Rocketball Air Stacker

3, 2, 1… blast off!

project developed for Hape

Innovative Design

From concept to orbit

The idea first took shape during a design workshop we led at Politecnico di Milano, where we explored new ways of turning simple physical principles into playful experiences together with the students.

What started as an academic exercise soon evolved into a real product for Hape: a fan-powered rocket stacker that invites children to experiment, build and discover through play.

We’re proud to say that the idea has been floating around the toy world ever since.

A young child playing with colorful stacking and sorting toys, including a rocket-shaped toy and clear cups with numbered and colored balls, in a bright room with blue walls and sunlight coming through large windows.

Our and the students’ contribution

Magnifying glass icon over a beige circular background.

Research

Strategy

Line drawing of a light bulb with a yellow circle behind it, representing an idea or innovation.

Concept

Outline drawing of a pencil on a circle, representing writing or editing.

Identity

Design

Simple illustration of two gears in front of a circle background.

Development

Line drawing of a 3D cube in front of a pale green circle with lines indicating motion or emphasis

Communication

A speech bubble icon over a light green circle background.

Take stacking to a whole new level

Designing air-powered magic

Our design focused on a modular tube system where kids can make the ball travel up and down without touching it.

The fan mechanism lifts the ball as tubes are added, and capping it lets it sink again, all thanks to Bernoulli's principle.

Materials were chosen for lightness and playability, combining transparent and cardboard tubes for visibility and ease, with felt adding a finishing touch.

A young boy playing with a stacking rocket toy, stacking parts from 1 to 5, in a sunlit room with large windows and white furniture.
A blue and white space-themed toy with a round base featuring planets and stars. It has a clear plastic tube in the center with a yellow star and the number 7 on it, and a blue ball inside the tube.
A clear plastic countdown timer with purple and pink decorative elements, a yellow ball on top, and colorful ring accents at the bottom.
A red and white children's toy with a transparent cylinder containing orange balls and yellow star-shaped objects, with a red lid positioned above the container.
Diagram showing the progression from classic stacking to innovative designs in material science, including events like a workshop at Politecnico di Milano, and illustrating mixed materials, educational stacking with numbers, and a ball dropping to close like a rocket.

behind the scenes

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behind the scenes ~

Visuals enriching the game

Colorful toy rocket with numbered sections, spinning disks, and a round base, accompanied by two balls and four stacking cups with numbers.

The graphic design started with broad exploration before landing on a rocket theme with animals, creating playful and dynamic storytelling.

On the back, numbers evoke the classic space countdown while offering simple learning clues. The theme remains gender-neutral and inspired by the airy, uplifting world of flight.

Two young children, a boy in a blue striped shirt and a girl in a pink shirt, standing on a wooden floor, playing with a stacking toy, viewed from above.

Credits: Digital Images from Hape