Denise Wong remembers her first Star Wars toy vividly. The child-sized replica of Luke Skywalker’s X-wing helmet made her love of Star Wars characters, costumes, and storytelling come alive in a new way and helped inform her future career.
“I was amazed by all the details from the movies, and how it translated into a toy,” says Wong, who now works as a senior manager of product design at Mattel.
Among her recent projects is a new kind of toy that brings the playful nature of the Child, Grogu, into our homes in much the same way. The Child Real Moves Plush is designed with several interactive features, to follow fans, play hide and seek, and respond to a remote control that’s conveniently sized for children and adults.
Recently, Wong