Toyota car design contest for kids makes us smile and wonder 'what if'

Toyota has held its eighth annual dream car art contest, inviting entries from children aged 15 or younger from all around the world to imagine their dream car. Entries have poured in, all on paper as digital methods aren't allowed. However, Toyota has turned the work of the 90 finalists into six-second Vine videos.

This is the first time that Toyota has used Vine to bring the contest to life. It has been posting a video per day on a dedicated website from 29 May to 26 August. The overall winner will be announced at an award ceremony in Japan on 27 August.

The entries are utopian as one would expect (and hope!), but also address very real social concerns of homelessness, environmental care and recycling. 

Toyota's team of animators has done a fine job of adding extra charm to each of the Vines it has produced. The firm has also added behind-the-scenes pictures, as above for the making of video 60, released on 27 July, of 'The Dairy Cow car' by Thailand's Sudlert Lertsudwichai.

Whimsical, but also inspirational and challenging.

The Vines can be seen at http://www.dreamcar-of-the-day.com/ while more details about the competition can be found here.

By Karl Smith