In 3 years, I won praise for making more than 100 cartons of toys for my daughter.
The warmest father Zhang Shuai: In fact, it is the children who accompany me to grow up
What can be done with waste paper boxes
A father in Zhengzhou, Henan Province used waste paper boxes to make more than 100 toys in three years, and even turned mobile games into realistic children's toys.
"Need for Speed", "Tetris", "Sokoban", "Submarine", and "Gacha Machine"... all turned into interesting carton toys in his hands, and they were called "the warmest dad" by netizens.
This "other people's dad" is a handsome blogger named "Chuangquge" with 3 million fans on Douyin and over 23 million likes.
Since 2017, he has made toys for his three-year-old daughter Nini. As long as Nini wanted toys, he tried to make them himself.
In order to accompany her daughter better, 30-year-old Zhang Shuai did his best to make favorite toys for her.
He believes that after school the child can spend less time with her.
The toys he made with his own hands added a lot of fun to his daughter Nini.
At the same time, he generously shared toy making tutorials on social platforms, hoping that netizens can also interact with children through the tutorials.
Although Zhang Shuai has become a master of hand-made toys, he admits that none of the toys are made smoothly.
Recently, a reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily interviewed Zhang Shuai and chatted with him about making toys in three years.
Hand-made childhood toys to keep daughter away from mobile phones
"Put a chopstick between the two walnuts, and pull a rope horizontally. When you pull the rope, it will rattle." Zhang Shuai described the toy "Pull and Turn" as the first handmade toy he made for Nini .
During the Spring Festival of 2017, Zhang Shuai took his daughter back to his hometown of Xingyang, Henan.
He occasionally chatted with his father and brother about the "Larazhuan" toys that he used to play as a child. The three of them made the "Larazhuan" for Nini while studying and studying.
"My daughter was very happy at the time. Unlike the sound and light toys or smart toys on the market, this traditional toy is not pleasing in color or shape, but it makes my daughter feel novel."
Starting from an ordinary "pull and turn", Zhang Shuai started the road of handmade toys for his daughter.
In the same year, by chance, he saw a short video on the Internet. In the video, a foreigner used a waste paper box to make a "gum vending machine" toy, and he was immediately attracted.
He started to find waste paper boxes to imitate the production, but always failed.
"It was unsuccessful to make vending machine toys for the first time. It has not been made. It is too complicated for me."
Although Zhang Shuai gave up the production of the "chewing gum vending machine", he did not give up the idea of continuing to make toys from waste paper boxes.
He began to collect materials discarded in life, and pay attention to the toys that can be made on the shelves when he went to the supermarket. “In addition to looking at physical toys, I sometimes look for inspiration when I walk on the road. Many of the inspirations for making are thought of in an instant. I often ask my daughter what toys he wants."
The common "gashapon machines" in shopping malls, the "basketball machines" in amusement parks, and the "Thomas Track Train" that are almost hand-made by Zhang Shuai have been "recovered" by Zhang Shuai with waste paper boxes.
Not only toys in reality, even games on mobile phones can be created as "paper versions."
"Some time ago, the "submarine" special effects that were all over the vibrato, as well as the "Sokoban game" Need for Speed"...After I saw it, I made toys out of cardboard boxes." Zhang Shuai was a little proud.
Nini was curious about many mobile games, and even asked his father Zhang Shuai what video games he played when he was a child.
Zhang Shuai thought of "Tetris" and started production.
Zhang Shuai's idea of making toys is very simple. It is to turn mobile games into reality, keep his daughter away from mobile phones, and increase the company time between him and his daughter.
No toy can be made successfully
"The marbles pass through layers of bamboo sticks from top to bottom. I don't know where they fall. My daughter needs to judge the direction of the marbles and keep catching them." This toy named "Airdrop" was made by Zhang Shuai and his daughter. Tested several times.
Zhang Shuai's production is not a simple copy, he also has to consider whether it is suitable for his daughter and how easy it is to operate.
"Children play with toys to consider their sense of accomplishment. If the game is too difficult, it is easy to feel frustrated, but it is too simple and easy to be boring. I will appropriately increase the fun and simply transform the adult's game into a child's toy."
During the production, Zhang Shuai always let Nini play with the latest adjusted version, evaluating the amplitude and speed of each marble falling from the "airdrop", or the flexibility of the steering wheel.
Zhang Shuai cannot test toys based on the reaction ability of adults, but based on the experience of a four-year-old girl, so that children can experience the joy of playing with toys.
Zhang Shuai has long been accustomed to constant adjustments during production.
He bluntly said that simple toys require at least two or three days to make, while complex toys can take up to half a month to complete.
"There has never been a toy that can be successfully completed, there are always different problems to be solved, and even many toys have failed without being released."
Among them, the most troublesome thing for him is the production of "Marbles Climbing Stairs"-by turning the turntable, the marbles are sent to the jumping stairs, and then the marbles are slid down through the rotating slide, and the marbles are continuously climbing. Go up the "stairs".
Such an interesting idea got stuck in practice. "In the beginning, the link of transporting marbles up the stairs always failed. After adjusting the three or four schemes, the effect was still not good. Therefore, this toy was suspended for more than half a month and was not completed. ."
Zhang Shuai doesn't know how to make drawings, and his ideas can only be proved by practice again and again.
The entire toy needs to be connected together in three parts: a conveyor device, a drop device and a slide device.
Such a circulatory device needs to be perfectly connected at every step. If there is a part that cannot be spliced, all previous efforts will be lost.
"I had to give up halfway. It was useless to make a device in two or three days. I used a turntable in the first plan, but it didn't work. Later, I didn't use a rocker device. Because there was no drawing, I I can only practice slowly." Zhang Shuai recalled, "Finally, one day I suddenly thought of the method of crawler transmission, so that the marbles can be transported, and finally succeeded."
After thinking about the combination of conveyor belt and marbles, Zhang Shuai didn't stop here, but played different tricks with this combination.
After that, Zhang Shuai tried the "vertical transmission of marbles version", "elevator-style up and down transmission of marbles version", "conveyor belt and xylophone combined musical toy"... and even some versions will make two for daughter and father Can play at the same time.
"The child will test toys with her after school, communicate the difficulty level, or play games with her...this is a unique interaction between us." Zhang Shuai said.
Gained tens of thousands of attention in three days
"Outsiders" continue to create popular videos
The "Carton Coke Machine" that can pour a glass of Coke by turning the switch is the first video that Zhang Shuai uploaded on Douyin on May 9, 2018. At this time, it has been more than a year since Zhang Shuai started making toys for his daughter.
The next day, he uploaded a video of the "cardboard robotic arm". As long as he wears the cardboard arm and pulls the control rope, he can grab small toys, even disposable water cups.
Late that night, Zhang Shuai found that there were more than 1,000 fans. By the afternoon of the third day, Zhang Shuai had tens of thousands of fans' attention.
Before opening his account, Zhang Shuai had no idea what Douyin was, and he never expected that he received attention and recognition in just three days.
And "My wife uses Douyin every day, and I can always hear a few songs playing back and forth next to her. Until one day, she saw someone in Douyin who was also making paper toys, and she encouraged me to try too, and I had this Thoughts.” Zhang Shuai recalled, “I had tens of thousands of fans on the third day. I was a little confused and dizzy. It didn’t feel real. At the same time, I was very excited and I had the confidence to continue making.”
At that time, Zhang Shuai was in a state of unemployment, and the recognition of fans made him firm in his idea of making toys at home full-time.
Since then, he has never stopped updating the video of making toys.
His wife Shi Na also fully supported him, letting Zhang Shuai focus on what he wanted to do.
Shi Na will also help him manage the video and account, edit the most basic video, add subtitles and music.
Until January 14, 2019, Zhang Shuai’s "Private Money Password Box" became his first hot video.
This "toy password box" claimed to be made for children is actually to reduce the wife's vigilance, but it is actually his own "private money password box".
To find the hidden private money, you must adjust the number button to unlock the password.
Relying on the password alone is underestimating the ability to hide private money. Just to unlock the password, you need to turn three different passwords. The private money is hidden in the deepest mezzanine of the safe, and you need to open the partition again to find it. Private money".
This entertaining video has accumulated 2.23 million likes and 140,000 reposts and comments.
Many netizens commented humorously: "I will show you a torn safe box" "Be careful someday my wife sold it as a waste product"...
Zhang Shuai, who was originally a short video "outside man", slowly learned the key factor of the explosive video-entertainment.
As a result, since the "private money password box", he created hot videos one after another.
The ideas provided by netizens accidentally created another "explosion".
A fan saw the safe made by Zhang Shuai and asked if he could help her daughter make a piggy bank tutorial.
Zhang Shuai agreed, and the prepared fans directly gave the appearance of the piggy bank.
"House piggy bank" is a toy children want, but it is not enough to have a good-looking shape. Zhang Shuai has more interesting settings in his mind, which makes the ordinary throw-in piggy bank become "entertaining" ".
"The original setting for my piggy bank was from the chimney of the house. Coins can be stuffed, and banknotes can be put in the front. I don't find it interesting, so I changed it to be able to pop coins in from the side, like buying a ticket on the subway. It's the same as putting a coin; paper money can be rolled into a piggy bank by turning the turntable next to it. At the same time, a password is set at the back of the house to unlock it." Zhang Shuai introduced.
This time the "Piggy Bank" video received a total of 2.72 million likes, and many fans in the comments asked for tutorials.
From the beginning to the present, every production of Zhang Shuai is accompanied by a tutorial, which is shared with fans, so that they can bring unique fun to their children.
Sharing tutorials for free, fans and their children can gain a sense of joy
"Is there a tutorial?" "You don't need money for the tutorial?" "What are you drawing?" ... When Zhang Shuai recently launched a live broadcast, these questions rushed into his face.
Many netizens don’t believe that the tutorial is free. Zhang Shuai will always answer patiently: “I will share the tutorial. If you want to learn it, you can try to make it.”
Although some netizens do not understand, there are still many fans sharing the results of their hands-on production.
Zhang Shuai’s original "mechanical arm" video was found and produced by some fans. In the comments under the video, one fan shared: "You are a savior! It just so happened that my son's school arranged a small production of waste utilization. Thinking of'Chuangqu Pavilion', this is relatively simple."
"Some fans told me very happily that he made the'Little Animal Homecoming' after reading my tutorial, and won the second place in the children's school." Zhang Shuai felt quite fulfilled for this.
The triangular-shaped cardboard has large and small round holes. The child needs to control the rope so that the small animals on the surface avoid the round holes and return to their home smoothly.
"I didn't ask him specifically what the first place was. He said that the second place is already very good. His children are very happy after they go back. I am also very happy to hear such things, and I also have a sense of accomplishment because of the tutorials I shared After their own dedication, they got happiness with their children." Zhang Shuai said with emotion.
Enthusiastic fans not only study the tutorial, but also suggest improvements.
In the first version of "Need for Speed" made by Zhang Shuai, some fans discovered the loophole: even if the "car crash", the game can continue.
Zhang Shuai pondered for a while and made an improved version of "Need for Speed 2"-there are magnets hidden under the scrolling screen. If the "crash" approaches, the magnets will attract each other and the game will end.
The interaction between Zhang Shuai and fans has become commonplace. His WeChat is open to everyone, sometimes answering questions about fans’ production, and sometimes sharing children’s educational issues.
"Some fans will tell me that children often dismantle toys and love the new and dislike the old. In fact, children dismantle toys out of curiosity, but they are too impatient to cherish toys. If parents spend time and energy making toys, the whole process If the child also participates, he will cherish the toys he makes, because he knows that it is not easy to make. This is why I always make toys for my daughter, and I can feel the company and love." Zhang Shuai explained.
Accompanying her is the only thing I can give now
Although the income of the video is very small, it is not as "get rich" as once thought, but Zhang Shuai spends all his time with his daughter and making toys, which he thinks is the most precious.
"I know that after she enters elementary school, she can only meet once a day, and there is not much time to play with toys, so now she tries to make toys that she likes as much as possible. Many parents think that there is a lot of time to spend with their children. In fact After school, there is not much time left. Therefore, being with her is the only thing I can give now, which is priceless."
Nini, who is now five and a half years old, has hundreds of toys. Every time she asks which toy her father makes the most, she always says that she likes each one.
However, the most common toy Nini used to play with was the "simulated kitchen" made by his father.
That was the toy Nini and his mother saw when they visited the IKEA store together. After Zhang Shuai learned about it, he made the same toy for her.
And each production process is when Zhang Shuai interacts with Nini: how to adjust to the right size, Nini can paint by himself, and Nini stands by to help... Subconsciously, it also has the personality of the child. influences.
"Sometimes when I do stuffed toys for four or five hours, it will make her feel like a slow pace. Don't do things impatiently. Moreover, she sees that I often fail and keep adjusting the toys. On the contrary, I will cherish the toys I made for her." Zhang Shuai said.
He also deliberately made some different types of toys, some of which are children’s play toys, some of which are educational game toys, and some interactive toys for parent-child, such as the carton version of shield, sword and fighting toys...the production of these toys is behind the scenes. Has Zhang Shuai's own educational concept.
"The toys I make are not all to improve thinking creativity and concentration, but also to educate her mentality. I usually don't let her play the toys for two people. I told her that if you lose, you lose. .Because I know that when she grows up, it is impossible for everyone to let her. Recently I have often made such toys. Sometimes she will lose when she loses, but she won’t be frustrated and can afford to lose. I hope Her mentality is that she doesn't have to win everything, but just try her best." Zhang Shuai said.
In Zhang Shuai's view, making toys is also for his own pleasure, and some toys are also made for himself.
In a recently released video, there is a "Walli Robot", which is Zhang Shuai’s childhood memories. "Maybe he is old but still a child in his mind. I made it when I thought of childhood memories. Sometimes I saw interesting toys. , I also want to try it out. I also feel fun in this, otherwise I won’t keep doing it."
Companion is also two-way.
In the process of accompanying his daughter, Zhang Shuai discovered that it was her daughter who was actually accompanying herself, "For the sake of our children, we learn different knowledge and obtain different happiness. It is not so much that we grow up with our children, it is better to say that the children accompany us, and we ourselves are also growing. ."
By Han Shirong, our reporter