Secret Monster Club
Each year, BARK releases limited-run Toy Club add-ons—optional subscription upgrades that offer a themed experience for superfans. In 2022, I was tasked with creating an original character-driven toy collection that felt fresh, elevated, and ownable. The result was Monster Club—a quirky crew of custom BARK monsters, each arriving monthly as part of a surprise drop.
The ask
I was solely responsible for ideating and designing an initial capsule collection of 4–5 toys that would define the visual DNA for the entire Monster Club. Once approved, I expanded this into a collection-wide style guide, enabling other designers to build additional characters using consistent form, expression, and material language.
Below you can see my initial thoughts in the form of mood and inspiration boards:
Design Process
Together with the team, we developed a 14-monster collection released monthly. I personally designed a total of 7 and established the collection’s foundation while mentoring other designers as they expanded the world.
Character Exploration
Unlike standard Super Chewer toys (which favor minimalism and simplicity), we wanted Monster Club to feel premium and distinctive. I began with a visual audit of monster tropes, exploring eye styles, mouth shapes, facial proportions, and silhouette diversity to inform a fresh, BARK-ified approach to monster design. You can see my exploration below:
Character Definition
After locking down the facial language and construction logic, I created a visual design system that covered:
Face shapes and expression mechanics
Color palette guidelines (seasonal but unexpected)
Material mix strategy for visual and tactile interest
Size and chew profile consistency
Character Definition
After locking down the facial language and construction logic, I created a visual design system that covered:
Refined Concepts
Each monster reflected its month’s vibe—without being overly literal. For example, January’s drop introduced an Ice Beast, with frosty tones and icy texturing. I made sure each design balanced seasonal cues, character storytelling, and functional play features like textures, materials, and durability.
See the final concepts and product images of the months I worked on below:
Final Collection
I personally designed the following monsters in the collection: January ’22, February ’22, March ’22, April ’22, October ’22, January ’23, and February ’23. These toys served as the anchor and aesthetic foundation for the collection, informing the work of collaborating designers: Katie Lim, Grayson Hild, and Sirisa Gauchan.
Monster Club proved to be one of our most visually distinct and narratively rich collections—allowing us to push the boundaries of what a chew toy could look like, while staying true to the Super Chewer design ethos.
