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Toy Designer Jobs in Connecticut (NOW HIRING)

Spin Master

Vice President, Design

Wilton, CT · On-site

Are you a kid at heart looking to build a career with a leading global children's toy ... Leading a team of designers at all levels and responsible for the creation and execution of ...

Spin Master

Vice President, Design

Wilton, CT · On-site

$250/hr

Are you a kid at heart looking to build a career with a leading global children's toy ... Leading a team of designers at all levels and responsible for the creation and execution of ...

Spin Master

Vice President, Design

Wilton, CT · Hybrid

Are you a kid at heart looking to build a career with a leading global children's toy ... Leading a team of designers at all levels and responsible for the creation and execution of ...

All JobsToy Designer JobsToy Designer Jobs in Connecticut

Toy Designer information

See Connecticut salary details

$14

$25

$36

How much do toy designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 7, 2026, the average hourly pay for toy designer in Connecticut is $25.45, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $22.40 and $30.19 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a toy designer do?

A toy designer is responsible for creating the concepts, designs, and prototypes of toys and games for children and sometimes adults. They work to ensure toys are fun, safe, age-appropriate, and marketable, often collaborating with engineers, marketers, and child development specialists. Toy designers may sketch ideas, select materials, oversee manufacturing processes, and test toys to meet safety standards. Their goal is to combine creativity with practical functionality to produce toys that inspire imagination and play.

What does a toy designer do?

As a toy designer, you handle the entire lifecycle of the development of a new toy. Your responsibilities are to design sketches, assess materials needed, create a prototype, consult on requirements, assist with product testing, and modify to deliver the final product. You work to build toys from concepts to production. Your duties may include researching audience preferences, discussing marketing strategies, observing focus groups, and working with various departments to ensure a successful product. You also review popular toy qualifications including functionality, demand, and educational benefits.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a toy designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Toy Designer, you need a strong background in industrial or product design, creativity, and knowledge of child development, often supported by a degree in design or a related field. Familiarity with CAD software, 3D modeling tools, and prototyping techniques is essential for bringing concepts to life and ensuring product safety. Strong collaboration, communication, and problem-solving abilities set outstanding designers apart in team-based environments. These skills ensure toys are innovative, appealing, safe, and meet market and regulatory requirements.

What are some common challenges toy designers face when balancing creativity with safety and manufacturing requirements?

Toy Designers often encounter the challenge of creating innovative and engaging products while adhering to strict safety standards and manufacturing limitations. They must ensure that their designs are appealing to children and marketable to parents, yet still meet regulatory requirements for materials, construction, and age-appropriateness. Collaborating closely with engineers, marketers, and safety compliance teams is essential to navigate these constraints and bring safe, unique toys to market. This balancing act can be demanding but also offers valuable opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and industry expertise.

What is the difference between Toy Designer vs Product Designer?

AspectToy DesignerProduct Designer
Required CredentialsPortfolio, creativity skills, sometimes a degree in design or related fieldDesign degree, user experience knowledge, portfolio
Work EnvironmentToy companies, studios, manufacturing settingsTech companies, startups, manufacturing
Industry UsagePrimarily in toy and entertainment industriesVarious industries including tech, consumer goods, and more

While both Toy Designers and Product Designers focus on creating functional and appealing products, Toy Designers specialize in designing toys that are safe, engaging, and suitable for children. Product Designers have a broader scope, working on a wide range of consumer products. The key differences lie in their target audience, industry focus, and specific design considerations.

How much do toy designers make?

Toy designers typically earn a median annual salary of around $50,000 to $70,000, depending on experience, location, and company size. Entry-level designers may start lower, while experienced professionals or those working for major toy companies can earn higher salaries and benefits.

What kind of degree do you need to design toys?

Toy designers typically hold a bachelor's degree in fields such as industrial design, product design, or fine arts. Relevant skills include creativity, knowledge of design software, and understanding of manufacturing processes, which can be gained through formal education or hands-on experience.
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For Toy Designer jobs in Connecticut, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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The top searched job categories for Toy Designer jobs in Connecticut are:

Toy Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Toy Designer job openings in Connecticut as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 72% Full Time, and 28% Part Time. Highlights an 92% In-person, 4% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $52,944 per year, or $25.5 per hour.

Vice President, Design

Spin Master

Wilton, CT • On-site

Full-time

Vision, Life

Re-posted 17 days ago

Job description

Please Note: If you are a current Spin Master employee with access to Workday, apply to this job via the Workday application.
Are you a kid at heart looking to build a career with a leading global children's toy, entertainment and digital gaming company?
At Spin Master, our unwavering commitment to open mindedness, integrity and innovation is a great part of what has made us an industry leader. How do we stay ahead of the pack? By hiring the best and brightest minds-and that's why we want you!
Job Description:
What will you work on?
The Vice President, Design is responsible for the strategic leadership and execution of all aspects of design for new and carry forward products. Reporting to the President of Melissa & Doug, this role will shape and guide the creative vision for the brand.
This role is required 4 days per week in our Connecticut office.
How will you create impact?
  • Leading a team of designers at all levels and responsible for the creation and execution of products for the brand(s) in addition to partnering with vendors and inventors around the world to accomplish business goals and financials.
  • Be the brand steward, ensuring new products deliver the Melissa & Doug brand mission, aesthetic and quality.
  • Serve as a key contributor in the creation of 3-year new product strategy and review and refine as needed
  • Champion, inspire and lead the internal team and external partners for the invention of new products based on innovation, insight, research, consumer needs, play pattern, play value, quality, safety and inclusive design that reflects children of all diverse abilities and backgrounds.
  • Work with inventors and inventor relations team to evaluate submissions and reach out to the inventor and vendor community to seek out innovation.
  • Communicate vision for each product assigned in visual, verbal and prototype forms
  • Manage designer workload, employing external resources when needed for all new product development to ensure key PD launch dates are achieved and the team are delivering on all aspects of the development process.
  • Partner with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Quality Assurance, Marketing, Graphic Design, Sales, Planning, Copywriting) to ensure seamless and on-time development of each project.
  • Partner and collaborate with both internal and external design and ID consultants and manage the development costs with all design team members to bring each product within agreed project budgets and cost targets.
  • Lead the growth and development of the design team by training, mentoring and coaching team members at all levels, fostering and inspiring a culture of creativity, accountability and innovation.

What are your skills and experience?
  • Minimum of 20 years of experience in consumer product design with direct experience within the Toy business and owned Brands/IP.
  • Strong experience leading teams that drive high visibility, high impact design projects, with at least 10 years of experience managing and scaling teams, with proven mentoring and supervisory skills.
  • Highly skilled at collaborating with diverse teams and stakeholders to influence outcomes, drive execution and refine processes.
  • Proven track record of achieving KPIs in consumer product design, including product launch success, on-time delivery, cost targets and innovation pipeline performance.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-HM1
This job posting is tied to an open vacancy.
What you can expect from us:
Our mission is to Make Life More Fun with a vision to push the boundaries of innovation, creativity, and fun.
  • Growth and Career Opportunities
  • Flexible Work Hours
  • Innovation, Collaboration and Fun
  • Comprehensive Benefits
  • Other fun Perks!

What's it like to work here?
Spin Master is a fast-paced, hands-on organization that provides many great opportunities for impactful decision-making; though our challenging start-up atmosphere isn't for everyone, we have a proven record of opportunities for future advancement and internal transfers for our passionate and results driven team.
Everyone is welcome in our sandbox and we are committed to an accessible and inclusive hiring process that provides reasonable accommodation to all applicants.
Spin Master strives to create an accessible and inclusive application and selection process and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to job applicants who may require provisions to participate in the recruitment, selection and/or assessment processes. Should you require an accommodation, please contact our Talent Acquisition team, by email at TAinquiries@spinmaster.com or by phone at 416 364-6002 and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @SpinMaster to stay up to date on Spin Master career opportunities.
We do appreciate all interest; however only those selected for interview will be contacted.

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