Can anyone think of an individual, either dead or alive, who better personifies the ethos of the FP brand, as both an early childhood development company and toy manufacuter, better then Mr. Fred Rogers? I'm seriously asking, because I've been trying and I can't think of anyone. Thoughts?
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@OdrftrE-4iqm You must be one seriously dumb motherf-cker.
@OdrftrE-4iqm What is that even supposed to mean?
This thread's been fun. I always think it's cute when the FP folks try to play with the big boys.
JA and MZ who? Keep looking for good design leaders, these 2 are wanna be's who are not cutting it.
JA blew everyones minds with his prowess and keen sense of aesthetic when it came to what a child really wants. It shows in his successful products that have bolstered our sales and have shown the rest of the company why EA is the true leader in product at Mattel.
JA's level of design attention is very meta. Look at his redesign of the core infant line characters. Have you looked at the monkey, really looked at it. He has 2 faces, 2 smiles! There is the obvious face, but look closer... JA broke with tradition for the nose, using just 2 dots vs the established oval. Then, he separates the muzzle with a simple circle, and the finishes it off with a 2 point half circle for the mouth (the 1/2 circle is exactly half the shape of the muzzle, an homage if you will, yet the bolder line weight of the mouth communicates to everyone it dominance of the muzzle and it demands your attention). This combination creates the second face!
JA's attention to details and risk taking works on both a conscious and unconscious level, you know it looks great, but it also "feels" great.
Nice to see JA making multiple posts here. Shouldn't he have something better to do?
As an ES employee with no real exposure to the what's going on at FP, I always assumed the JA thing was just a sweetheart deal put together by RD to allow his buddy JA abscond with a small fortune in Mattel cash without really doing any work.
Its heartening see that I was wrong about the whole thing. It kind of restores some of my faith in our leadership's agenda and decision making.
Obviously, I agree with everything being said here about JA, but I just wanted to say it isn't just Design who has been inspired by his leadership. I've been with FP Marketing nearly 10 years now and I can honestly say that collaborating with JA and his team has been the highlight of my career.
I actually specifically remember the day the news of his joining the organization was announced. We were actually in preshow meeting with buyers that day and everyone was so excited and buzzing about it.
The Wal-Mart buyer actually took me aside afterwards to tell me how thrilled she was, she called it a homerun, that JA was the kind of creative and cultural thought leader who truly understands and speaks directly to her customer demographic. I was like wow, this is real synergy.
What happened to MZ as head of design?
The thing that JA did that really cemented his mark on FP design was moving to EA to personally lead the Dept. That took true commitment. Inspiring.
His impact is probably best illustrated by his mentoring of the Imaginext designers. His knowledge of DC and Power Rangers is second to none. He really has his finger on the pulse of 4 year olds. I hear one of the design experts he brought with him may have a relative with a child. Their nanny is just a Skype call away he is always saying.
I could not agree more with the last poster about JA. I, like I think alot of people, was skeptical when I first heard that FP had hired him as Creative Director. Oh boy, some fancy designer from NYC, what does he know about toy design and what kids want, I thought. Sounded like a PR stunt or something. But once you get a chance to actually work with him, and sit down and see how his mind works first hand you really realise why Mattel turned to him. And very down to earth and approachable too, very important in a creative leader. He's they kind of guy you can just call up and bounce some ideas off of and its just like wow, this guy is good.
Say what you will about JA's personal fashion choices, but I think I speak for the everyone within the FP design dept when I say that his creative leadership over the past few years has been nothing short of a revelation and a godsend.
More then just a Creative Director in namesake only, he has truely become a mentor to the FP designers he's worked with and his sensitivity to and deep understanding of the product design process has made his tenure at FP truly a game changer in terms of how we approach product development.
I don't know how much we are paying him, but it is worth every penny and more. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to describe his influence and leadership as priceless.
Adler. He made some pottery the Fire Island Boys loved. That qualified him to run Design for FP, at least in the eyes of RD. I wonder if he wears a cardigan at home, paired with his skinny jeans?
I agree, FP should aspire to become as similarly beloved an icon of children's entertainment and education as Mr. Rogers is.
Please don't insult the memory of Fred Rogers...
Two words- Jean McKenzie
Captain Kangaroo?
It's got to be a real person, either alive or dead. No cartoon characters or otherwise fictional individuals.
droopy dog. matches the lack of enthusiasm and lackluster product that FP puts out.
Nero?
Bob Ross - painting the same old tree over and over.