Thoughts on all that stuff

A revisit of " Someone made that"

I'm working on several projects, including what was going to be today's free Friday story - but I'm not finished. So for this week, I share a formerly subscriber-only story on how many hands go into the stuff we consume. This essay seems relevant right now - there's a massive backup of shipping vessels in ports around the US owing to increased consumer purchasing. Something to consider as we head into the holiday gift-giving season. ~JRC

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Someone made that

Considering the totality of the created world

First published as a subscriber-only story on June 28, 2021

Look around you. Chances are, there are many fabricated things. Chairs & desks, walls & doors, any number of electronic gadgets - all these made, in part or in total, by human hands. It's staggering to think how many people created the world that surrounds us.

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A tremendous example is the simple toy action figure. These engross my son, and I remain a big fan to this day. In particular, we both love the 3 3/4" ones like Star Wars and G.J. Joe. I recently shared my childhood collection of these with him, and he is super stoked.

While my son loves to play and pretend with these toys, he seems most keen on understanding how they were made. Takes after his old man, I guess.

The G.I. Joe, in particular, fascinate him. Each one has twelve points that move (articulation). Most Star Wars figures have a paltry five points of articulation by comparison. It makes the Joes more fun, and also more complicated. They have a screw in the back for assembly and disassembly (repair) as part of this elaborate design. We've fixed many, and he always asks if a machine made them or someone did so by hand.

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There's not much info easily accessible on the specifics of G.I. Joe fabrication. But from what I've gathered about 1980s toy manufacturing, the figures were likely assembled by hand (and not under excellent conditions, I’m afraid).

Here's the basic process for creating an action figure back then (it’s remarkably similar today).

• An artist (or artists) designs the figure, making sketches and a model, all by hand.

• A mold or die of the design is made, at least in part by hand.

• Parts are created from using the molds; in the case of G.I. Joe, there are 16 separate parts, not including the accessories. While often automated, someone still runs the machine.

• A factory worker then separates the pieces from the sprue (the plastic frame that holds the parts). This too is done - you guessed it - by hand.

• Other workers hand paint and assemble the figures.

• I suspect packaging, at least in part, is by hand as well.

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The long and short of this is that many people touch a product before it gets to the consumer. And despite modern automation, people remain an intimate part of it all. From toys to complex consumer electronics - people still make stuff.

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This hands-on nature of the "made world" fascinates me. Hundreds of hands - perhaps thousands - had a part in almost everything. Simple things like a one-piece plastic waste can? Someone, somewhere, designed that.

And other hands popped that trash can out of a mold and packaged it for shipping. And the plastic was manufactured from oil in some materials fabrication plant, run by many hands. The oil before that? Extracted and refined using lots and lots of hands (and backs). The same goes for the machines, equipment, and factory - all made by people.

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Perhaps it's obvious when we think about it - of course; people make stuff. But it's so easy to take it all for granted. Such is the way when surrounded by the everyday.

But I increasingly try and remember the number of people it takes to create any one thing. Knowing this helps me to appreciate objects more. And doing so aids in recognizing not only the value but also the toll making so much stuff brings. There’s lots and lots of stuff out there. And it all took people to create.

Something to consider as we live and consume in the made world.

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Until next time.

JRC