Home Materials Procedure Design and Testing Instructions

Design Process

- The initial prototype (demonstrated at the Children’s School) involved only using the polyurethane rubber mold and was more of a demonstration than a museum exhibit. Also, melted crayons were used as the cast material instead of paraffin.

- For the second round of testing (at the Cyert Center), we modified our prototype by having children use play-dough to make their own molds so that they could take a more active role in the exhibit instead of using the pre-made one. Also, we found the crayons to be too brittle so we decided to use paraffin as the cast material.

- The main problem with the second prototype was that it was impossible to make a one part mold of Mr. Tomato Head’s body. However, the modifications we made from the first prototype all appeared to improve the overall exhibit.

- For our final prototype, we decided to recycle the play-dough used to make the molds and use it to also make the body.

Testing Results with Children

- Children’s initial reaction was enthusiastic since most were familiar with Mr. Potato Head

- Initially, the only role children would have was to pick the parts they would like the supervisors to make. Children would get bored of this very quickly, so the activity was modified accordingly.

- This exhibit worked better when the children made their own mold since it allowed them to engage more in the activity and actually see the deformation the master pieces would make in the play dough.

- Children also learn about the assembly process by making different pieces for the head, then seeing how these different pieces fit together.

Carnegie Mellon University

39-245 Rapid Prototype and Design

May 2006