Will 3D Printing Kill The Toy Industry First?

As a new father, I have become acutely aware about my sudden consumption of all things bright, shiny, ugly and plastic. An avalanche of very non eco-friendly gifts sit on my son’s bookcase awaiting him to grow old enough so that he can use them for five minutes until he moves on to the next item. I shudder at the waste but somehow they keep turning up. Of course, we could just pass these on but we could also say no thanks, we’ll make our own: An article in Wired magazine gives me a little hope: they suggest that toys in the future will be made on demand at home through 3D printers. Wired says:

As 3D printers become desktop tech rather than factory tech, we’re starting to see exciting new products come into play — products which may have been overlooked in the old pipeline, where design and prototyping costs kept the little guy out, and marketing costs were prohibitive. But Minneapolis’ Andrew Comfort can tell you, it’s a new world now.
A couple years ago he created Q-BA-MAZE, a building block set with holes and channels that can direct a ball bearing throughout the block structure. Now the toy is stocked at retailers around the country and has been featured on Gizmodo and ID Magazine’s New and Notable ’07 issue. And just to show excited people are getting, the Walker Art Center recently commissioned Comfort to create a gigantic Q-BA-MAZE fish slash marble run for their atrium.

The article continues with an interview with Comfort.

Invented a Toy? Just Print It. | Geekdad from Wired.com