Building Body Block
6-11 years old is the age at which the body begins to object (Perez, 2016) , and toy dolls play a significant role in shaping that perception.
However, conventional dolls are often skinny and light-skinned, and lack a variety of shapes and skin tones.
All human beings in real life have different shapes, proportions, colors, and forms.
Building body blocks are toys that help children understand that everybody has a different shape and color. The various body blocks are designed based on the skin color and shape of a real human body.
Through creative activities that randomly combine various body parts, children can expand their awareness of the human body instead of having preconceived notions about physical characteristics based on gender and race.
However, conventional dolls are often skinny and light-skinned, and lack a variety of shapes and skin tones.
All human beings in real life have different shapes, proportions, colors, and forms.
Building body blocks are toys that help children understand that everybody has a different shape and color. The various body blocks are designed based on the skin color and shape of a real human body.
Through creative activities that randomly combine various body parts, children can expand their awareness of the human body instead of having preconceived notions about physical characteristics based on gender and race.
What kind of body shape and skin color do children mainly learn through dolls?
The bodies of girls and boys are not clearly differentiated.
What are the benefits of learning through dolls that highlight the physical differences
between
adult females and males before children experience changes in their own bodies?
PROBLEM 1. LACK OF VARIOUS BODY TYPES AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ULTRA-THIN DOLLS
Dolls with unrealistically skinny bodies lead to the development of thin body anomalies and internalization of body dissatisfaction in young girls. It also causes eating disorders and depression. (Sherman, Zurbriggen 2014)
Girls who played with ultra-thin dolls were more dissatisfied with their stature than girls who played with curved dolls. (Jellineka, Myers and Keller 2016)
Playing with realistic dolls after playing with extremely thin dolls did not counteract those effects. (Boothroyd, Tovée and Evans 2021)
PROBLEM 2. LACK OF VARIOUS SKIN COLORS
Compared to dolls with white skin and straight blonde hair, dolls of other skin colors are not enough. Children may feel that their skin should be brighter like their dolls.
Form of body block was inspired by the color of human skin, the color of wood and the shape of the pebbles. Trees have different colors depending on the environment, and shape of pebble is changed depending on the environment. I thought human's body is similar with them as a part of nature.
I wanted to create body parts that were ambiguous to distinguish between body and head, female and male. Body blocks are designed in an ambiguous form to allow as many different combinations as possible.
PROCESS
︎ PRODUCT DESIGN, ART DIRECTION, VISUAL IDENTITY, 3D MODELING