That's it! It's all done. Firebox Inventor, our competition to find the next "must-have" toy, gift or gadget for 2010, has drawn to a close: the judges have cast their votes and we are delighted to announce that the Winner is a 12 year old boy from Leicester, named Tom Spring and his invention...

Putty Monsters

Firebox has already begun working closely with Tom and his family to develop his idea into a fully realised product. But what is it all about?

Squish, fold and mould ‘em into suitably monstery shapes

"Putty Monsters" will be a collectible toy for small and big kids alike; that combines Thinking Putty (an old Firebox favourite) with an online community where people can share and chat about their creations.

The simple concept of a tin of putty and a pair of eyes captured the Judges' imaginations, reinforcing a trend towards old fashioned toys that encourage children's creativity and steering away from high tech, electronic toys. The simplicity of this idea, however, has been integrated with the hugely popular online social networking trend.

"The quality of entries was really impressive, but we were particularly taken with Tom's idea because of its simplicity - and the massive potential of bringing Putty Monsters to life online. I'm sure it's going to be a big success for Tom and for Firebox."
Tom Dunmore, Editor-in-chief of Stuff magazine and Firebox Inventor judge

The judging panel reviewing the finalists

Children, teenagers and adults alike are now spending huge amounts of time on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Disney's Club Penguin (aimed at kids) is also growing at an astounding pace. Firebox Inventor judge and Co-Founder of Firebox.com - Michael Acton Smith - founded children's social online game Moshi Monsters which has grown rapidly over the past few years, recently reaching 15m users. Michael says: "Kids love playing and chatting to their friends online, and toys that successfully mix online and offline experiences are one of the fastest growing categories of the toy industry." Paul Fogarty, another Firebox Inventor judge and Sales and Marketing Director at Tomy agrees: "Over the past year or so we have noticed a trend towards classic toys updated with a modern twist. The Putty Monster is a simple idea yet it has been updated with the online social networking angle which makes it work for the modern consumer."

Invented by Tom Spring,
winner of Firebox Inventor 2010

Christian Robinson, MD of Firebox.com is excited about turning Putty Monsters from an idea into a real-life, commercial product: "We think Putty Monsters has great potential and are enjoying working with Tom so far in the next stages of product and packaging design and development. Tom is an inspiration to budding inventors young and old - don't give up on your ideas!"

Tom will be involved in more than just the development of idea however: as the Firebox Inventor grand prize he will be receiving 50% of the profits from the sale of Putty Monsters for the lifetime of the product.

Pre-order your very own Putty Monster on Firebox.com now!

Finalists

We had an incredible response to the competition from the general public, with entries including emails, Tweets, Facebook posts, Youtube videos, letters, paintings, sketches, CD-ROMS, 3D computer images, and even specially-printed books and posters. An entire class from Darrick Wood Primary School in Kent even sent in their ideas as part of their school project (thanks Ms. Wren). By the close of the competition on 31st December, over one thousand two hundred entries had been received: some ingenious, some funny and some absolutely mental.

Tom's idea for a "Putty Monsters" was shortlisted along with ten other brilliantly original, creative and quirky suggestions: ranging from the complex and high tech, to the visually striking, to the head-slappingly simple. It was fair to say our expert judges had their work cut out for them, but they rose to the challenge: drawing on their vast collective experience from the toy, design, retail and technology industries.

And finally...

Firebox would like to give a huge thank you to everyone who entered and hearty back-slaps to our ten other finalists: your ideas made for an extremely lively and passionate Judging event.

...And don't be disheartened if your idea didn't make it through this time. Keep the straps of those thinking caps pulled tight, your wits as sharp as your pencils, and your garden sheds clear of distracting glossy magazines... Firebox Inventor 2011 is now open!

"Thank you so much to Firebox for giving me this opportunity - I simply can't believe it! I haven't slept for days, it's all so exciting. I can't wait to see my idea turn into a real product and be sold by Firebox."
Tom Spring, Winner of Firebox Inventor 2010