Alex Shigueta: Snowman Spin Seat: A comfortable hollow snowman that spins when a child climbs inside and provides shelter from the cold and inclement Boston winter.

It's common for people in winter climates to experience a form of seasonal depression that keeps them inside, feeling tired and dreading the cold. The Snowman Spin Seat entices people to go outside and enjoy winter while having quality family time and making or bringing back childhood memories of the playground. What could be more inviting in the middle of a snow-covered playground than a spinning snowman that bestows comfort, warmth, and joy upon the occupant? A child can climb into the hollowed-out body, setting it spinning, and gaze out the head at the winter wonderland. The Spin Seat is built to be large and sturdy enough that younger children can sit on a parent's lap inside it, and older children can hold on to the outside. As Snowman Spin Seats make their way onto playgrounds, more people will discard any preconceptions about the cruelty of winter.

The spin seat relies on a simple design of spheres and enlarged cones that combine to create a round, top-like design. When the occupant sits down, gravity induces the seat to spin around on the center point. The inside grants the user the ability to peer out from the head of the snowman, giving the impression of "embodying" the snowman. Children can imagine themselves to be Frosty the Snowman, or Olaf from Frozen. The Snowman Spin Seat allows people to have fun while also offering warmth in the coldest season. The spherical design pushes wind around the snowman, not into it, offering a cozy retreat from the blustery cold.

Leighton Gray: Spinning snowman: A sheltering, comfortable, and family-friendly four-foot snowman that spins around when people enter it.

In the winter in  Boston,  people tend to stay in their homes, rather than venturing out into the cold, compounding the symptoms of those who suffer from seasonal depression. Spinning Snowman is designed to draw families out of their homes and get them to play in the parks on a snowy day. The snowman will be installed in Tadpole Park playground because it appeals to children, but standing at four feet tall everyone can play with it. Inspired by designer Thomas Heatherwick's spun chairs, which he installed in London in 2010, the snowman spins from its base when children sit in the snowman and add their weight to it. The Spinning Snowman posed additional design challenges due to its size, the fact that it is enclosed, and safety concerns: the base extends very wide to ensure that it is stable enough to hold children and adults. An eye-height hole in the snowman's head allows the user to peer through and “become” the snowman when they are inside. What could be more exciting to a child on a cold day then a sheltering snowman they  can enter into and embody as it spins around?