Phil Sage

A love of toys? An inspirational teacher? An eye-opening exhibition? We asked figures from across the world of toy and game design what set them on the path to working in design and development.

Design students at London’s Brunel University will be tasked with developing innovations around Hasbro’s Nerf brand as part of an Industry Week challenge set up by Mojo Nation.

If you could only take one toy, one game and one of your own inventions to a desert island, what would you take and why? That’s the question that WordWhizz Deej Johnson is posing to Phil Sage, Senior Director, Product Development, Design & Inventor Relations at Hasbro, in this Desert Island Picks interview.

With multiple modes of play and functions spanning a self-balancing wheel, moving head and antennas, sound effects and light-up LED eyes, we caught up with Hasbro’s Phil Sage to learn more about what went into creating the D-O Interactive Droid.

Hasbro’s D-O Interactive Droid boasts a self-balancing wheel, multiple modes of play, moving head and antennas, and features light-up LED eyes, sound effects, and premium deco inspired by its appearance in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

This session will shine a spotlight on how emerging tech is set to shape the toys and games of the future and look at how it’s already changing the ways in which kids (and big kids) play.

Phil Sage, senior director of design and development for Hasbro’s iPlay division, was involved in last month’s TEDxWellington in New Zealand with his talk on ‘Why Toys Matter’.