With a kid-friendly social network and augmented reality app, we transformed a line of simple plastic disc toys into an online collecting game.

ROXX are pillow-shaped plastic discs that can be flipped, rolled, and bounced to play games and perform tricks. Like baseball cards, there are hundreds of different designs from skulls to skateboards, some extremely rare.

The big question: what could we do with technology to make the toys more relevant and fun in a world where so many kids would rather play video games?

With the Image Station app, players just point their phone or tablet camera at a ROXX toy, and the app uses image recognition to identify which ROXX it is. On the screen, the app reveals a hidden animation that moves with the toy in augmented reality. Their ROXX might appear to burst into magical flames, or they might even see a 3D dragon perched on top.

We created an app and social network with game-style points, badges, and leaderboards, all designed to encourage players to collect the entire set of ROXX toys. When new ROXX series are released, there will be new goals and achievements to keep the game going.