As toys are flooding into the twenty ElfHubs located across the country, we want to take a moment to share some of the Elf stories that help make the annual 3D Printed Toys For Tots campaign as impactful and inspiring as it is. Here are just a few of the people dedicated to spreading 3D printed joy this holiday season:

Students from Metro High School in Columbus, Ohio
This is Metro’s second year of printing toys. Last year we printed about 500, and we set the goal to print even more this year. We ended up just shy of 800. We had 5 printers running non-stop, with students running them. In September, students raised money for filament, set up the print profiles, and began testing. Once we were up and running, students took weekly shifts prepping the printers, cleaning, and inventorying.

In total we had 24 students working on the project who donated 8kg of filament! We also had a few students who printed from home with their own printers! Two students even purchased their own printers after having fun with this project. It was a great learning experience for the students to run a “print shop” in the classroom as well as how to properly maintain the printers themselves.

Tyler Hertenstein | Columbus, OH | Metro High School

This is my second year being a Printer Elf, and I am so happy to be part of this program. I love every aspect of it. You see, I grew up as a Marine’s daughter. He served 22 year in the Marines, and I have lived all over the US. However Nebraska was always home, it’s where our family was and why I came to call it my home as an adult. Because of all that, Toys For Tots has always been a large part of my life. Being a military family, my Dad never made a lot of money, but we always had money for Christmas…

My mother and I would always go pick out several toys that we would donate every year. We didn’t always pick them up just at Christmas time, but we would also pick them up throughout the year. Then when Christmas came around, we would gather what we had collected and donate them to the Marines.

My family didn’t grow up with a lot of things, but we always knew that things could be worse for us because each time my dad got shipped off we never knew if he was going to come back to us or not. My family was one of the lucky ones – my father always came back home. Sadly I knew some that didn’t. For me, that is what makes Toy for Tots so much more special: I am not only honoring my father in all that he has sacrificed for my family and this country, but I am honoring all those that didn’t get to come back to their families. It is my way of saying “thank you” and “you will never be forgotten.” On Dec 5, I will be driving from Kearney NE to Omaha NE to deliver all my toys to the Marines stationed in Omaha along with my 3D printed toys. I will also be donating roughly 20 store bought toys that I have collected.

I am odd in that this program to me isn’t just about making sure that children get toys at Christmas, it’s about bringing a smile to the faces of so many people who are involved in the program and providing hope for those parents that think they have nothing to give. If I could print toys all year long to give away, I would. In the end, I am selfish because it makes me happy to do this and brings a smile to my face that I brought someone else joy. Even if it is only a small piece of joy, it is still joy. It is a spark, and we all know that sparks, if cared for, can turn into blazing fires.

That is my story. I am sad to see this season end and can’t wait until next year when it begins again. I love being a hub manager and hope to be one again next year. My elves were great in communication and getting things to me.

Sarai Fuoss | Kearney, NE | Volunteer ElfHub Manager

No spring chicken, I finally took the plunge into 3D printing in Spring 2020 with the hope of helping print personal protective equipment at the early stage of the pandemic. Unfortunately, lead times were long. By the time my printer arrived, and I figured out how to use it, the need had passed. Then in the Fall of 2020, I happened to see a post in one of the 3D printing Facebook groups about the IC3D Toys for Tots program…

Not being sure how many toys I could actually print at an acceptable quality level, I signed up saying I would print 20 toys – and I was accepted! I ended up printing 125+ toys and was hooked, but I wished my toys could have gone to a local TFT center instead of sending all my toys to the Ohio area. I was thrilled to see the new ElfHub plan for the 2021 TFT program and immediately volunteered to be an ElfHub even before I had any real idea what it would entail. I was also able to recruit two friends to volunteer as Printer Elves, and I posted about the program on Facebook hoping that would also bring in volunteers.

I’ve met, either in person or online, some amazing printers this year and am already looking forward to the 2022 TFT program. I will volunteer to be a Hub Elf again as well. I’m also trying to figure out if there is a way to start something similar to provide toys to our local Children’s Hospital and hope to mimic IC3D’s program in this way during the “off season”.

John Kornegay | Pleasant Valley, CT | Volunteer ElfHub Manager

It all started on a cool spring weekend in Goshen, Indiana. I was attending the Midwest Rep Rap Festival (MRRF) 2019 for the first time with a friend. The festival was over-crowded with shoulder-to-shoulder spacing, nearly impossible to get around. Like any other attendee, I was on the hunt for filament samples and swag, signing up for giveaways and mailing lists…

The months passed and life returned to normal. October rolled around and an email showed up in my inbox from IC3D with the subject “IC3D Toys for Tots Campaign Launch!” that I was not expecting. I had no recollection of signing up for this, but it sounded fun. I submitted my information and started printing.

A small group of 15 were emailing back and forth, helping each other out to get toys made. People I had met at MRRF, like Joe Kaufeld (Filament Librarian, http://filamentcolors.xyz), were participating. There were a handful of Youtube personalities like Fun King 3D and Uncle Jessy as well. Just being involved with something that included these people made me feel like I was doing something good.

Within just a couple weeks of printing, 27 of us printed over 1,400 toys that year. I had my fair share of failures and learning experiences and was eager to print more for the next year as soon as possible. Maria and Ryan at IC3D were very easy to work with and made sure we all had a positive experience.

As another year went by, I always kept TFT in the back of my mind. Purchasing printer parts and upgrades to gear up for the next run, hoping they would announce the toys early so I could get a jump start on it. October 2020 arrived with another email titled “IC3D’s Third Annual 3D Printed Toys for Tots” in my inbox.

I started my printers running 24/7 making toys as fast as possible. IC3D was also testing out some new material, recycled PETG, which I got to use and provide feedback. Until then I had primarily only worked with PLA, but was eager to try something new out. It was awesome to have such a close contact with a filament manufacturer and provide a service back to them in return. This sort of experience pushed me to prioritize U.S. based manufactured filament over the popular foreign brands found on Amazon.

That year I also recruited a friend to join the cause. Word spread elsewhere and we grew to 128 elves. With IC3D stepping up to handle the growth, the Discord server became busier than ever. I attempted to do what I could to help new elves by answering common questions and assisting in troubleshooting printing issues with those who needed it. With a quadrupling of elves, we managed over 10 times the toys (17,000+). There were so many toys that some were shipped to nearby counties and states.

This year, 2021, IC3D upped the ante even more. A goal of 50,000 toys! The elf count exploded to 400+ elves and the creation of regional distribution hubs were needed to handle the volume. Thankfully, the campaign kicked off in mid-July with toy models announced in early August. I had purchased more printers solely for the purpose of making toys and started putting them to work.

Without hesitation, I volunteered to be a regional hub. To my delight, I was chosen to cover my state of Wisconsin along with parts of Minnesota and Iowa. Once again, it felt good to be helping out in a greater capacity each year. It has enabled me to communicate with and meet several other 3D printing enthusiasts in the area. Coordinating with the Marines and bringing smiles to kids’ faces in a more local setting made it feel even more rewarding. We’ve exceeded the 50,000 toy goal this year and I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish next.

Mark Stodola | Waunakee, WI | Volunteer ElfHub Manager



Keep On Giving

In August of 2021, Hurricane Ida became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It would have been understandable for the 3D printing elves in the affected areas to slow down or even cease operations altogether, let alone act as a distribution hub for the entire region. However, according to Dusty Knuckles — the volunteer ElfHub manager based in New Orleans — the community rallied together to rebuild and found a way to convert feelings of loss and frustration into hope and positivity for the community.

We personally sustained no major damage and are now housing 8 restoration/recovery crews of approximately 20-25 out of state electrical line repair workers. We are also hosting many of our friends and neighbors for nightly meals, showers, recharging, relaxation and entertainment in a safe and air-conditioned environment at our shop/maker/hackerspace and pinball arcade/museum the ‘Pin Church’.

While sheltering at the ‘Pin Church’, neighbors and community members were able to witness the printers running on the sidelines printing toys, prompting many to ask questions about 3D printing.

Dusty Knuckles | New Orleans, LA | Volunteer ElfHub Manager

Dusty is passionate about demystifying 3D printing and making the technology more accessible to those who feel “like they aren’t smart enough.” In a part of the country that frequently experiences severe weather, people are used to banding together to offer up support, whether with food, a back-up generator, or even a 3D printed toy.

We are fortunate to have a strong and resilient community. With the assistance of so many wonderful out-of-state resources, continuing to clean up as life is returning to normal far more quickly than anticipated. We Cajuns are known for “the big easy” and it is a real thing. However, when necessary, we are very hard working and resilient.

Dusty Knuckles | New Orleans, LA | Volunteer ElfHub Manager

Dusty and about 23 additional participants (up from an initial 13) were able to donate 2,481 toys to the New Orleans Toys for Tots program which serves local social aid clubs like Mardi Gras crews and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. This particular site holds toy drives throughout the year, so the 3D printed joy will certainly continue past Christmas.

These stories remind us of the power and necessity of distributed manufacturing. Every year, more and more individuals join this effort to produce record-breaking numbers of toys. They begin their journey as a student from a club, a makerspace member, or an individual interested in a new hobby. However, through this program and other efforts (such as IC3D’s PPE production), these individuals are sharing information, improving each others’ skills, self-organizing, and preparing for the next need — they are becoming manufacturers. The army is growing, and they’re ready for the next mission.

Help Sponsor the Annual 3D Printed Toys for Tots Campaign

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The Network for Adaptive Human Technology seeks to enhance the adaptability of individuals to technological change, increase community awareness of technological advances, and promote community-based economic development by providing to the general public, and supporting others in providing, education and training on innovative technologies such as digital manufacturing, AI-controlled devices, and renewable energy systems. NAHT is a charitable organization that has applied to the IRS for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.