our work is nostalgic or sentimental. We’re always looking forward to see what’s next. And in a lot of ways, I feel like Apple’s the same. It’s a company that’s always doing something new, and never resting on what it did before.
“From a creative standpoint, we’re all working together happily to make this project come to fruition. From a business standpoint, we’re saving a lot of time, and often a paid employee of Kidrobot barely has to be involved. I’ve got a factory, I’ve got all these in-betweeners, and we’re just monitoring what’s going on, but we don’t have to do any heavy lifting. It’s wonderful.”
Kidrobot also relies on the communication tools built into Mac OS X. “We regularly use iChat to keep in touch with each other, and iSight cameras in our stores for quick video conferences,” says Paul. “I use translation widgets to communicate with designers in Germany and Japan. I’ve got a brilliant Japanese artist I’m working with on a daily basis. He speaks no English, none, yet we’re managing to communicate directly through translation software. Both of us have figured out that if we write very simply, the software seems to do its job. It’s just so funny, how respectful the Japanese comes through.
Playing with the Big Boys
“Kidrobot’s a funny business. Because, on one hand, we’re just a little design shop. But we’re also toy manufacturers on a global scale. We’re wholesalers, we’re retailers. And we’re always coming up with new ideas. We’re releasing a full clothing line this fall. We’re busy creating everything from cartoon characters to books to entertainment environments.” Paul just designed a book on toys for HarperCollins Publishers, and a large part of a Toronto nightclub for nightlife entrepreneur Peter Gatien. “So in a sense, we’re doing as many varied things at this tiny company as, say, a huge enterprise like Disney.”
As inspirations for the future of Kidrobot, Paul is unafraid to cite some heavy hitters: Disney, for its longevity and imagination. Nike, for its ability to mix boutique exclusivity with mass-market appeal. Starbucks, for its sheer consistency on a massive scale. And yes, Apple, for its “immaculate design and absolute functionality.
Immaculate Reconception
“Kidrobot is really about being immaculate, as well. We have a company philosophy that’s written in big letters on the walls of our office. It says, “Nostalgia is Death” — which means don’t look backwards. None of our work is nostalgic or sentimental. We’re always looking forward to see what’s next, what’s next, what’s next. And in a lot of ways, I feel like Apple’s the same. It’s a company that’s always doing something new, and never resting on what it did before.”
With that philosophy in mind, Kidrobot will shut down this fall — and reopen soon thereafter, as “a company that does everything,” says Paul. “I’m working on some cool computer speakers, and some other electronic and technology-oriented stuff. And some furniture. And we recently partnered with a digital animation company called Wild Brain. So we’ll have cartoons coming out this fall, based on some of our existing characters.
“It’s a natural step: All our toys have always had stories behind them. They’re edgy, without being mean. And that’s yet another way of describing what Kidrobot is all about.”
