Ello Creation System ("Ello") was a

construction toy A construction set is a set of standardized pieces that allow for the construction of a variety of different models. The pieces avoid the lead-time of manufacturing custom pieces, and of requiring special training or design time to constr ...

manufactured by the American toy-company

Mattel, Inc. Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

between the years 2002-2004. The toy set was created by the American designe
Richard Manville
The Ello Creation System was a breakthrough toy created to engage girls in construction play.

History

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

Girls-Division President, Adrienne Fontanella, and Senior VP of Worldwide Girls Design,

Ivy Ross Ivy Ross (born 1955) is an American business executive, jewelry designer, and, since July 2016, vice president of hardware design at Google. She has worked at Google since May 2014; prior to being appointed VP of hardware design, she led the Goog ...

, were looking for and exploring new opportunities for girls outside of

doll A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are foun ...

s and traditional doll play-patterns. In 2001, with the intent to find an opportunity in non-traditional play patterns for girls, Ivy Ross created an in-house

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...

(later named Project Platypus). The think tank consisted of a variety of volunteer Mattel employees from inside and outside of the product development department. The think tank's goal was to create a toy that would successfully engage girls in construction play. Over a series of weeks the think tank divided into a collection of teams and individuals who developed competing concepts for a series of

focus group A focus group is a group interview involving a small number of demographically similar people or participants who have other common traits/experiences. Their reactions to specific researcher/evaluator-posed questions are studied. Focus groups are ...

testing and selection by girls and their parents. A concept named ''Ello'' created by former

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiratio ...

Packaging Creative Director Richard Manville received enthusiastic praise from both girls and parents alike. Described as a "creation system", the Ello concept (targeted primarily to girls ages 5 to 14) incorporated some traditional elements of

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...

(including

beading Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...

and graphic customization), shapes and panels in unique color palettes, a variety of themes, and a flexible intuitive building process. The toys variety and potential combination of parts gave children an opportunity to create characters, jewelry, building structures, decorative accessories, or whatever they could imagine. Manville began the development of the toy in 2001, working with engineers Jim Mills-Winkler and Armen Danielian to perfect the core construction elements. Designer Stella Jung, inventor/engineer James Molina joined the team in 2002 to develop and expand the line. The Ello product line won several

Oppenheim Oppenheim () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is a well-known wine center, being the home of the German Winegrowing Museum, and is particularly known for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbru ...

platinum best toy awards for educational toy excellence in its short three-season life span. However, development of the toy ceased in 2004. No official explanation exists for the demise of the line.

References

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"Record of Ello Creation System Parts by Inventor Richard B. Manville"
United States Patent and Trademark Office. Construction toys Mattel {{Toy-stub