Jordan Gifford Design


Socks the Fox
A play figure designed to bring the development benefits of dress-up dolls to an audience of children who may feel uncomfortable playing with stereotypical girls' dolls.
How are gender stereotypes present in toys and what effect does it have on children?
“If I played with the toy, I'd play with it alone somewhere so no one would see me”
"When at the toy store I wouldn’t even walk down the ‘pink aisle’”
“I would stop playing with it”


“I avoided it”
“I wouldn't use it, even if I thought it was cool. I felt like it was not made for me”
“I used to play in secret”
“I didn't feel embarrassed but I remember feeling angry at people telling me that I shouldn't play a certain thing cause it was ‘for boys’”
Developmental Benefits of Toys

Social Skills
Spatial Skills
Gross-motor Skills

Social Skills
Empathy
Fine-motor Skills

Spatial Skills
Gross-motor Skills

Cognitive Skills
Fine-motor Skills
Spatial Skills
Ideation
Gender Neutral....
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....vs. Breaking the Gender Norm

Three Choices

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Using blocks to build and design classical architecture



Animal characters are seen as gender-neutral
Fox dress-up play figure
Miniature laundry set
All kids can learn how to clean clothes
The other concepts are uniquely fun, but this one aligns best with the original issue

Playful & tricky
Figure Prototyping
Replicating and Testing Ball Joint

Sphere needs to be centered in cut-out to avoid collision
Playing with Eye Shape

Too human

Full Body

Body and neck are long
Highlight added to eyes to direct their gaze
Appears to reflective against matte painted body
Torn between realistic and cartoon-like proportions
Proportion Revisions

Head is too low
Pin Joint Testing


Pin needs room to flex and rotate
Clearance at meeting point for rotation

Tail joint is too thin and snapped
Choosing the Wardrobe

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Compromise with most popular costume and normal clothing outfit
Outfit Prototyping



Unfinished edge for fraying effect
Arm opening is too narrow for figure
Pirate Shirt


Sleeve is too long
Pirate Coat


Will add belt loops for pirate costume
Pants

Decreased number of pieces for cargo pants pocket
Foot opening increased to fit play figure


Sleeve radius needs to be increased
Hood is too small for figure's head
Hoodie



Opening in back is added to fit over the figure's head

Stretchy polyester at cuffs to mimic real hoodie
Braided embroidery floss for drawstrings
Skull and cross-bones painted on fabric
Painted clay buttons and buckle
Wallet strap used for belt
Everyone Say Hello to Socks!


