WILD LOVE™ KOALA NATURAL WOODEN TEETHER TOY
A safe and soothing teether that brings together baby care and love for wildlife.
Brand: Munchkin
Launch: 2021
“Born to be wild. Especially when they teethe”
Made of 100% natural beechwood and food-grade silicone, this sweet koala teether has multiple textures to comfort and soothe sore, itchy gums. Designed for the tiniest hands to hold with ease, it has two wooden rings on a larger silicone base and makes a fun rattling sound when shaken.
Key Features
Product Recommendation
Design a soft yet durable 100% food-grade silicone teether with multi-sensory components
Natural Materials
Incorporate a wooden loop for multi-textured features
Wild Love Trade Mark
We’ve been introducing Wild Love Trade Marked products. Explore an option to design a character within the brand image
PROCESS
DEVELOPMENT
BRAINSTORMING
Drew inspiration from playful animal themes, competitor products, and the existing Wild Love brand guidelines to spark new design directions.
INSPIRATION
Selected the Koala character from the new bath toy line as the design focus, with alignment and approval from the Marketing and Brand teams.
PROTOTYPING BY HAND
Collaborated with an external sculptor to co-develop the character, rapidly iterating 3D forms to explore shape, dimensions, and details in the early design stage.
3D SCANNING + 3D CAD DESIGN
Worked with an external partner to 3D scan the handmade koala prototype, then refined and adjusted the model in CAD software for accuracy and production readiness.
MAKING SAMPLES
Collaborated with a mechanical engineer and supplier to create silicone mold tooling for sample production. Evaluated design details, tested wooden ring attachment, identified potential material issues, and developed improvement plans.
TEST & MAKE IMPROVEMENTS
The mechanical engineer tested sample durometers at varying levels and found that attaching a large wooden ring to the silicone body was unreliable. This led to the insight that a silicone ring would provide a more secure and durable solution.
DESIGN UPDATE
Following product review, the team selected a silicone ring with two smaller wooden rings for improved reliability. Safety and quality were retested and validated through EP, FEP, and PP sample stages.
COLLABORATE WITH PACKAGING TEAMS
Worked with the packaging team and provided samples to develop and validate the packaging structure.
Multi-textured teething toy designed to relieve, entertain, and soothe
Made of food-grade silicone
100% natural beechwood rings
Fun for babies to hold, rattle, and chew
BPA free
3+ months
