I-Gami

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

i-Gami is a toy in which small plastic pieces can be bent and snapped together to form small to large three-dimensional figures. It began production in 2006 by Plastic Play Inc. before being acquired by PlaSmart Inc.

History[edit]

i-Gami is a toy product created by Boaz Axelrad, a Canadian.[1] The toy takes inspiration from Japanese origami. Unlike origami, however, i-Gami is made from small pieces of plastic that can be bent and snapped together to form various figures, either in two- or three-dimensional form. Additionally, pieces can be disassembled and/or reused. Figures can be built either by following an instruction booklet which comes with each set, or by creating custom designs imagined by the creator.

i-Gami began production in 2006 by Plastic Play Inc., a company located in Oshawa before being acquired by Ottawa-based PlaSmart (best known for its success with the PlasmaCar) in 2009.[2] PlaSmart had previously been the exclusive US distributor of the product since 2007. The company now owns all intellectual property rights to and manufacturing assets for the product line.[2]

Currently, i-Gami is sold in box sets, ranging from beginner (54 pieces) to advanced (600 pieces).

Reception[edit]

i-Gami has been generally well received by consumers.[3] Consumers appreciate the fact that i-Gami promotes spatial learning, and also introduces the concept of counter pressure to young children.[3] It has received multiple awards (see Awards section) since its entrance into the market.

Awards[edit]

  • 2008 iParenting Media - Excellent Product Award [4]
  • 2007 TDmonthly Innovation Award [4]
  • 2007 Dr. Toy - Top 100 Best Products [5]
  • 2006 Creative Child Magazine - Preferred Choice Award [4]

See also[edit]

PlaSmart Inc.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rodrigues, Daniel W.L. "i-Gami Toy: An addictive snack for geometry-hungry minds"
  2. ^ a b "PlaSmart buys i-Gami Archived 2009-06-09 at the Wayback Machine". Playthings.
  3. ^ a b TDmonthly - i-Gami. Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b c Jones, Julie L. "TDmonthly - Ttalf, Plasmart, Ogosport". toydirectory.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  5. ^ Dr. Toy's Best Products - 2007. Archived 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine

External links[edit]