Toy Designs by J. Surovsky
Jacob Surovsky is a San Diego based playmaker focused on toy design and themed experiences. With a keen interest in 3D printed mechanical toys and marble games that are usually only available through major toy manufacturers.
(PLA Extrafill “Turquoise Blue”, “Rapunzel Silver” & “Luminous Orange”)
To create experiences that encourage his audience to be playful and tell stories, Jacob uses a wide variety of skills from coding and 3D design to writing and acting. “Being a playmaker for me means being a jack of all trades and a master of fun,” he says. “Depending on the project, that can look like designing escape rooms, writing and producing a puppet show, or inventing educational toys.”
(Owl Buddy printed with PLA Crystal Clear “Smaragd Green”)
Thanks to an interdisciplinary design/business program at USC, Jacob was introduced to 3D printing as a designing medium, which is reflected in the way he uses this additive manufacturing method. “3D printers for me are like the ultimate toy. When I’m designing something new, usually, I’m not following a linear process. Instead, I’m trying to be playful with my ideas and use that playfulness as a tool to create the unexpected,” says Jacob. “It’s not until I’m holding a tangible object in my hands that I can truly understand and come up with ideas for making it better.” One of the biggest advantages of this medium is turning the ideas from digital objects to a physical one allowing for quick iterations.
(Marble City Kinetic Sculpture printed with PLA Extrafill “Gold Happens”)
The involvement and help that Jacob received from his classmates and mentors encouraged him to start designing his own creations. This was a starting point of creating his Instagram account Coolthingsbyjacob, to document his 3D design work and other projects. “Having community engagement encouraged me to keep pushing my skills and trying out different ideas,” he tells us.
(PLA Extrafill “Turquoise Blue”, “Rapunzel Silver” & “Luminous Orange”)
With his lifelong fascination with vintage mechanical marble toys such as Screwball Scramble, he started to create his own versions of these mechanical marble runs. Over the past year, after testing different ideas, he has created Marbleous Adventures, a series of fully realized marble runs available on Kickstarter. As Jacob says, “It’s been fun pushing my technical design skills to their limits to create a product that I’m really proud of.”
(Big Top Bounce! printed with PLA Extrafill “Vertigo Galaxy” & “Gold Happens”)
“The only 3D printing material I really ever use is Fillamentum PLA because it’s non-toxic and comes in so many great colors. My most recent printing setup had my printer in my bedroom closet, so I don’t want to worry about fumes and ventilation. PLA is great because it’s reliable, durable, and affordable,” Jacob says. “I was blown away by both the quality of the filament and the amazing colors and styles offered. Fillamentum’s colors and styles really embrace the medium of 3D printing and can make any file into an outstanding showroom piece.”
Find the models here:
Cults3D
Myminifactory
Thingiverse
Patreon
Materials and prints:
Big Top Bounce! printed with PLA Extrafill “Vertigo Galaxy” & “Gold Happens”
Marble City Kinetic Sculpture printed with PLA Extrafill “Gold Happens”
Owl Buddy printed with PLA Crystal Clear “Smaragd Green”
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