Offline Play

One of the things I value most about being an independent designer is the freedom to develop ideas and initiate projects that reflect my own ideals. In this case, I wanted to explore how outdoor play could offer children a compelling alternative to the growing amount of time spent on screens. The ambition was to create something physical and open-ended: a toy that keeps challenging children while naturally encouraging them to interact, experiment and have fun together.

That engaging quality is something I also recognise in many other Chillafish products. My starting point was to look back at simple play concepts I remembered from childhood, reduce them to their essence, and then add an unexpected twist. The idea was to create something that feels instantly familiar, yet different enough to spark curiosity and invite children to discover their own ways of playing.

Together with Chillafish, we developed Dodgi: a playful combination of a slingshot, a tennis racket and a fishing net. Using soft foam balls, it combines launching and catching in one simple object. The added power considerably extends the playing field: instead of throwing a ball back and forth over just a few metres, players can launch it up to around 20 metres. They can aim at specific targets, bounce shots off a wall, experiment with distance and angles, and then use the same Dodgi to catch the ball again.

This combination of shooting, aiming and catching creates a constantly changing challenge. It can be played alone, against someone else or together, and because the action is visible from a distance, the game also has a quality that attracts attention. Watching someone launch and catch a ball often makes you want to try it yourself: turning individual play naturally into shared play.