I began this project looking up useless objects and came up with an idea for a coffee mug who’s magnetic handle was able to lift the mug when empty, but would be rendered useless if the cup contained liquids. Unfortunately, cups and kitchen ware became the focus of many of our projects so I had to pivot to another idea. I came up with a cement pillow, a silicone squishy screwdriver or hammer, and a cactus. As I was brainstorming I was using one of my many desk toys that’s helped me focus during the past two years on zoom (pictured).
I remembered the previous one I owned and loved which metal spiral broke and how frustrating that was for me. I then began brainstorming stress toys, and how I’d be able to make one that ultimately causes more stress to the user.
I came up with the idea for squishy stress toys that when squeezed would poke the user with sharp little skewers. I decided I wanted to make a line of three; a ball, a cube, and a pyramid. I began making molds out of cardboard but learned that a circle would be troubling to do with cardboard. The molds and the skewers had to line up enough that the skewer would be able to extend into the user. Multiple molds and skewer combinations were used.
I filled the molds with silicone and red/gold dyes for the cube and pyramids and carefully held the skewers down in the mold. Unsurprising to most but it was to me, the skewers kept floating to the top! I made the cube have a longer skewer that I could hold in place, after seeing how the triangle kept shifting.
Pictured here is the little holes and the skewers that prick the hand when squeezed. In the end, after many reconstructions, a whole lot of silicone and glue stuck to my hands, and consistently being skewered, I decided that I’ve definitely created a product that would evoke anger to any unsuspecting user.
