The Singaporean Toymaker Who Kickstarted to the Global TED Conference, Michael Sng

Michael Sng is the principal designer of Machination Studio.

He is the creator of the Codename Colossus – a Walking War Machine with 435 individually 3D-printed parts.

Michael is the first Singaporean who spoke on the main stage at the TED Conference (2016) in Vancouver.

He holds a Bachelor of Graphic Design (Advertising) from the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (2000).

In this conversation, we spoke about:

  • Tools and skills to design and build a 3D printed & moving toy
  • Hacking Kickstarter to conclude a 442% funded Campaign
  • Michael’s experience preparing for TED
  • and much more!

If you’ve only got 2 minutes, here’s a short video on (The Designer Snobs From Central Saint Martins)



Click “continue reading” for the link and show notes…


Show Notes

How does Michael Sng introduce himself to a stranger? [0:01:49]
Michael Sng on his childhood [0:12:48]
What is Michael Sng’s superpower when he was younger? [0:1858]
What are the lessons Michael learnt from his time in design school? [0:24:13]
What is the value of an education at a design school when we can learn design from Youtube?  [0:30:51]
How did Michael get started with building the ultimate toy “Colosuss”? [0:36:47]
What are the software and skills required to design a toy? [0:4956]
Why did Michael decide to go to Comic Con? [01:02:44]
Did Michael achieve what he wanted at Comic Con? [01:05:09]
How did Michael get invited to TED? [01:09:07]
Michael Sng shares his experience preparing for his TED talk [01:11:41]
Michael Sng shares common mistakes people make with their Kickstarter campaigns [01:24:30]
Why did Michael set a low Kickstarter budget? [01:28:46]
What would Michael do differently for his Kickstarter campaign? [01:30:43]
How did Michael’s Kickstarter project get funded within 6 hours of its launch? [01:34:08]
Michael Sng shares the economics behind his Kickstarter campaign [01:39:49]

Links Mentioned

Connect with Michael Sng:
Website | YouTube | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Photo Credit: Marla Aufmuth (TED)
Fusion 360
Ultimaker (3D printer)
Wanhao (3D printer)
Comic Con (New York)
Introducing Codename Colossus (Viral Video)
Singapore Toy and Games Comic Convention

Thanks for listening!

And if you have any experience with anything we talked about, I’d love for you to open up in the comments.


Share your story in the comments.


Special thanks to Michael Sng. Until next time!

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