I Want Toys that Mean More

 - A response piece to “I Just Want Something Cool For My Desk”

By: Andrew, 21 July 2021

Caiphus first hit me with the idea of Short Drop back when we were both still working at Electronic Arts (I still work here; he has since moved on to other things).  We had spent years riffing at EA about various business endeavors, ideas, things we could do, little empires we could build, but none of them hung around in my mind like the vision for Short Drop.  

Admittedly, I am not as deep in the world of art & designer toys as much as Caiphus.  Yes, I work at a video game company and have toys and figurines on my desk that encapsulate parts of my personality, interests, and favorite characters.  And I too, love going to coworker’s desks, talking about their new toys, old classic toys, and things people have made themselves (now that 3D printing can be an at-home-hobby).  It’s fascinating how each collection of toys quaintly reflects the personality of its owner.  

But what stuck with me about Short Drop was that things we make are more than just toys and figurines for peoples’ desks.  They are art first in the way they tell a story, a ‘what if’ that asks us to reflect on our lives and the world we live in.  

I remember when Caiphus first told me about his “Freedom Fighters” idea (see “The FFC” blog post), and I thought to myself, “we cannot make designer toys of Ghandi and Mother Theresa...who would buy that?”  But through the lens of where we are today in 2021, after the year and a half of continued racial injustice and violence in my home country (USA) and abroad, maybe it is the right time for history’s peaceful protestors to come back with a vengeance.  

Just like my favorite novels, music, movies, and shows, the things we do as a team get me to ask questions about myself.  

I am a part of Short Drop because I want to help Caiphus and the rest of the team manifest art and designer toys and products that reflect the world we are living in, that ask the ‘what if’ questions, and like the moments we live through, will vanish unless we capture their significance before they are gone.