02-12-2016: Mattel introduced a "family 3D printer” priced at $299

Ultimately, the child-friendly ThingMaker became one of the most talked-about 3D printers that never made it to market

On February 12, 2016, Mattel unveiled the ThingMaker at the New York Toy Fair, a 3D printer designed for families and developed in collaboration with Autodesk. It was intended to allow children and parents to design and print their own toys using a mobile app. The project was inspired by the historical ThingMaker brand from the 1960s.

The origins of the project date back to 2015 when Mattel, the owner of brands like Barbie and Fisher-Price, decided to enter the desktop 3D printing market. To do so, it partnered with Autodesk, which at the time was one of the leading companies in 3D printing. Autodesk already had its own 3D printer, the Ember, and was developing the Spark software (both projects were later abandoned). As part of the collaboration, an application was to be created that would allow children to design toys, which could then be printed on 3D printers.

In February 2016, at the Toy Fair in New York, Mattel presented a prototype of the ThingMaker 3D printer, referencing the popular toy from the 1960s and 1990s that allowed users to create gadgets from plastic materials. The printer was aimed at children over the age of 13 and was priced at $299.99. ThingMaker was designed to be easy to use, print using FFF technology with PLA filament, and have a build volume of approximately 10 cm in each axis. The device was equipped with several safety features, such as a covered print head and a locked build chamber, to ensure safe use.

Autodesk developed the ThingMaker Design app, which was meant to allow children to create 3D models. The app operated in the cloud, enabling easy transfer of designs to the printer. ThingMaker was intended to be controlled via a smartphone or tablet, making it more accessible to young users.

Despite initial enthusiasm and considerable consumer interest, the project encountered problems. In October 2016, Mattel announced that the printer's launch was postponed to the end of 2017. The official reason was the need to improve the device’s "digital functionality," suggesting that the software and user experience were not yet ready for market release.

In reality, the project was quietly canceled—Mattel never officially launched the ThingMaker, and its website and ThingMaker Design app disappeared.

The lack of an official announcement regarding the project's cancellation suggests that Mattel simply abandoned the concept, likely due to changing market trends, high production costs, and waning consumer interest in 3D printing.

The future fate of XYZPrinting and 3D printers like the da Vinci Junior showed that this was ultimately the right decision.

Source: www.3dprintingindustry.com