Springville woman reflects on 40 years designing toys

SPRINGVILLE — What do Cabbage Patch Kids, Rainbow Brite, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Popples, Jem, Baby Dolly Surprise and WWF Wrestling Buddies all have in common?

If you guessed they are all legendary toys of the 1980s and '90s, you'd be right. If you guessed they are all toys that had the designer's touch of Springville resident Stefanie Eskander, you'd be even more right.

For the past 40 years, Eskander has been designing toys for major toy companies, contributing to endless smiles worldwide. If you were to ask Eskander how she got into the toy designing business, however, she'd say that it was a little bit of chance and a lot of big childhood dreams coming true.

"I was one of those lucky people who knew what I wanted to do and stayed with it," she told KSL.com.

Eskander grew up in the 1950s with what she described as "typical" parents, but neither of them was particularly artistic. Despite her parents' other interests and growing up in a time when women's roles were a little more "traditional," Eskander said she never felt the pressure to be anyone other than herself.

"A lot of dads at that time believed that a girl should study secretary things or learn to be a teacher, but mine never did," she said. "My parents were really supportive of my art, and just having that support from home really helped me feel confident that I could make art a career."

Eskander, who went on to get a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Brigham Young University in 1975, described having a goal of becoming a children's book illustrator. She illustrated many stories for the Church of Jesus Christ-owned Friend magazine.

"I always wanted to be a children's illustrator; that was my dream," she said. "I was an avid reader as a child, and sometimes if the illustrations in my favorite books weren't up to snuff, I would do my own and stick it in the pages of the book."

While the goal to become an illustrator never changed, after attending a job fair in 1984, her trajectory changed ever so slightly when she was "hired on the spot" to work for Mattel.

"When I got to Mattel, I was asked if I would rather be in the packaging department or design," she recalled. "That was a really big decision because packaging design was more of what I did. I was an illustrator. But product design sounded a lot more fun, so I went with that. That choice changed my life."

Eskander was also expecting her third child at the time and was in the thick of all things child-rearing. Meshing her love of designing for children while being inspired by her own growing family made toy design the perfect fit for her. Over the next 40 years, she would assist in designing seemingly countless toys — many of which became core childhood memories for millions of children worldwide.

"There are many hands in the design process of a toy, and that's why I hesitate to say that these designs were 'mine,'" Eskander explained. "There are the initial sketches, and those who create the molds, and there are the safety and testing teams; it really takes a village to create a toy, and I have been so blessed to be part of the process."

Even with Eskander's humble caveat, her artistic touch was seen in toy lines such as Cabbage Patch Kids, Rainbow Brite, My Little Pony, Popples, and so many more. Over the years, she worked for most of the major toy companies including Fisher Price, Hasbro, Playskool, Mattel, Toys R Us, Madame Alexander and Tonka, designing dolls in the "girl's department."

Eskander spoke about one particular design she was able to "work with the men" to make a line of dolls that softened even the toughest guys. The year was 1989 and she had just started a job at Tonka working on a Cupcake Doll line when she was called in to take on a new kind of doll: WWF wrestling dolls.

"Tonka had just acquired the World Wrestling Federation licensing and was working on a wrestling buddy for boys," she said. "The men were trying to make a doll, but nothing had really stuck, so they had me give it a try. I sat down with a wrestling magazine, made some drawings and somehow hit the jackpot."

The product was Wrestling Buddies, and it went on to immortalize the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, the Ultimate Warrior and Jake the Snake in plushy-toy form.

Meeting those who love her toys

While the process of creating toys is her passion, Eskander said seeing firsthand the joy her designs have given others, has confirmed she made the right decision to become a toy designer.

"I was at the airport in Rhode Island one day, and I saw a mom and her little girl who was holding a Baby Dolly Surprise that I had designed," she said. "I couldn't help saying to the mom, 'I designed that.' She just said, 'Oh my gosh! She loves that doll. It's never out of her hands. She cuddles it. She takes it to bed. She takes it everywhere she goes.' That was the first experience I had understanding that what I had created had an emotional impact on a child."

As the years have gone on, children of the '80s and '90s are now adults who have come back to thank her.

"I started an Instagram account where I shared many of my toy designs, and that opened up a world to people who wanted to learn more about my work as a toy designer," Eskander said. "I've been to 'Jemcon' for my work on the doll, Jem. I've been a featured presenter at toy-collector events, and I have even been asked to submit some of my early design files to the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester (New York).

"Learning that my designs had a positive impact on people's childhood has made it all worthwhile."

Eskander all but retired from the toy-making business in 2016 and decided to make her home in Springville because of the city's dedication to the arts. She has taught art classes at Utah Valley University but says, these days, she is getting back to her roots — creating illustrations for children's books.

"I love what I do," she said. "I love creating magic for kids."

More of Eskander's toy designs and illustrations can be found on Instagram @stefdesigns or at stefanieeskanderdesign.com.

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