Huiying Fu Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for B Is For Ball Multifunctional Baby Toy in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design

Huiying Fu acknowledged for toys, games and hobby products design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ B Is For Ball Multifunctional Baby Toy by Huiying Fu, designed for Biggest Little, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Bronze A' Design Award Means

The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

Regarding B Is For Ball Multifunctional Baby Toy

B Is For Ball is a multifunctional baby toy that adapts to a child from infancy through later childhood. The toy is made of food grade silicone and measures 6.35 centimeters in diameter. A hollow, mushroom shaped body and a detachable weighted lid form a two part interlocking structure. The design serves as a teether, a rolling toy, a stacker and a water play object. Complete drainage and easy cleaning help prevent mold. The simple form supports grip, motor skills, sensory exploration and early learning.

About Huiying Fu

I am Stephanie, founder of Biggest Little and a passionate advocate for using thoughtful toy design to create harmonious family spaces, encourage child-led development, and promote stress-free parenting. With a background in finance and a commitment to early childhood education, I channel my design passion into solving parenting frustrations and promoting eco-friendly practices in the toy industry. My work bridges functionality and aesthetics, blending children's and adult spaces while fostering sustainability. Recognized by experts and praised for innovation, I strive to transform children's toys into delightful, beneficial tools for families and the planet.

Award Record

With this recognition, Huiying Fu is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Award

The A' Toy Design Award is an international toy design competition recognizing good toy designs by best toy designers, manufacturers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to toy designers, game studios, industrial designers and hobby product manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include dolls, action figures, board games, puzzles, plush toys and educational toys. Awarded toy designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/toy

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://designers.org/163339
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/163339
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!163339
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/354457
Further Information from the Laureate: https://biggestlittlebk.com/

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: B Is For Ball Multifunctional Baby Toy
Function: Multifunctional Baby Toy
Category: Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
Discipline: Industrial Design
Industry: Kids
Colors: Light Sea Green, Dark Cyan, Yellow Green, Dark Slate Gray and Black
Images: 5
Client: Biggest Little

The Recognition

Laureate: Huiying Fu
Country: United States of America
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2024 - 2025
Design ID: #163339

Credits

Image Credits: Image Main, #3, 4, Arko Studio, 2023. Image #1,2, Lily Glass, 2023.

Design Details

Unique Properties: This design redefines the baby ball with a multifunctional structure that evolves with a child's development. Crafted from 100% food grade silicone, it features a detachable, weighted lid and a hollow, mushroom shaped body, enabling diverse functions: rom teether and roly poly to stacker and water play object. Designed for hygiene, it ensures complete drainage, preventing mold. Its durable, timeless form supports motor skills, STEM learning, and sensory exploration across early childhood.
Inspiration: B Is For Ball was inspired by an 18 months experiment in minimal living and play. We experienced how excess toys led to clutter, overstimulation, and fleeting interest, while simplicity sparked creativity and deeper engagement. Observing how children naturally explore with basic, open ended objects, we designed a safe, timeless, and versatile tool that empowers discovery, problem solving, and meaningful play, bringing childhood back to its essence.
Research: This is based on an 18 month experiment on minimalistic parenting and research on mold accumulation in bath toys, which poses health risks to children. The objective was to explore how reducing toy clutter impacts child development and parental wellbeing while addressing hygiene concerns in water play. The methodology involved daily observations of two children, ages 9 months to 3 years, using only open ended toys and household materials. Trend was observed on engagement levels, creativity, and parental stress. Results showed that fewer toys led to deeper focus, independent play, and problem solving, while parents experienced reduced stress and more meaningful interactions.
Challenge: The primary goal of this design was to create a simple yet highly functional play object that is ultra safe for babies while offering multiple developmental benefits. Achieving this balance required extensive research, prototyping, and testing to address several key challenges. Maintaining a Simple and Safe Form While Integrating Multiple Functions The object needed to evolve with the child, supporting early developmental milestones such as grasping and teething while continuing to engage older children exploring water dynamics, stacking, balancing, and sensory play.
Realization and Technology: B Is For Ball is crafted from single durometer food grade silicone, with varying wall thicknesses for optimal softness and durability. It features a two part detachable system: a hollow body and a weighted lid, engineered for structural integrity. The patented interlocking mechanism ensures secure fastening while withstanding water pressure from both kids and adults. Designed for safety and hygiene, it allows convenient drainage and easy cleaning to prevent mold. This innovative design supports key developmental milestones through functional adaptability.
Operation and Interaction: B Is For Ball adapts to a child's growth, supporting different stages of play. For infants, it soothes teething, strengthens grip and fine motor skills, and encourages eye-hand coordination and object transfers. As they grow, it adds fun to bath and water play, stacking, rolling, and throwing for gross motor development. Older children use it for stamping, outdoor exploration, imaginative play, and even as a water gun alternative. The design also supports early exploration of science and art, functioning as a dropper for experiments or a sensory exploration device, such as a smelling bottle.
Project Duration and Location: The project started in June 2020 in Brooklyn and launched to market in June 2023 in Brooklyn
Specifications: B Is For Ball is 6.35 cm in diameter.
Keywords: Ball Toy, Baby Ball, Baby Ball Toy, Kid's Bath Toy, Kid's Water Toy, Multifunctional Baby Toy, Multifunctional Ball Toy