Sanooke: Integrating Fun and Innovative Toys into the Workspace

Toys are universal, playing a crucial role in childhood development and ingenuity. They help kids learn and interact with the world, forming neural connections and sparking imagination. These early experiences in a child’s life leave a lasting impact on an individual's creative and cognitive abilities. However, as we transition into the workplace, creativity often gets constrained by social norms. Tyler Hummer, TGS ‘27 and founder of Sanooke, questioned this shift: “Why all of a sudden, as adults, are we not coming up with new ideas and building creative neurons?”

In 2023, Tyler started his research in robotics in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. While developing prototypes for a modular robot, he discovered that they entertained his fellow masters and PhD students. Over time, Tyler became inspired by the idea of a toy company, recognizing a genuine interest and passion for toys in the workspace.

While participating in an English-teaching fellowship in the rural town of Sop Prap, Thailand, Tyler found inspiration in the idea of fun and innovation. "In this tight-knit community, the cultural concept of a welcoming environment and the encouragement of having fun is incorporated within the day-to-day routine as a lifestyle,” said Tyler. This uplifting and joyous environment is exactly what Tyler wanted to transfer to the workspace, and is what Sanooke aims to accomplish.

Joined by Darya Daneshmand, McCormick ‘25, Katelyn Suh, McCormick ‘27, Noah Klinkner, Central Westosha ‘28 and Prasanna Bansode, TGS ‘24, the Sanooke team brainstormed how to bring the innovative idea of Sanooke to life. At its core, Sanooke aims to bring toys into environments where they traditionally are not seen as socially acceptable.

“There's a lot of room for toys to inspire new creativity, but also to just liven the workplace,”  Tyler said.

Sanooke models toys based on children's toy infrastructure, intending them to be sophisticated, smaller, and one-handed, perfect for your desk. Sanooke brings fun to the workspace, providing a 'brain break' for professionals during mundane activities.

Darya, the designer for Sanooke, explained how design research and the interviewing process have narrowed down the problem that Sanooke aims to address, “We want to produce toys that are perfect for a desk, that people will feel comfortable fidgeting with, regardless of whether they really identify as a fidgeter or not. Having something in your hand to feel engaged is something that appeals to all kinds of people.”

Jumpstart has assisted the Sanooke team in building all their prototypes in-house, enabling them to refine the design quickly and cheaply. "Having the space and tools has been super helpful, but the people here are probably the best resource,” shared Tyler.

In the future, Tyler envisions Sanooke as a thought leader in the innovation space, recognizing that numerous avenues are becoming available to design products other than toys.  Tyler stated, “We can bring in younger people and help them learn what product development and inventing actually looks like. So maybe as an inventing firm we can also be reaching out to the community like that and bringing in other young visionaries.”

Stay tuned to learn more about Sanooke’s Kickstarter launch!