Gearing Up For Fun
How NU Toys Makes Space for Hand-on Creativity
College is often the time when students are expected to grow up. But for members of NU Toys, that means bringing their toys with them.
The Northeastern University club was founded in 2016 by a group of engineers who didn’t want to work on huge projects like cars, but rather lower-stress, fun projects, according to club president Simisola Familusi.
“Anyone who really wants to work on toys or has design interest is welcome,” said the third-year mechanical engineering student.
Members have opportunities to create new toys, improve existing ones, or fix broken toys in a hands-on environment.
The project process starts with brainstorming. At a meeting in late January, the eboard encouraged attendees to recollect their favorite toys and games from childhood, as well as what they liked and disliked about each.
“How can you make your project unique?” Familusi prompted. The club advocates divergent thinking. “Get out every possible thing in the human universe then narrow that down to what’s feasible,” she explained.
After a few minutes of mostly silent scribbling, one member proposed creating Hot Wheels that could be drawn on. Someone else then expanded on that idea, suggesting a version of modified Hot Wheels where the cars draw as they move.
Another member had some suggestions to extend the Northeastern-themed Monopoly game Familusi created previously, such as introducing penalties if a player runs out of dining hall swipes and lands in “jail.”
Once a club member has a solid idea, the member fills out a proposal with the purpose and logistics of the project. The eboard then processes these proposals by considering the skill level of members and how they can help each other out, as well as sending them to the faculty advisors to approve budgets. After a proposal is approved, the club orders the parts and the member can start building.
Individual projects are capped at $50, but so far they have averaged around $10–25, according to Familusi. Her Northeastern version of Monopoly cost $10 because she superimposed a customized template onto a regular Monopoly board she already had.
NU Toys owns two boxes full of helpful tools, and members can also use school resources, such as the laser cutter in Snell Library.
“The goal of every project is a working prototype,” said Familusi.
Beside ending up with a self-made toy and personal fulfillment, the projects made through the club can help members in other ways.
“A lot of us have worked at [Pawtucket-based toy manufacturer] Hasbro, including me,” Familusi said. “[NU Toys is] a huge talking point, and a lot of co-ops like hearing about even small-scale experiences.”
NU Toys has also started to establish two annual destress events: Every fall, the club holds a slime night around Halloween where people make their own gooey substances. Additionally, every spring around finals, the club holds a paper airplane throwing contest that includes a range of building materials. Attendees compete to see which plane flies the farthest after materials are taken away or added during each round.
Back at the brainstorming meeting, eboard member Devendra Shivraj, a third-year computer engineering student, fiddled with a remote-controlled car that took him about a month to build. The prototype already drives competently, but Shivraj has some ideas in mind for improvements. Instead of steering with buttons, he hopes to change the steering mechanism to use joysticks. He also wants to eventually activate the two optical sensors attached to the front for automatic obstacle detection.
“I just wanted to build an RC car, to be honest,” he explained.
Whether NU Toys members work individually or in groups may change from meeting to meeting and project to project. But the club strives to create a culture where people can easily ask each other for help in order to share skills and knowledge.
As Familusi put it, “Most of life is teamwork.”
Contact northeasterntoys@gmail.com for more information or if you’re interested in joining NU Toys.
