Alessio Mosaed
The athlete depicted in the picture will have his “bowl-based” hands loaded with a small lightweight basketball. Then, by loading the spring with a force induced by pressing down on the bowl, the basketball can be released in a very catapult-esque manner. The basketball player is secured by pressing into one of the many pins on the board.
This toy is designed for children three years and older. Any younger, and there is the worry that the child will be so inclined as to put the toy basketball in his/her mouth. The goal of the game is to “shoot” the basketball into the hoop. The player shoots by pressing down on the bowl shaped hands and consequently loading the spring. Once released, the spring will dissipate the energy, thereby flinging the ball up, and hopefully into the hoop. Add another figurine and possibly another basketball and a second player can be introduced. Or the children can simply take turns sharing one figure. Degrees of difficulty can be implemented, buy rotating the player around one of the pegs, or by increasing the distance between the player and the hoop.
As far as construction goes, the toy is designed so that it will bye relatively simple to produce. With the exception of the net, and the spring system, and the bowl, the entire assembly can bee laser cut. The bowl can be 3D printed, and the basketball can bet substituted with any small ball of the right size. Ideally, it will be very durable, and the child will have to seriously try in order to attempt to damage the set.