U students take new course, become toymakers

University of Minnesota students will model their own toy concepts during a new course which debuted spring semester.

Assistant professor Barry Kudrowitz in the College of Design will teach 20 students in “Toy Product Design,” according to a press release. This is the first class required in the product design minor being developed at the University.

The class will work with Creative Kidstuff and others from the industry in hopes that one of the functional prototypes could go to market, Kudrowitz said. He invented a Nerf Atom Blaster for Hasbro, Inc. in 2005, according to a press release.

 “The main goal of the class it to teach them the design process and get them familiar with using the tools,” Kudrowitz said.

Kudrowitz has taught the class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the past six years. He will teach two more courses — Concepts Sketching and Creativity and Innovation — at the University this fall.