THE YOUNG INVENTOR CHALLENGE

RESERVATIONS & CONSENT FORM DUE OCTOBER 31st, 2009

• Age 18 and lower

• Prototype and Poster Display Required
• Winner Determined by Popular Vote at the Chicago Toy
and Game Fair November 21

» Send in reservation and consent form to: » Contact:

Chicago Toy and Game Fair mcouzin@chitag.com
Attn: Young Inventor Challenge
» Bring your finished prototype and
6842 N. Kilpatrick Ave
poster to the Chicago Toy and
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
Game Fair to:
Festival Hall A at Navy Pier
{volunteers will direct you where to go}

Presented by Chicago Toy and Game Fair and Lund and Company Invention, L.L.C. Prizes provided by Hasbro and Inventors Digest.

C
TM
 Chicago Toy and Game Fair & Lund and Company Invention, L.L.C.
pr e se n t

The Young Inventor Challenge

“Playing and designing games teaches children problem solving,

brainstorming, cooperation and creativity.”
– Beth Sagett-Flores, Principal, Lincolnwood School, Evanston, IL

Welcome to the Chicago Toy & Game Fair Young Inventor’s Challenge! We believe imagination and
play are crucial to healthy development and community well-being. Inventive thinking has been
identified as an essential Twenty-First Century Skill by the U.S. Patent Office and educational
institutions. Now we bring together imagination, play and inventive thinking in our second annual
Young Inventor Challenge!

Use the enclosed Inventor’s Guide and Official Rules of Entry to create your greatest invention!

1. Chi-Tag Inventor’s Guide 3

a) Imagine
b) Brainstorm
c) The Idea
d) The Prototype
e) Testing
f) Poster Display

2. Official Entry Rules 14

a) Important Dates
b) Age and Entry Requirements
c) Parental Consent & Verification Forms
d) The Prototype
e) The Poster Display
f) Winning

3. Parental Consent & Verification Form 17

THE YOUNG INVENTOR CHALLENGE page 2

IMAGINE
What do you imagine? Have you ever spent time dreaming about a really cool idea you had? If you
could pick only one game or toy to play with, which would it be? What is it about that game or toy that
appeals to you so much? Do you make up new rules to the games you already own? Do you make up
games to play with cool bits and pieces of stuff you have laying around? Do you play with your
toys in new and entirely different ways? Could you make a better game or toy? A large part of
invention is seeing old things in new ways. What do you imagine?

ACTIVITY

Ask a friend or family member to make a doodle on a piece of paper. Something like this:

Now tell me what it is:

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What did you see? I used my imagination and saw this:

I thought it looked like a chin and the back of the neck so I imagined the rest of the head - a space
alien’s head!.

Another person used their imagination and saw this:

He said they were parts of boomerangs he invented! Now that’s imagination!

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Now it’s your turn! Use this page to practice your imagination. You may copy this page as often as you
like. ( Hint: You may want to use your best one for your Poster Display .)

Ask someone to make a doodle for you. It can have one, two or three squiggly lines.

Now show us what you see in those squiggly lines:

What is it?

Now, that’s some imagination!

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BRAINSTORM
Now, it’s time to Brainstorm! Brainstorming is the process inventors often go through when they
are trying to come up with an idea. Brainstorming is an idea-generating technique. Ask your family
and friends to help you for this step. The more people that participate in brainstorming, the more
ideas get generated. You want to try to get as many ideas as possible before settling on one best idea.
Brainstorming requires imagination. Let your thoughts run wild. What is the craziest answer you can
think of?

ACTIVITY

Did you know your toys and games have certain common characteristics among them? This allows us
to categorize them and group them together. For example, when it comes to games, there are word
games, strategy games, card games, trivia games, educational games, storytelling games, and much,
much more. In toys, there are building toys, sports toys, doll toys, musical toys, moving toys, and on
and on. Looking at the common characteristics of certain groups of games and toys gets our creative
juices flowing. We can start thinking about the details of our new invention.

GAME or TOY CATEGORIES

Go Fish Card game, set collecting game, verbal interaction game

Scrabble© Word game, Board game, Tile Laying game

Lego’s© Building blocks, plastic, connecting shapes

Skateboard Wheels Transportation, Sports

THE YOUNG INVENTOR CHALLENGE page 6

Now it’s your turn. Quickly make a list of your favorite games and toys, then write all the categories
that describe it:

GAME or TOY CATEGORIES

Now it’s time to look at games and toys you don’t have and are new to you. Take a trip to a local
store that has interesting and unique toys and games. List some of these games and toys and their
descriptive categories:

GAME or TOY CATEGORIES

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THE IDEA
Have you noticed any patterns yet? Have you been inspired yet? Now’s the time to settle on an idea
for your invention! State in broad terms what you want to invent. For example, say “I want to invent a
game about dogs.” or “I want to invent a toy I can throw indoors.” Just keep it broad and general.

I want to invent .

Now it is time to come up with specifics for your game or toy. Ask yourself these questions:

GAME QUESTIONS
What topic would I like to use? Will this game be about something in particular like dogs or maybe
American History, or will it be completely abstract like Chess?

What physical components do I want to use? Cards? A game board? Dice? Tiles? Something unusual
like a collection of nuts and bolts

What game mechanic do I want to use? A game mechanic is the way the game moves, such as “roll
the dice and move around the board that many spaces” or “draw a card and do what it says.” Get as
creative as you want. Don’t be stuck on the game mechanics you’ve seen used. Maybe even invent a
new one!

How many people can play?

TOY QUESTIONS
What is a toy? Anything from a complex electronic or mechanical contraption down to a plain rock
can be a toy. Anything from specially molded plastics to plain cardboard boxes can be toys. Do you
want a simple or a complex toy?

Would you like to use prefabricated materials such as motors and plastics or natural materials such as
fabric and stones?

What category would you like your toy to be in?

Is this a toy for boys, girls, or anybody?

What age group would enjoy playing with your toy? Don’t be afraid to invent a toy for your little
brother/sister or even your parents! Everybody likes to play with toys!

How safe is your toy? Little kids can choke on small objects and sharp pieces can cut the skin. Be sure
to consider safety when inventing your toy.

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MAKING THE PROTOTYPE
A prototype is a model of your idea. It is the very first one of its kind! Now that you have an idea, you
need to make your prototype.

First, draw a sketch of your invention. If it is a game, draw the game board or the main cards or other
components. If it is a toy, draw the whole toy. ( Hint: You might want to include this sketch on your
Poster Display. )

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MATERIALS

Now make a list of all the materials you will need. Make sure you use materials that are safe and
that are available. If something is too expensive to buy, you may have to get creative in finding a
substitute. Small, battery operated motors and parts are available inexpensively at hobby stores.
Blank game parts can be found on the internet for purchase. Some educational supply stores also
have blank game parts. However, a great source of parts for toys and games are existing old toys and
games. Neighborhood garage sales can often provide treasures for inventors who need parts!
( Hint: It would be a good idea to include this list on your Poster Display. )

Now’s the moment! Go ahead and make your invention. Voila! You are an inventor!!

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RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS
There is one last step in creating your prototype. You must write instructions and/or rules. Yes,
write! Your customers will need to know how to play with your invention and written instructions
are necessary. They needn’t be long but they do need to be clear. A good technique is to number your
instructions. What do they do first? Then what?

Written instructions are required for your entry in the Young Inventor Challenge. You can make
them part of your Poster Display or lay them on the table next to your Prototype. It’s up to you how
you present them. But remember - people will read them! Make them as clear as possible. Use a
word processor or your best handwriting. Consider drawing illustrations if it’s complicated. Edit
your written instructions for proper grammar and punctuation.

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TESTING
You are an inventor! But you’re not done yet. No, you must test your invention. Gather your family
and friends to help you test your game or toy. Play with it several times. Then ask them to tell you
what they think. Ask them if they would play with your invention again. Ask them if they would buy it
if they saw it in a store. Ask them what they liked most about it. You even need to ask them what they
didn’t like about it. Don’t get discouraged if you get negative comments. Just use that to make your
invention even better! ( Hint: Real toy and game companies often use positive comments they receive as
part of their advertising. You can do this too! )

Positive Comments Received:

Negative Comments Received:

Did you make any changes based on the feedback you received? ( Hint - Consider including this
paragraph in your Poster Display. )

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THE POSTER DISPLAY
The primary purpose of the Poster Display at the Young Inventor’s Challenge is two-fold:

A) The display must demonstrate the process you went through to invent your game or toy. You may
use portions of the included Inventor’s Guide for your poster display, or you may summarize
what you did in your own way.
B) The display must present a marketing message designed to persuade people to buy your
invention. This message should clearly and attractively show the name of the invention. You
may want to include a slogan or pictures of people playing with your invention. Consider listing
the benefits and unique features of your invention. Look at advertisements in magazines and
newspapers for ideas on how to make an attractive advertisement.

Every entry is allotted a 36” wide by 24” deep space on a tabletop. All material must fit within this
space, including the prototype and poster display. There will be no walls to hang posters on. It is
recommended that a freestanding tri-fold heavy-duty poster board be used in much the same way
you would at a science fair.

Remember – the audience is seeing your invention for the first time. Make sure everything is
explained clearly. It should be attractive and appealing.

DESIGN TIPS:
• Plan the display before gluing or taping anything. Draw a sketch on a piece of paper first.
• Use appropriate fonts. If you want it to look business-like, use Time New Roman or Arial. If you
want it to look fun and creative, use a more unusual font with swirls or off-kilter letters. Just make
sure it is readable.
• Use colored paper to create a background behind white materials.
•You may want to cut out colored arrows to guide the reader through the sequence to make it clear if
it’s complicated.
• The marketing message should be the central focus of your poster board. Make your advertisement
bigger and place it in the most noticeable position on your poster board.

This design is an example

only. You may use your
imagination and creativity to
make your own display that:
A) demonstrates the process
you went through to
invent your game or toy
B) Contains a marketing
message to persuade
customers to buy your
invention
C) Include Rules and Instructions
on the Poster or on the table.

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IMPORTANT DATES - SPACE IS LIMITED
Space in the Chicago Toy & Game Fair Young Inventor Challenge is limited. Only the first 120
students will be able to participate. The following important dates and times apply:

October 31st , 2009 Deadline for the Reservations and Parental Consent and Verification form.
Fill out the attached form and mail to The Chicago Toy & Game Fair; Attn: Young Inventor Challenge;
6842 N. Kilpatrick Ave.; Lincolnwood, IL 60712.

November 21, 2009 The child should be present most of the day for Saturday of the Chicago
Toy & Game Fair and for the following times:

9:30 a.m. Saturday - Bring the entry to Navy Pier, Festival Hall, Chicago, IL for set-up.
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Entrant should try and be around their assigned table as much as possible
to meet attendees and industry representatove
6:00 p.m. Saturday - Remove the entry from the Navy Pier, Festival Hall
7:00 Dinner (details to be announced) to announce winners of Young Inventor Challenge.

AGE AND OTHER ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

All Young Inventor Challenge participants must be 18 or younger as of November 21st , 2009 and
enrolled in some form of elementary or secondary education.

The entry must be the original idea and work product of the student/ team, and must not have
previously been made available to the public as a commercial product.

Team entries are permitted. There is no limit to the number of members on a team. Prizes are
awarded to the entry, not to the individuals. Team members are responsible for determining how
prizes will be divided, if applicable.

All writing and poster displays must be complete in English, though bilingual translations are
welcome and encouraged.

All Children under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or teacher. The
Chicago Toy & Game Fair will not be responsible for the supervision of minors.

No one will be allowed to participate in any events if they disrupt the event in any way, misbehave,
use profanity, insensitive use of language, threaten or engage in fighting or are in possession of
weapons. Uses of combustible, incendiary or other material are strictly prohibited.

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Fair Management is not liable for any lost or damaged goods, or any damage to property caused by
any participant, to the facility, to exhibitor’s property or to that of any visitor or attendee of the show.
All liabilities incurred in such manner, including medical, shall be borne by the participant.

By participating in any event it is hereby agreed that Fair Management shall be held harmless for
any and all liabilities incurred by participant. Fair Management reserves the right to permanently
remove anyone from the facility who may violate its rules of safety and conduct.

PARENTAL CONSENT AND VERIFICATION

The attached Parental Consent and Verification forms must be signed and submitted by October 31st,
2008. Late entries will be considered on a space available basis.

THE PROTOTYPE
All entrants must have a working prototype of their toy or game. Prototypes can be homemade with
materials at hand. Neighborhood garage sales are a good source of inexpensive used toys and games
which may be modified and adapted for your new invention. New generic game parts may also be
purchased at hobby stores and educational supply stores. Some internet sites also sell blank
game kits.

No hazardous materials may be used in your prototype. The Chicago Toy & Game Fair reserves the
right to reject any prototype that contains hazardous material in our judgment. Batteries may be used
in a normal fashion.

Every entry is allotted a 36” wide by 24” deep space on a tabletop. All material must fit within this
space, including the prototype and poster display. All material must be free standing. No wall or
curtain will be provided.

A game prototype must include written rules. These rules may be part of the poster display or on a
separate paper on the table, but they must be present in some form.

THE POSTER DISPLAY

Every entry must be accompanied by a poster display. The purpose of this display is two-fold:

a) The display must describe the process you went through to invent your game or toy. You may
use portions of the included Inventor’s Guide for your poster display, or you may summarize
what you did in your own way.

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 b) The display must present a marketing message designed to persuade people to buy your
invention. This message should clearly and attractively show the name of the invention. You
may want to include a slogan or pictures of people playing with your invention. Consider

magazines and newspapers for ideas on how to make an attractive advertisement.

space, including the prototype and poster display. All material must be free standing. No wall or
curtain will be provided.

WINNING
Winners will be determined by fair attendee votes. Ballots will be given to attendees at the entrance
of the Fair. Attendees will be instructed to review the entries and make their decision based on the
originality, creativity and appeal of the invention and the presentation of the marketing message.
Chicago Toy & Game Fair representative will secure and count the votes. All decisions are final.

Winners will be announced at a dinner Saturday night for the Young Inventors. Details to follow.

The winner and their family will have lunch with Mike Hirtle, Head of Global Product Acquisition
and Inventor Relations from Hasbro, Inc on Sunday November 22nd. More to come!

The top three vote-getters receive a package of games and toys from exhibitors at Chicago Toy &
Game Fair.

Toy and game companies will be looking at all the entries all day Saturday, including after the
conclusion of the Challenge. Winning the Challenge does not necessarily mean your product is
of interest to toy and game manufacturers. In past Challenges, some of the toy and game companies
found non-winning entries of more interest. All entries are fair game!

All participants receive a certificate of participation, a Chicago Toy & Game Fair commemorative patch,
a Young Inventors Challenge T-shirt plus attention from top toy and game industry representatives and
media who will be attending the Chicago Toy & Game Fair.

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PARENTAL CONSENT AND VERIFICATION
This form and is due by October 31, 2009. Late entries will be considered on a space available basis.
Mail to: Chicago Toy & Game Fair, Attn: Young Inventor Challenge, 6842 N. Kilpatrick Ave.,
Lincolnwood, IL 60712.
Child’s Name:

Address:

Birthdate: School:

We, the undersigned, being the parents or legal guardians of the above named child, do hereby
consent to this child’s participation in The Chicago Toy & Game Fair’s Young Inventor’s Challenge.

Furthermore, we assert and verify that: ( Please initial each statement)

The child named above is 18 years or younger as of November 21, 2009

The child is diligently working on this project and will have a prototype and
poster display at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair on November 21, 2009.

I understand that the child should:

• Bring his/her entry to the Navy Pier Festival Hall A between 9:30-10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 21 2009
• Be present most of the day on Saturday, November 21, 2009 and participate in discussions with the fair
attendees regarding their invention
• Winners will be announced at a dinner Saturday night for the Young Inventors. Details to follow.
• Remove his/her entry by 6:00 p.m. Saturday, November 21, 2009.

I understand that I am responsible for the supervision of the above child during the time they are present
at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair. Fair Management is not liable for any lost or damaged goods, or any
damage to property caused by any participant, to the facility, to exhibitor’s property or to that of any visitor
or attendee of the show. All liabilities incurred in such manner, including medical, shall be borne by the
participant. By participating in any event it is hereby agreed that Fair Management shall be held harmless
for any and all liabilities incurred by participant. Fair Management reserves the right to permanently remove
anyone from the facility who may violate its rules of safety and conduct.

I understand all questions are to be directed to Mary Couzin at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair at:
(847) 677-8277 or mcouzin@chitag.com

Signature Date

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