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To find out more about how Wellington was made, I had the idea of designing a toy myself of a similar size and build, with a view to putting it into production. I hoped that this would help me to answer some of the questions that had been triggered when I deconstructed Wellington. My first task was to decide where my toy should be produced. I narrowed down my search to the Guangzhou district of southern China, where there are many factories producing plastic or soft toys. Products from these factories are often marketed by well known international companies, including McDonalds, who give away toys free with their ‘Happy Meals’. I contacted various factories with my designs and requirements, but received only one reply, from a company with a main office in Shanghai. As a first step, the company said they were willing to produce a sample for me. The design for my toy was of an Indian Runner Duck. The size was clearly marked on all my drawings, and was a crucial element in its production. I was very excited when the sample arrived several weeks later, but was surprised when it was unwrapped to find that the duck was huge – over three times the size of Wellington! The toy had been beautifully made, but for some reason the company had been unable to make it any smaller. The production cost they quoted was $1.45 per unit, for a minimum order of 6,000. This only drove me to find out more. How could the company produce the toy so cheaply, especially taking into account all the costs of transportation, materials and labour? I widened my search to include toy companies rather than factories, and approached several more firms with the same request. A toy company in the UK agreed to have a sample made in one of the factories they use in China. This time the size was correct – and he was cute! The toy company were very helpful in answering some of my questions about the production of my duck. I now knew that the factory where my toy would be made was situated in Shanghai. From here, the finished toys would be transported by container ship from Shanghai port to either Southampton or Felixstowe in the UK. The toy would be made up of nineteen parts with hand-sewn eyes. The production cost would be £1.42 + VAT per unit for a minimum order of 1,200. This included transportation.
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