Kickstarter Product Development: The Story Behind Phil-In-the-Box

Kickstarter campaigns are one of the best ways to build a community for your brand. It is an opportunity to test the market and get feedback from customers on real, physical product innovation. But there’s a lot that goes into creating a successful campaign — from the product design to the rewards — and it takes a lot of time and planning.

The ODM Group, together with our design team, Mindsparkz, can definitely help you bring your ideas to life. Today, let us take you on one of our kickstarter product development journeys!

A custom Jack-in-the-Box dedicated to everyone’s favourite weather-forecaster groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.

Phil lives in a small town in Pennsylvania and is the most famous groundhog to make this prediction.

The legend goes that if it is a cloudy day and Phil sees his shadow, he will be frightened and run back into his burrow, predicting that there will be six more weeks of winter weather.

If it is sunny and Phil does not see his shadow, he will remain above ground indicating that an early spring is on its way.

Every year, thousands of people gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to celebrate Groundhog Day and watch Punxsutawney Phil make his prediction.

Phil has been making this prediction every year since 1887.

A Jack-in-the-box is a toy that can be used in your marketing campaign to generate buzz, encourage sharing and increase your conversion rates.

It consists of a box with a crank. When the crank is turned, a music box mechanism in the toy plays a melody.

It can generate an interactive experience that people can share with their friends. The more the product is shared by backers, the higher the chance of it going viral.

Groundhog Day

February 2nd is one special day that brings thousands of people together from all over the world to celebrate the prediction of a furry forecaster!

It is a popular tradition in the United States and Canada.

The day is meant to predict whether the winter will end early or last several more weeks.

Here’s where Punxsutawney Phil is very popular.

The Product Development

Metal Music Box

For the metal music box, the existing square mould in the factory was selected to reduce the mould cost.

The tree rings are printed on the top of the metal mould which is close to the image of the tree stump required by the client.

The customized music time can be from 10 to 15 seconds, for this Jack-in-the-box, the client provided piano recordings and sheet music. It was then completed by the factory.

Resin Stump Shape

A resin stump with the size according to the size of the existing metal music box is designed.

The factory made the preliminary model to test the sustainability and function of the metal music box and its resin shell.

After seeing good results, the final resin shell is made. It comes in pure white colour, which then needs to be manually painted.

Phil Plush Toy

Since the base of the resin stump is already occupied with the metal music box, the plush toy should only be filled inside about the shoulder while the bottom will remain empty.

Our team provided clear pictures or design drawings to the factory to find suitable fabrics.

To finalize, all the parts are assembled and then tested to ensure quality and functionality.

The Unboxing

Phil in Action!

Groundhog Day 2022

After shutting down due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2021, this year’s annual Groundhog Day celebration saw the return of massive crowds, with event organizers estimating the attendance to be the largest midweek gathering ever recorded.

Also in attendance was the new Punxsutawney Phil Jack-In-The-Box prototype. Nearly 2,000 Punxsutawney Phil fans signed up for the toy’s email list, which will begin sending out Kickstarter campaign updates when 5,000 subscribers are reached.

Working with social media targeting experts, the email list of 5,000 Groundhog Day fans is hoped to be complete by early Summer or late Spring 2021.

When this number is achieved, the 30-day Kickstarter campaign will officially launch, with the final delivery of the toys by Christmas 2022 or mid-January 2023, in time for Phil’s annual Groundhog Day celebration.

Phil’s Forecast

On February 2nd, 2022, the world’s most famous weather-forecaster groundhog, Punxsy Phil, predicted six more weeks of gloomy winter.

But don’t feel blue; Phil-in-the-Box is here to cheer you up! 

Imagine how extraordinary your life will be when every day could be Groundhog Day. That’s right – soon, you’ll be able to have your very own weather-predicting groundhog at your beck and call, coaxed out of his stump simply by cranking the “Pennsylvania Polka” music box.

Would you love to fund this adorable Phil-in-the-box toy? Simply sign up with your email to keep up with our progress in bringing this project to life.

Have we mentioned that only 5,000 people will be able to have their very own officially licensed, limited edition Punxsutawney Phil-in-the-box? If you like to be one of them, don’t hesitate to click the button above!

You can also follow Phil’s crowdfunding campaign on its official Facebook account:

Harness Our Team’s Creativity!

You have a great idea for a new product, but what comes next? You’ve got to get this idea off the ground and find a way to make it happen.

It’s going to take money, expertise and experience to bring your product to life. And the road from idea to production is long, with many pitfalls that can derail even the greatest product

That’s where ODM comes in. We’ve been helping companies of all sizes with their product design and development needs since 2003, and we know how important this process is for any company. Our diverse approach makes us a great partner for businesses who want a team to manage their projects closely.

Together with our design agency, Mindsparkz, we ensure that we are always ahead of the game to guarantee that you will get new and innovative products for your marketing campaigns and promotions.

Contact us today to get started on developing a product that will go above and beyond your expectations!

Check out our work credentials to learn more about our core work.

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