I wanted to make a toy set to encourage imaginative play while teaching children about history. I looked at toy sets for ages 1-5 and they focused on everyday life so I saw an opportunity. I picked Vikings in the medieval time period because they are exciting and would be fun for children.
SKETCH
I decided early on that I wanted the toy set to be 3 parts: a feasting hall, a boat and then a monastery for the Vikings to invade. I did a lot of research and figured out how they dressed, what their buildings and boats were like back then.
FEASTING HALL
The feasting hall was a meeting and gathering place for Vikings.
BOAT
While the boat could be used as a bath toy, I also added wheels so children could play with it on the floor.
MONASTERY
The last part is the monastery. I found out that design of monasteries changed in response to Viking raids. They were built with secret "hidey holes" to hide their treasures, including illuminated manuscripts. Ironically, it's believed that Vikings figured out illuminated manuscripts were valuable because they were hidden. They would steal them to ransom them back.
FIGURES AND FURNITURE
ALL TOGETHER
