{"id":48147,"date":"2021-10-29T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T12:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/?p=48147"},"modified":"2021-10-29T11:56:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T15:56:30","slug":"princess-power-the-reveal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/2021\/10\/princess-power-the-reveal.html","title":{"rendered":"Princess Power: The Reveal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hear ye, hear ye! The SOLIDWORKS Magic Wheelchair Build Team has exciting news for the world: we officially have a ruling monarch and her name is Princess Freyja. On a crisp, perfectly New England autumn day in October, Freyja donned her hand-made satin dress, accepted her regal sash from her big sister Thora, and made her first official royal proclamation: \u201cI look like a girl scout princess!\u201d<\/p>\n

Left: Freyja in her dress. Right: Freyja and her family, Aimee, Johnny, and Thora.<\/p>\n

Everyone present laughed. Rachael Naoum, Annie Cheung, Arnav Mukherjee, and I had been invited to Freyja\u2019s house to watch and document her as she appointed her regalia (i.e. put on her dress). We joined Freyja\u2019s sister, mother, father, and grandmother in admiring her outfit, but the group wouldn\u2019t stay that small for long.<\/p>\n

In a few hours, over 40 friends and family, along with local Massachusetts-based build team members, would come together to see Freyja\u2019s completed costume and celebrate her tenth birthday. People came from near and far. Freyja was most surprised and delighted to see Medha Palnati, her favorite counselor from Double H Ranch<\/a> camp, who came all the way from upstate New York to see Freyja\u2019s coronation and join the fun.<\/p>\n

Left: Thora kissing Freyja’s royal hand. Right: Freyja and Medha<\/p>\n

The celebration was held outside of Freyja\u2019s elementary school in the open air, where people could remain socially distant and feel safe. Freyja and many of her friends are still too young for the COVID-19 vaccine, and it was important to her family and SOLIDWORKS that everyone felt comfortable and secure in such a large group.<\/p>\n

In the hours before Freyja and her guests arrived, the local build team was hard at work putting her costume together. After months of designing and planning and fervent weeks of cutting, milling, coding, painting, sanding, threading, and beyond, the costume was finally ready for presentation. In the previous two weeks, build team members stayed in the 3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE Lab well past midnight creating the costume and all of its accoutrements.<\/p>\n

The build team putting Freyja’s costume together at the school<\/p>\n

The day of the reveal was the first time many of the build team members saw the costume in its final form. And while all involved were proud and impressed, there was only one person whose opinion really mattered: Princess Freyja. The team draped the costume in sheets and laid down a pink table cloth on a folding table where they placed other gifts for the princess and her family.<\/p>\n

Freyja\u2019s family arrived at the school a little early to greet the guests. With her pink hair plaited and her face full of makeup, Freyja looked adorable and imperial at the same time, showing the full force of her inner princess power. Aimee, Freyja\u2019s mother<\/a>, had sent out invitations to the reveal\/birthday party and had goody bags full of chips and snacks waiting for party goers. The build team borrowed chairs from the school\u2019s tented outdoor eating area and set them up on the curb so people could get front row seats to the reveal.<\/p>\n

Crowning the princesses<\/p>\n

At two o\u2019clock, it was time. The build team gathered next to the covered costume while team leader Annie stood with Freyja and her family and started the gift presentation portion of the proceedings. After complimenting Freyja on her beauty and her dress, Annie asked, \u201cWhat else do you need to be a princess?\u201d From a bright green bag she pulled out a special crown made just for Freyja. Presented on a pillow inside a glass cloche, the sparkling pink and silver crown matched Freyja\u2019s dress and made her jaw drop. Aimee and Thora helped Freyja put the crown on, and then Thora was surprised with her own present: a glittering black princess crown. Both sisters got to be their royal selves for Freyja\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n

There were more gifts to be had. Annie found Thora\u2019s art on Instagram<\/a> and made her a metal print on a wooden base.\u00a0\u201cThis is a picture I drew a really long time ago,\u201d Thora told the crowd. \u201cI\u2019m snuggling a cat here, this is my dad, this is my mom with a cat on her lap, and this is Freyja in the bathtub.\u201d The guests all cheered while parents Aimee and Johnny looked on in pride and delight.<\/p>\n

Freyja’s shield.<\/p>\n

Then Thora helped Freyja open another gift. \u00a0Build team member Chinloo created a nightlight just for Freyja, with a dragonfly design and the words \u201cPrincess Freyja\u201d etched into it. When the nightlight was turned on (thanks to a portable battery), Freyja gasped, \u201cOh my gosh, that is so cool!\u201d Then Freyja\u2019s whole family was presented with two t-shirts: one emblazoned with the royal crest the build team created for Freyja and the family, and one with the Magic Wheelchair logo on it.<\/p>\n

The final gift before the BIG gift was the royal crest itself. The design on the build teams t-shirts was brought to life and hand painted. Upon seeing it, Aimee burst into tears. \u201cShe\u2019s happy, she\u2019s happy,\u201d Johnny assured Freyja. Thora showed the crowd the bird, dragonflies, and cat on the shield (some of Freyja\u2019s favorite animals) and everyone admired the Latin adhered to the bottom: Nobilis, Audax, Perseverantem. Noble, bold, perseverance. Three words that absolutely describe our princess and her family.<\/p>\n

The moment of the reveal.<\/p>\n

Once the happy tears were wiped away, it was time for the main event: the reveal of Freyja\u2019s costume.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay Freyja,\u201d Annie said to a smiling princess. \u201cYou have your dress! You have your crown! What\u2019s the last-last thing every princess needs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA castle?\u201d Freyja answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh huh!\u201d said Annie. \u201cAre you ready to see your castle?\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowd shouted out, \u201cThree! Two! One!\u201d and the build team pulled off the drapes, revealing Princess Freyja\u2019s castle.<\/p>\n

As the crowd cheered, Freyja gasped and her hand flew to her heart. Eyes wide, she finally gazed upon the castle built just for her.<\/p>\n

Freyja and her family admire her castle.<\/p>\n

Over seven feet tall at its highest point, Freyja\u2019s castle lives on top of clouds. With pink roofs on its many towers and hand painted stone walls, it is the most detailed costume the SOLIDWORKS Build Team has made yet (and that\u2019s saying something). Freyja\u2019s castle has a drawbridge hanging over a light-up moat the flows into waterfalls cascading down both sides of the costume and into the clouds. The two hand painted \u201cstained glass\u201d windows are lit by flickering LEDs, as though there are candles burning inside. On the grounds outside the castle are metal pink shrubs with sparkling fairy lights woven through them. There are lights on the bottom of the clouds which change color. And the castle is pulled by two larger than life 3D printed cats: Princess Freyja\u2019s favorite animal, and a callback to the Norse goddess Freyja, whose chariot was pulled by two cats as well.<\/p>\n

Of course, Freyja went straight to the cats. She pet the pink and white one for a moment, then turned to her mother and said, \u201cI\u2019m crying too!\u201d It was hard not to cry, watching her and her family\u2019s reaction to the costume.<\/p>\n

Princess Freyja in her castle.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid we capture what a Princess Freyja world would be?\u201d Annie asked. Freyja nodded enthusiastically and then called to the crowd, \u201cAnd look, there are two cats!\u201d<\/p>\n

Then it was time. Johnny lifted Freyja into her wheelchair and everyone broke into raucous applause. The princess was finally in her castle.<\/p>\n

One of the main concerns the build team had while creating the costume was the weight. While built to be as light as possible out of foam and wood, the sheer size of it (along with the 3D printed cats that each weighed over 10 pounds) seemed like it could be daunting for the small motor attached to Freyja\u2019s wheelchair.<\/p>\n

We quickly discovered there was no need to worry. As the crowd hollered, cheered, and clapped, Freyja began driving around in her castle. Freyja practiced her princess wave as she drove, then chased her sister up and down the road, laughing maniacally. A smile never left her face as drove in her castle and showed her gift to her friends and family.<\/p>\n

Freyja and the crowd.<\/p>\n

The rest of the time at the party was divided equally between guests coming over to admire the costume and frantically running away when Freyja sped towards them. The cool fall air was filled with laughter and happy chatter from a group of people coming together for a girl who brings love and fun with her wherever she goes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Magic Wheelchair team!\u201d \u00a0Medha called out. She led Freyja and her family in a camp cheer: \u201cTH-AN-K-Y-O-U! We thank you, we thank you, we love you!\u201d The crowd and the build team applauded and cheered right back at them.<\/p>\n

Everyone on the build team agrees it was beyond lovely to be cheered for and thanked, and all those involved are humbled by and grateful for the gratitude. But watching Freyja enjoy herself as the sparkling, vivacious princess she always has been, for us, was the best gift of the day.<\/p>\n

Princess Freyja and the Royal Family<\/p>\n

Want to learn more and see video from this royal reveal? Be sure to tune in on Thursday, November 4 at 11 AM for a special episode of SOLIDWORKS Live<\/strong> that\u2019s all about Freyja and the Magic Wheelchair reveal.<\/p>\n

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