A soft vinyl figure is a hollow toy figure made of soft PVC. The simplest everyday example of this type of figure is a rubber duck. Soft vinyl figures normally have fairly simple details, they are produced by a process called rotocasting. Rotocast figures are made by putting a small quantity of plastic into a steel mould and then spinning it very fast so the centrifugal force forces the plastic into the details on the walls of the mould but leaves the middle of the mould clear thus producing a hollow figure. Rotocasting is cheaper than other plastic casting methods (e.g. injection moulding) because it uses less plastic since the figures are hollow, this also makes the figures more lightweight and reduces the cost of transporting them. This low-cost method of toy production is ideal for people who want to make small quantities of toys at affordable prices.
