While it only took Apple’s iTunes one week to reach one million downloadable songs sold in 2003, that was a large venture by an already huge company entering the already mass market segment of music. The Toyze App is a start-up trying to get people to do something entirely new: create and model their own 3D printable toys. So, hitting 350.000 downloads, between Android and iOS, and one million 3D models created (about three for each downloaded App), in about six months, is quite an impressive feat.
The bottom line is that the company’s 3D consumer marketplace for customizable content is gaining traction and is appreciated by everyone involved. Zeptolab, publishers of the extremely popular Cut the Rope series of puzzle-game apps, was among the first to get involved with their iconic Om-Nom character (and all of his friends and enemies from the games). Misha Lyalin, CEO of Zeptolab confirmed that the company is looking forward to a “continued partnership with the Toyze team.”
Toyze Co-founder and Investor Ilja Laurs went as far as comparing the app to a 3D version of Instagram for virtual characters. “We offer similar customization,” he said, “except that instead of editing a personal photo with effects and filters, we give users the chance to customize a beloved branded game character and bring it to life in 3D.”
The only question remaining is whether – or actually when – Toyze will be making money. The company did not reveal how many of the created models were actually ordered for 3D printing by Materialise, but with prices currently ranging from around $35 for a 2” full color character to close to $1,500 for 8.5”. it may still be a while before that happens.
Nevertheless the idea of fully customized, 3D printed toys is becoming more popular and prices are bound to come down. Brands such as Talking Tom and Friends, The Tribez, Pou, and more have already joined and others are bound to follow suite. The temptation to extend the reach of brand virtual characters into the realm of merchandising and toys – with virtually notinitial investment – is too strong to pass up, and that is exactly what Toyze is offering though 3D printing.
In ten years, iTunes went from one million songs sold to several billion. If Toyze enjoys just a small fraction of that success, it will still be an enormous achievement.
