 | |
| Type | Construction set |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Richard Manville |
| Company | Mattel, Inc. |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 2002–2004 |
| Slogan | How do you Ello? |
Ello Creation System ("Ello") was a construction toy manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. between the years 2002-2004. The toy set was created by the American designer Richard Manville. The Ello Creation System was a breakthrough toy created to engage girls in construction play.
Mattel Girls-Division President, Adrienne Fontanella, and Senior VP of Worldwide Girls Design, Ivy Ross, were looking for and exploring new opportunities for girls outside of dolls and traditional doll play-patterns.[ citation needed ]
In 2001, with the intent to find an opportunity in non-traditional play patterns for girls, Ivy Ross created an in-house think tank (later named Project Platypus).[ citation needed ] The think tank consisted of a variety of volunteer Mattel employees from inside and outside of the product development department. The think tank's goal was to create a toy that would successfully engage girls in construction play.[ citation needed ]
Over a series of weeks the think tank divided into a collection of teams and individuals who developed competing concepts for a series of focus group testing and selection by girls and their parents. A concept named Ello created by former Barbie Packaging Creative Director Richard Manville received enthusiastic praise from both girls and parents alike.[ citation needed ]
Described as a "creation system", the Ello concept (targeted primarily to girls ages 5 to 14) incorporated some traditional elements of craft (including beading and graphic customization), shapes and panels in unique color palettes, a variety of themes, and a flexible intuitive building process. The toys variety and potential combination of parts gave children an opportunity to create characters, jewelry, building structures, decorative accessories, or whatever they could imagine.[ citation needed ]
Manville began the development of the toy in 2001, working with engineers Jim Mills-Winkler and Armen Danielian to perfect the core construction elements. Designer Stella Jung, inventor/engineer James Molina joined the team in 2002 to develop and expand the line.[ citation needed ]
The Ello product line won several Oppenheim platinum best toy awards for educational toy excellence in its short three-season life span. However, development of the toy ceased in 2004.[ citation needed ]
No official explanation exists for the demise of the line.[ citation needed ]
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