Toymaker
“I was a creative kid,’’ says toy designer Michael Lichodziejewski. “I was constantly making 3D toys out of paper, redesigning models … trying to make something new.” (Image by Mary Rafferty)
Many people can trace a line from their current occupations back to some childhood interest. In the case of toy designer Michael J. Lichodziejewski, ’92 FAA, there is practically a superhighway.
“I was a creative kid,’’ he says. “I was constantly making 3D toys out of paper, redesigning models, painting things different colors, trying to make something new.” Since then, Lichodziejewski has taken that creativity to renowned toy companies such as Hasbro—where he created games for classic brands like Clue, Monopoly and Operation—and Tomy International—where he developed toys based on Thomas the Tank Engine and characters from Disney and Pixar films. Today, he heads MJL Design Corporation, where he invents new games and toys. You may not know Lichodziejewski’s work, but if you’ve known any kids in the last 30 years, they certainly do.
Raised in the Chicago suburbs, Lichodziejewski says there was never a question about attending Illinois. He was attracted to industrial design. After two alumni who worked at a Chicago toy invention company offered him an internship, Lichodziejewski grabbed it. One of the earliest inventions Lichodziejewski worked on was a game called Gooey Louie, in which players insert their fingers into the nostrils of a plastic head and try to remove boogers without causing the head’s brain to explode. Appealing to any child who has even a momentary interest in things that are mischievous and disgusting—that is, almost all of them—Gooey Louie was a hit.
Michael Lichodziejewski (Image by Mary Rafferty)
“I may design toys and games, but I’m really in the business of creating moments where people come together…and create memories.” —Michael Lichodziejewski, ’92 FAA
Lichodziejewski was working for Tomy International when it won the rights to make toys based on Disney and Pixar movies, Inside Out and Zootopia. He enjoys the process of collaborating with film makers. “They bring us in early so that we understand the characters and the key moments,” he says. “Our goal is to make toys that will allow a kid to play the movie—to sit with the toys and recreate their favorite moments from the film.” The designers create as many as 40 toys for a film, with the whole process, from design to check-out line, lasting more than a year. “When I first started,” he says, “there was no greater thrill than walking into a store and seeing the toys lined up on the shelves.”
When not engaged in the business of play, Lichodziejewski enjoys playing music. At Illinois, he was a guitarist in Yuppie Hippie, a student band that built a strong following around campus. “Our high point came when we performed at Mabel’s on Green Street, where big bands like Jane’s Addiction and REO Speedwagon played. We had a huge crowd, and we brought down the house.” He still occasionally performs with his alumni bandmates.
“Once I was talking to a college student,” Lichodziejewski says. “He thought what I did was pretty cool. Then I mentioned Gooey Louie. He got so excited. ‘I loved that game!’ he said. ‘My whole family played. I used to torture my sister with it!’” That got me thinking about when I was a kid, and the toys that I played with my brothers and sisters, and all the fun we had. Then it hit me. I may design toys and games, but I’m really in the business of creating moments where people come together, where they share experiences and create memories.”
