Blue Block Playground Transportation Set

Press Kit

Unique Properties

The Transportation Set is the newest creation by Imagination Playground, home of the iconic Big Blue Blocks. This innovative play system is made from a proprietary, durable foam and introduces new block shapes, like various designs of wings and wheels that inspire vehicles while staying true to the loose-parts play philosophy. Designed for 3+ builds at a time, young minds’ work together to create, imagine, and assemble boats, planes, and other vehicles. The Blue Blocks are waterproof and suitable for play, both indoors and out.

Dimensions & Packaging

The Transportation Set comes with over 100 block pieces of varying shapes that interlock for the construction of vehicles. Some of these shapes include straight and curved wings, steering wheels, seats, varying sizes of plugs and connectors, and blocks in hexagon, trapezoid, and chevron shapes.

Tags

Imagination Playground, foam blocks, playground, construction set, vehicles, loose-part play, portable playground

Production Technology

Imagination Playground is a patented loose-parts play system made from a closed-cell, proprietary foam formulation. Each block is handcrafted in Providence, Rhode Island.

Design Challenge

One of the most difficult aspects of the design process was creating shapes that were vague enough to be used for various vehicles, while still being recognizable to young children. Additionally, the first set cut and tested, the kids had difficulties fitting some of the pieces together. This was fixed for sets being cut going forward.

Research

The original Big Blue Blocks were conceptualized by architect David Rockwell. The original set underwent various play studies, emphasizing the importance of interacting with loose-parts for developing minds. The Transportation Set that is being nominated for this award is an add-on set that is complimentary to the existing Big Blue Block sets, while also being an independent play set for those who may not already own the Big Blue Blocks.

Inspiration

For the last 15 years, the Big Blue Blocks have been played with by millions of children in more than 75 countries worldwide. Watching creations come to life and friendships built through the stacking and connecting of the handcrafted blocks has inspired the design of this newest addition to the product family. Vehicles have always been one of the most popular structures created using the Blue Blocks and this set allows for builders to expand and advance these designs.

Project Duration

The initial design process for this specific set began in Spring 2021 and finished in Fall 2022, with the official launch of the set in Spring 2023. All of the Blue Block process happens in Providence, Rhode Island, USA - from the design, to the cutting and quality control. The first version of this set was launched in Panama City Beach, Florida, USA.

Operation Flow

Children use the lightweight. life-sized foam blocks to design and recreate vehicles of their choosing from a variety of block shapes and parts. Create a motorcycle to zoom through adventures on curving mountain highways, or a submarine for two sailors to explore under the sea. The loose-parts easily integrate with one another to build whatever the child can imagine!
The are two sizes of holes throughout the design for connecting pieces together, along with rectangular cut-out areas that allow for the wings to be attached when building an airplane. The larger hole allows the "plugs" to go through the main frame and hold wheels on, while the small connector holes allow the "noodles" to attach parts like the steering wheel and seats.

Image Credits

Image #2: Photographer Davista Photography, 2022
Image #3: Photographer Davista Photography, 2022