Joan Lawrence Introduces Toy Safety Fundamentals to FIT Toy Design Students

September 5, 2025 | On September 4, Joan Lawrence, senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs at The Toy Association™, delivered a presentation on toy safety to students of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Toy Design Program in New York City. Lawrence, who served as the students’ formal introduction to toy safety, has been presenting her “Building Safety into Toy Design” session to FIT’s Toy Design class for more than 25 years. Her session helped kick off the program’s annual Industry Overview Series that features other industry experts on a range of toy-related topics.

Throughout the class, students gained insight into the key U.S. safety standards and testing requirements, as well as specific design features and play patterns that can pose safety risks to children. Lawrence used examples of toys to demonstrate hazards to avoid when designing product and highlighted examples of design features specifically selected to ensure safe play, offering insight gained over her three decades with The Toy Association.

During the workshop, students paired off and were given different toys to assess for potential safety risks and then reported their findings to the class. The sample toys ranged from infant and toddler products, toy vehicles, dolls, action figures and their accessories, to craft kits, battery-operated toys, and more, and represented various design features over decades of toy design. Students were encouraged to think about ways to incorporate some of the best design features and eliminate risk. Lawrence also encouraged students to think about age appropriateness throughout the phases of product design, starting with the product concept.

This hands-on exercise highlighted an important takeaway: Toy safety standards and creativity intersect in toy design. By understanding regulations, designers can find smarter ways to innovate — whether that’s integrating new materials, rethinking mechanisms, or reflecting the evolving ways kids play. In this way, safety and innovation go hand in hand, with the standards serving as a framework that supports imaginative design rather than limiting it.

“Safety is the foundation of every great toy, and it’s crucial for designers to understand the standards and regulations that protect children,” said Lawrence, who also serves as the chairperson of the expert subcommittee on toy safety that oversees the ASTM F963 toy safety standard and is known throughout the industry as the “Toy Safety Mom.” “It’s essential to consider the impact product design can have on the well-being of the kids and families that will be enjoying the products. By engaging with real-life examples and hands-on analysis, the students at FIT are not just learning about toy safety — they’re gaining the critical thinking skills needed to identify and mitigate risks in their own designs. It’s inspiring to see the next generation of toy designers take this responsibility so seriously.”

The Toy Association™ is a proud supporter of the toy design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City through scholarship grants and student memberships in the Association so that up-and-coming toy designers may take advantage of industry networking and other professional development opportunities. Click here for more information about FIT’s Toy Design Department.