Designing Hopping Animal and Comic Book Character Toys

A few years ago my husband and I went to Australia for our Wedding anniversary.  In Cairns we saw some really cool wooden toys - kangaroos that hopped down a slanted board.  Awesome!  They looked like an old-fashioned folk toy.  I wish I had bought a hopping kangaroo, but my suitcase was full of stuffed wombats and other furry toys.  I've been meaning to try and make a hopping kangaroo myself, for years, (and more years).  Since I have found Istructables and discovered the joys of making instructables, I thought I'd try my hand at some wood toys.

I found some internet photos of wooden hopping kangaroo toys and worked backwards.  http://www.boranupgallery.com/gifts/small-gift-ideas/lj/hopping-kangaroo/

I played around with some variations and made a working model of a kangaroo toy.  The kangaroo hops really well, with two different legs for a short hop or longer hop. Then I wanted to go a step further and make some other kind of hopping animal toy.... that's when I found out that it is HARD to make even a simple mechanical toy work the way you want it to.   After many rabbit body variations and different leg designs - varying center pivot point, body length, leg height etc... more than a page of trial results later, I have a hopping rabbit version that really hops.  In hindsight, I learned some key factors to consider for the design of hopping toys - mainly, BALANCE and how far you deviate from your prototype design.  Making a duck-bill dinosaur from the kangaroo pattern went a LOT faster than the rabbit - fewer variables to control.

Anyway, here's what I learned, may it help you design your own hopping toys faster and with less effort than I expended. 

Video links for completed toys are in steps 2, 3 and 4

Note: this type of toy has small parts which could pose a CHOKING HAZARD, so not for the under-three-years-old crowd

You will need:
*  wood  1/2-3/4 inch thick
* optional thin plywood (for legs) - about 1/4 inch thick
* 1/4 inch dowel
* 1/8 inch dowel or bamboo skewer
* 2 washers, center hole a bit larger than 1/4 inch (or axle size).
* scroll saw or hand coping saw
* drill press
* sand paper and files
* paint or other wood surface finish
* wood board, clip board, or book to provide the inclined plane down which the toy hops

Step 1 Inspiration

I first saw a wooden, hopping, toy Kangaroo when we were in Australia in 2008.  I can't find my pictures from that trip... so I looked on the internet to find some pictures of kangaroo toys.  Here is one.  I'm sorry that I don't know where this came from.. it was a few years ago.  (Please let me know if you know where this came from ... I'd love to attribute the photo).  See this webpage for another example http://www.boranupgallery.com/gifts/small-gift-ideas/lj/hopping-kangaroo/

I kind of sketched the general shape of the pieces, smoothed them out and cut them from wood.  The toy worked pretty well.  I thought the back leg looked too skinny, so I tried a fatter one, which also worked.  The fatter leg produces a 'shorter' hop than the original leg.  

 

Comments

[The DIY two-sided boy robot desk lamp]

Have much of a creativity!

[CatTrampoline]

This is so cool! I'm going to bookmark this and make one when the temperature in the garage falls to a humane level. It's 100+ out there now. These would make great presents.

[sashadistan]

I am going to go make one of these now! so exciting!

I'm a DT teacher, so eye ball measurements are good enough for me. I'll let you know how it goes.

[fzumrk]

You could probably get even more creative with the designs and tweak performance by adding steel weights hidden inside holes in the wood. The weights would be used to adjust the center of gravity of the body and/or legs.

[copilarim]

Yes... they are adorable!!!

[gruffalo child]

I'm going to make one just as I get home. Here in Russia, we have similar traditional toys, but they all have four legs, like this: http://www.razvivayka.com/detal.php?page=derzabava&id=1869

[wombatmorrison]

Very interesting! How does a toy with four legs work? Do the legs all move, or are some in a fixed position?

[wombatmorrison]

Thank you. I'd love to see a photo of any hopping toy you make. Enjoy!

[specialk]

Adorable! Thanks for posting this. I think I may have to make one of these!

[ChrysN]

Those are so cool!