Borrowing my neighbor's son's play rug and my own young son's Hot Wheels cars, I scanned sections of the rug, shot the cars individually with a new-fangled device called a digital camera, and composted the whole thing in Photoshop. Everything is real except for the digital skid marks and motion blur. I contacted the manufacturer of the rug, who was shocked - but also thrilled - at what was being created with their product, and they gave us permission to use their designs without charge, in exchange for a simple courtesy of credit.