Copyright Santa Clarita Valley Signal
Walking around as a 3D toy vending machine for Halloween this year, Brooklyn Deschamp, 10, could not only add to her repertoire of years of intricate costumes, but also even pass out 3D-printed trinkets. The fifth grader, who attends Bridgeport Elementary School, is no stranger to larger-than-life costumes, having been a working merry-go-round last year, and a claw machine the year prior. With the help of her parents, Courtney and Cameron, Deschamp has not only utilized 3D printing for her costumes, but also for her business, “Brooke in 3D,” as well. Through the business, Deschamp specializes in dragon sets that allow one to assemble horizontally. Printing two dragons in the span of 14 hours with nine simultaneous printers, for a total of a staggering 1,050 collective hours, Deschamp sells each dragon for $20. “Two years ago, my dad had a little 3D printer that printed one color, and I really liked the idea. So a year later, I remembered it, and I got my own printer… and now I have nine in total. It’s really fun because I have a little booth that I do in the area, and I do these little printing classes where I go on Tinkercad and learn to make my own stuff and for other kids, like minis or build-a-dragons,” Deschamp said. “I make these little dragons where they all connect, and you can put them together with other pieces.” Inspiring Deschamp, Cameron discussed how he initially got into 3D printing. “I was just building smaller things the year before she started just for work, and then I printed a helmet for [our youngest daughter] so that it fit her head and she could wear it,” Cameron said. According to Courtney, Deschamp has now been working with a designer in Norway to create optimal designs for her business. “She got her first 3D printer on Christmas, and then she started selling. In January, she started her design classes, which is a kid program, but it teaches them CAD files and how to build. She’s been in that ever since, twice a week, and then she did her first show in March. From there, it just took off,” Courtney said. Deschamp will have a guideline at her booth, encouraging kids who visit to have the creative freedom to pick one head, six body pieces, two wings and one tail. “Her whole line is, ‘Stay creative and keep printing.’ Most of the time, she tends to sell out. The kids will pick any head they want, any wings. They’ll make it their own design and color, because a lot of the time they’re one piece, fully printed together, but she wants the kids to do more, and that becomes more of an interaction. She found that it actually inspires other kids to start 3D printing,” Courtney said. “We don’t [sell] anything that we don’t pay a commercial subscription to. If we use a designer, we have the rights to sell their product with the commercial license, because she works with a few.” While managing school, her businesses and having fun, Deschamp still finds the time to create her elaborate costumes with her parents. “Two years ago, I was a claw machine. My dad got a cardboard box, did some details, sketching, and painted it. I helped paint everything. We got the toys, and we made this little claw machine that actually works,” Deschamp said. “She gave us two days’ notice that she wanted to be a claw machine. We’re like, ‘Alright.’ We’re creative thinkers, that’s what we do. I made a claw out of tinfoil,” Courtney added. “Last year, she wanted to be a merry-go-round that actually moved. We had two months for that. This year, we had a week. She wanted to be a bubblegum machine at first, and we thought that would be really heavy with the heat.” With the idea of incorporating Deschamp’s own 3D printing work, she has passed out over 600 miniature toys, and can print 40 at once. Deschamp’s entrepreneurial nature is not only shown in creating 3D animals to build or in selling miniatures, but in also giving out 3D-printed business cards for barter. “I noticed that she networks with the other booths, and she comes back and is like, ‘Mom, I traded this for a loaf of bread.’ It’s teaching her so much about business. She makes these digital business cards, where all you have to do is tap it, and it has your information. She’s like, ‘I’m gonna see what I can trade for these business cards, I’m gonna promote their business,” Courtney said. “One time, she traded for a brisket sandwich, and she started eating it. She goes, ‘Well, I have dinner. What do you guys have?’” Having four sisters, and even employing a few of them, Deschamp’s ideas have become a family enterprise. “We’re super proud of her,” Courtney said. “She’s creative, giving, and silly.”
