What Inspired Me to Invent?
Several years ago, I took my daughter, who was almost four years old, to Toys R Us (yes, it was still around then) to shop for her birthday present. At that age, she usually willingly accepted my suggestions. But, when I suggested getting some Lego toys, her response was “Legos are for boys!” Since that comment, we’ve had lots of conversations on the topic of toys. I tried to understand where and how she got this idea about Lego at her age. Our conversation and visits to her preschool led me to believe that her preschool play experience gave her these ideas. I noticed that Legos were usually put on the rug, and surrounded by boys. Most girls choose to sit at a table, and the teacher chose to place markers and papers there. It is hard to know if girls were drawn to the markers and papers or if they just preferred to do activities at the table (and would do whatever the teacher placed there).
Things have changed since I was a kid, now retailer’s Lego sales strategy seems to be gender biased. The other day I was at Target. The display section at the end of the Lego aisle had various grey and blue Lego vehicles, which seems to be a subtle suggestion that Lego is for boys not for girls. The display was not enticing to girls.
Two years after the conversation about Lego with my daughter, I started Baby Monster Group to research and develop STEM toys for young girls because I realized that the marketplace lacked toys that would interest girls in STEM. I decided to start inventing because I didn’t want my daughters to fall behind on their STEM subjects compared to their male counterparts due to lack of exposure. I researched and observed how girls play with their friends and what they naturally do with their toys. That’s how I came up with the Interactive Stage technology platform, a concept that integrates STEM into kids’ natural play activities.
The Interactive Stage is a puppet stage that allows kids to design a lighting sequence to fit the story that they want to tell, to build stage props and tagged puppets that can be moved by motor. Through a software application, kids will have the power to control the lights, sound and movement on a physical puppet stage. In doing so this will expand their imagination through theater engineering.
I was inspired to invent by the problem I saw, namely the lack of STEM toys that appeal to young girls.
Where do most inventors get inspiration for their inventions? They solve problems that they have encountered in their own lives
Throughout history there have been a number of inventions that were created to address different needs, such as the trampoline and Christmas lights. But did you know that many of them were invented by kids? This article, which lists 14 things invented by kids, is a huge source of inspiration for me, and evidence that you can be an inventor at any age.
My advice to inventors of all ages would be:
- Look around you, if there’s anything you are not satisfied with, find a way to make it better!
- Keep a journal of ideas and thoughts so you don’t forget
- Expose yourself to diverse experiences so that you can form opinions
- Learn a new subject, pick up a new skill or two: transferring knowledge from different disciplines can often result in new discoveries
- Never give up and keep trying
Baby Monster Group is a company focused on giving children of any age, gender and economic background an equal opportunity to learn STEM.
LEARN MORE about our first product, a STEAM toy called the Interactive Stage: http://igg.me/at/bmgstage. The Interactive Stage was designed for young learners (K-3) to do what they love to do- role play and show and tell. This “toy” has been developed for children who might not be interested in the STEM toys out in the marketplace. After 4 years of research and development we are now raising money for our first production run of the Interactive Stage.
Linda Chen is the Founder of Baby Monster Group, a company focused on giving children of any age, gender and economic background an equal opportunity to learn STEM. Linda has a Master of Arts degree in Statistics from Columbia University, an MBA from the London Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She currently lives in Mercer Island with her husband and their two daughters.
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