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.

A baby koala climbing on a circular wooden and green plastic or rubber ring toy, against a background of light blue and green with faint tree and koala illustrations.

Key Features

A collection of empty colorful bowls, including red, green, blue, orange, and yellow, arranged closely together.

Product Recommendation
Design a soft yet durable 100% food-grade silicone teether with multi-sensory components

Stack of natural wood rings with a smooth finish on a white background.

Natural Materials
Incorporate a wooden loop for multi-textured features

Colorful tumblers with cartoon animal and nature designs, one pink with a bee and flowers, and one blue with a panda and tropical leaves.

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

A collage of images showing various koala-themed toys and accessories, including koala figures, rings, and clips, in different colors and designs.

DEVELOPMENT

Collection of Peppa Pig themed toys and accessories, including a few colorful cups and a plush figurine.

BRAINSTORMING
Drew inspiration from playful animal themes, competitor products, and the existing Wild Love brand guidelines to spark new design directions.

Blue plastic figurine of a sitting bear with rounded ears and black nose on a white surface.

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.

Close-up of a white silicone figure with a rounded head and body, held by a person's hand, with pink markings highlighting a tiny detail on its side and a corner of the pink markings. Inset images show a blue silicone koala figure from different angles.

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.

A 3D rendering of a black teddy bear sitting next to a gray medical stethoscope.

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.

Hand holding a wooden ring with a blue koala-shaped teether attached. The background includes a partially assembled enclosure with yellow and black caution tape at the top and labeled orientations 1 through 6.

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.

A blue silicone and wooden rattle toy in the shape of a bear is being pressed against a metal machine with a sign reading 500 LBF 2500 N.

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.

A baby teething toy with a blue koala figure attached to a green and wooden ring.

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.

A cardboard box on a wooden surface contains a blue pig-shaped object, a white object, and treble clef-shaped rings. An annotation indicates the box's height needs to increase by 6mm.

COLLABORATE WITH PACKAGING TEAMS
Worked with the packaging team and provided samples to develop and validate the packaging structure.

Plain brown textured paper background

  • 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

A baby teething toy shaped like a koala bear with a blue head and a green ring, with two wooden rings attached.
The image shows a Munchkin brand natural wooden teether in the shape of a bear, with a green ring attached. The teether is shown inside a cardboard box with a clear window, and the packaging indicates it supports koala habitats in Australia.
Packaging of a natural wooden teether for babies, labeled 'Koala' and mentions it is made of 100% natural beechwood with silicone for comfort and soothing, BPA and phthalate free, with instructions for cleaning and warnings against choking hazards.
A happy young child with dark hair, wearing a yellow long-sleeve shirt and a pink vest, sitting in a blue high chair outdoors. The child is smiling and holding a colorful soft teething toy with a green handle and blue, yellow, and brown parts. There is greenery and flowers in the background.
A woman is leaning into the trunk of a car to play with a young child who is sitting in a stroller. The child is holding a teething toy and smiling. Both appear happy and engaged.
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