Blue Milk has opened pre-orders for its newest book, titled Back to the Drawing Board - The Art of Kenner Toy Design.
The book chronicles the career of Tim Effler, a former Kenner toy designer. Effler worked at the Cincinnati toy company between 1975-1992 and brought some of the most successful toy lines ever created to life: from Star Wars to the Six Million Dollar Man, DC Super Powers, MASK, Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, and everything in between!
"The phrase 'back to the drawing board' is a cliché we’re all familiar with–it's been used by everyone from Thomas Edison to Wile E. Coyote," says Effler. "The title of this book refers to it in a more literal sense; as a glimpse into the age of the drawing board as it relates to the art of toy design practiced at Kenner, during the 1970s, '80s, and most of the '90s," he explains.
Effler's book tells the story of the designers and marketers that turned a small Cincinnati company into one of the world's premiere toymakers. It's packed with hundreds of images from his personal archive including never-before-seen photos, illustrations, prototypes, models and abandoned concepts.
"The breadth of Tim's work is incredible," says Blue Milk's Rich Alot. "While you may not recognize Tim’s name, the hundreds of toys he designed at Kenner are instantly recognizable," Alot adds.
Back to the Drawing Board - The Art of Kenner Toy Design can be purchased at the Blue Milk Shop. The hardbound book comes in a large-format 11.5 x 10.5-inch (29.2 x 26.7 cm) landscape design, and a limited number of copies are signed by Tim. Books ship approximately Nov 28, 2025.
https://bluemilk.shop/products/back-to-the-drawing-board-the-art-of-kenner-toy-design
About Blue Milk:
Started by passionate toy and entertainment industry professionals, Blue Milk provides fans with high-quality publications paying tribute to some of the most collected toy brands in pop culture.
About Tim Effler:
Tim Effler is a University of Cincinnati Industrial Design graduate (1974), and veteran of the toy industry. His resume includes stints at Kenner, Hasbro, Mattel, consulting firm SOEDA (where he was a founding partner), Digital Blue and Kids 2, among others. He has worked on notable toy lines including: Six Million Dollar Man, Star Wars, Batman, Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean and Mattel’s gaming console Intellivision.
Tim won a Toy of the Year Award (TOTY) in 2007, a LIMA Licensing excellence award in 2010, and is credited with the design of the original Jurassic Park logo. He is also credited with creating multiple Star Wars canon characters and concepts, along with the product presentation for Kenner’s “sequel line,” The Epic Continues.