T Haap Designs introduces the Rocking Bullfrog

The Rocking Bullfrog. Photo by Jaclyn Nash

One of my favorite toys as a child was my rocking horse. As a child of the 70's, the toy was just as likely to hurt me viciously as it was to provide fun, with its exposed springs seemingly designed to catch and pinch an unwary arm or leg. Regardless, I loved that toy. With so many of my friends now having children of their own, it has let me to thinking of creating toys in my wood shop (at this point, i did indeed note the similarity to Santa's workshop). So one of the first toys I decided to make was a rocking horse, of course.

Rocking horses are fine. But I did want to do something a little different, to really appeal to a child's sensibilities. I played with several ideas for different kinds of creatures, and finally settled upon a frog. A frog is a fun creature, and sure to draw the attention of children, with its large staring eyes, its dots and webbed toes. And it could come in a wide range of colors, as frogs themselves range from the greens and browns of the Bullfrog, to the vivid oranges and purples of the rain forest frogs. So the idea was settled. My first rocking creature was to be a frog.

It was not an automatic process. Converting a three dimensional animal into flat planes of wood must be done carefully if the overall impression of a real frog is to be maintained. Add to that, it also needed to conform to the shape and reach of children. Several sketches, Sketchup Models, and real models later, the final design for the rocking frog was complete.

The first customer for the rocking frog was Caleb Lowrimore, a former colleague of mine at Design Resource Group, who has his own child now approaching his first birthday. While it may be a little early just yet for the child to ride the frog on his own, he was certainly enthralled to see the frog, stumbling up to it in round eyed wonder. Until he grows a little more, it will be an exciting nursery mascot, sitting in the corner, waiting for the little man to grow to it.

Remembering the lessons of my own childhood toys, the rocking frog is safe. It is made wholly from the highest grade plywood's, and each corner is sanded soft and round, with no chance of splinters or abrasions. A safe, water based and non toxic paint was used on all surfaces, so even if baby decides to chew upon the frog, only the frog will be worse for wear. Since children love to test the limits of any toy, without consideration of consequences, the rocking frog was designed to be virtually un-tippable. Safety bulbs at both ends of the rocker arrest the frog before the rocking gets out of control. To prevent tipping sideways, the rockers themselves were made extra wide, and spread far out, providing a wide, stable platform for the frog to rock on. Finally, since this is going to be a toy that moves, it is securely held together. While simple wood glue may have done the trick to hold all the pieces together, it is additionally secured with hardwood dowels, to keep everything securely locked together even under the most joyously active child.

And so, that is the rocking frog, a fun, colorful, and joyous addition to any child's memories. To order one for your own small ones, email me today for a brochure showing the various color schemes and options available. And keep your eye out. Other creatures will soon be added to my rocking frog lineup.

thomas@thaapdesigns.com

Also check out my friends website, for many more rocking toy creations, including his version of the rocking frog, as well as kangaroos, dogs, pigs and more. He also has a really cool wooden Spirograph. I loved those as a kid. Tell Andy I sent you!

www.rockingfrog.com  and  http://www.etsy.com/shop/rockingfrog