Design Challenge: In 2008, Marisa and Shanon worked with the rest of the Cranium team to develop a new line of products for Bloom, a brand that aimed to offer play experiences that would connect parents and their children and invite them to see their everyday world in a fresh and playful way.

Solution: Neighborhood Sounds Bingo was one of our favorite products in the line and featured a small radio that played sounds from around the neighborhood. We worked to turn the familiar game dynamic of Bingo into a rich, magical experience with sounds and music. We sought out the perfect visual and audio touchstones for today’s preschoolers and created an audio-scape that evoked a sweet walk around the neighborhood. Everything from the illustrations to the industrial design was carefully crafted to be playful, friendly, and evocative of everyday magic.

Favorite Moments: For many of our young playtesters, this was a “first game” experience, so the excitement of filling their cards and being the first to call “Bingo” was palpable. We tested a number of different sounds, and it was fun to see the favorites emerge (like the cooing baby in a stroller).

Background: For Cranium Bloom, Marisa led the game concepting and design with Colt on the concepting and design team and Shanon led content development, including content, illustrations, and audio.