A School of Art + Art History graphic design alumna showed off her mad moves on ABC Family’s TV show The Toy Box.
Ashley Mady (B.F.A. Graphic Design ‘06) presented her new board game, Mad Moves, to the show’s young judges on Oct. 8.
The show is constructed as a competition in which the inventors present their innovations to a panel of kid judges. After a short demonstration of the game, the children will decide whether or not the inventor’s game will make it to the final round and deserve to be produced and sold at Toys “R” Us.
Mady says Mad Moves is a game about having fun while dancing using unusual combinations.
“I’ve always enjoyed and appreciated all aspects of dance—especially the creativity. So I set out to create a game that would get people up out of their chairs, moving and having fun,” she said.
Mady’s experience with toy innovation is nothing new to the toy industry. She created her first game and began working for a toy company during her senior year at the University of Florida.
“Right after graduation, I worked on packaging for licensed brands, including Care Bears and Trolls, and got to develop a proprietary brand that I dreamed up,” Mady said. “That big idea ended up setting me on a whole new path as management moved me into a marketing role.”
Mady is now in charge of her own toy company, Brandberry. She said her education from the UF College of the Arts School of Art + Art History made a major impact on her career as a toy extraordinaire.
“I found the transition from college into the the real world to be quite seamless and credit UF’s amazing design program and staff for that,” she said. “The studio environment had me prepared to work as part of team, and those tough critiques allowed me to really hone in on my presentation skills.”
Mady’s game, Mad Moves, was selected to be on the TV Show The Toy Box after a casting process by ABC Family. Mady recalls how the making of the production was her favorite part of the experience.
“It was like nothing I’ve ever done before. Kids are so unfiltered, you just don’t know what to expect. I spend a lot of time play testing my toys and games with kids, but usually they’re not the ones making decisions about the future of my lines. They were definitely tougher than some executives I’ve presented to.”
While Mady was unable to give out too much information about the future plans of Mad Moves, she is excited to see the game on store shelves soon.
