Tag Archives: maze

Giant Marble Run Constructed from Cardboard: Start Collecting Boxes

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Marble runs: I remember constructing them as early as kindergarten with wooden block sets. Those were simpler times. And to think back then, all I wanted to do was grow up and be an adult already. What a mistake that was. But enough about a life of regret, this is a video of Marble Run Machine 37 Spin-Off constructed by marble maniac and YouTuber B-dama Friend almost entirely out of cardboard and a dream.

I estimate the marble run to be made out of approximately 98% cardboard and 400% glue. Those also happen to be two of my own favorite building supplies. Throw duct tape in the mix, and you have the holy trinity of all my do-it-yourself projects. I wonder if, during its construction, he ever accidentally glued a piece to his hand like I always do.

The machine releases green, red, yellow, and blue marbles in order and diverts them along different paths throughout the run with spinners so that by the time they reach the bottom, they’re dropped into trays consisting of only their own color. How about that! For comparison, whenever I built marble runs, I was lucky to have a marble reach the bottom at all unless it jumped out of the track at the very top.

[via The Awesomer via Laughing Squid]

Death Star Ball Bearing Maze: That’s No Moon

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Because who hasn’t ever dreamed of participating in the Battle of Yavin (aka the Battle of the Death Star), Paladone has created this Death Star Maze. Sure it’s absolutely nothing like flying an X-wing and battling the Galactic Empire but use your imagination. A lot of it. Use every last bit of your imagination, and then some.

Available from Entertainment Earth, the $17 maze consists of the upper half of a Death Star with a transparent outer shell and plastic labyrinth inside and a small ball bearing to guide towards the super laser in a full 360-degrees of getting lost and frustrated. Or, if you’re really using your imagination, as I suggested, you can pretend the ball bearing is an ion torpedo, and you’re trying to guide it through a thermal exhaust port leading to the reactor core. I’ll even call you Luke Skywalker if it helps in this little fantasy of yours.

Tried solving the maze but struggling to finish? No problem, do you own a hammer? When all else fails, smack it with a hammer – that’s one of my mottos. Along with ‘You can never have enough duct tape,’ and ‘Honey, have you seen the Band-Aids?’

This child-size stool flips over to turn into a toy maze!

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They say children can play with anything they find around them… well, what if you designed regular objects with playful characteristics and features to help engage children? Meet the Island Stool, a child-size sitting stool that has a bead-maze on the bottom of its seat. Just flip the stool over and it turns into a toy that the child can play with!

The Island Stool was designed after Hyeona, a kindergarten art-teacher, noticed that kids often try to engage and play with the things they find around them. If it’s in their visual periphery or their arms reach and it piques their curiosity, a child will reach out and try to play with it. The Island Stool was designed to encourage and facilitate that playful nature. The lightweight stool comes with E0 rated plywood on the top and ash wood legs. Coated with non-toxic paints, the stool comes in either pastel blue or green (which plays off well against the wooden finish of the legs) and features a fun, wooden bead-maze on its base that kids can play and engage with. The bead maze’s convoluted 3D design is a good way to exercise a child’s motor skills and their ability to plot the bead’s path in 3D. The wooden construction makes the Island Stool safe for children, while the beads produce a rattling sound whenever flipped over, adding an element of fun to the furniture!

Designers: Hyeona Kim & WooSeok Lee.

Disney+ announces two adventure competition shows for teens

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While Quibi is remaking the once-popular Nickelodeon show Legends of the Hidden Temple, Disney+ is planning two of its own mazes-based, puzzle-solving shows that could be Legends of the Hidden Temple-esque with a reality TV spin. Today, the streaming...

Pac-Man Procrastination Power Maze Safe: Gobble Dots to Withdraw Cash

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Do you need a place to keep your money safe? Perhaps you’d like a safe that is also a game? Well, check this out. The Pac-Man: Procrastination Power Maze Safe is a miniature bank that is also a Pac-Man game.

Let Pac-Man keep your coins safe and sound while you do some retro gaming. No quarters needed. This is even more old school than an arcade cabinet. You just move the box around, moving the ball bearing through the maze. That yellow sphere is Pac-Man. When you move him through the maze to the designated spot, you can open it up and get your money. Then, of course, you can spend that money on more cool Pac-Man merch. This is a great way to save your money.

I love seeing the maze as a cube – that could have been a cool sequel, where you enter a different side of the cube when you leave the sides of the maze. This bank makes a great gift for retro gamers, and is an officially licensed Pac-Man product. Aside from helping you save your money, it is also a great bit of geek decor. It may not play the Pac-Man theme, but it looks awesome.

Collect your money, play the game and spend your cash. The circle is complete.

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Westworld Maze Prop Replica Wasn’t Meant for You

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Westworld is such an awesome show, with really deep and layered writing. It gets in your head, you know? The problem is, after that second season finale, we no longer have any idea what the F is going on! Who is alive? Who is dead? Who is a host? Who is just a computer program? Has the show jumped the robot shark? Instead of watching further, I might just play with this Westworld maze instead.

At least with this maze, I can be sure there is a good ending and a way out, unlike the TV show. Because with J.J. Abrams involved as Executive Producer, this probably won’t end well for viewers. The cast polyresin maze replica is designed from the actual prop that was used in the show and supplemented with digital assets. It measures 5 1/2″ in diameter, and you get both the maze and the logo display stand.

It’s the only J.J. Abrams maze you are ever likely to start and then finish, without spending years worth of seasons to do so. And you won’t feel frustrated and betrayed by the time you complete it. I’m a little sad they didn’t offer this on the inside of a scalp, but it’s still a cool collectible. Grab one over at ThinkGeek today for $49.99.

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A Maze is an Analog Arcade Machine

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We’ve all played Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Centipede, but what if those games had been less digital and more of an art installation? Would you still be interested? This arcade machine is called “A Maze,” and is the work of artist Marco Iannicelli. It is all analog, including the motor that’s used to manipulate the 7 concentric ring maze on top.

The entire piece is carved out of marble making it look like an arcade game that the Romans might have used. The control is a lone black joystick that is used to steer the labyrinth and help the metal ball to its goal. You’ve probably played this classic concentric maze game in your hands, but I imagine it’s a whole new game with a joystick. It would be interesting to play this game and see how hard it really is to control.


This maze game is about more than just trying to get the steel ball from start to finish. Instead of getting the ball to the center, this maze has the “end” just an inch from the start. But why? The creator simply says that it “playfully illustrates the complexity of the space-time continuum and makes it understandable and tangible.” Thanks. That really clears things up.

[via Dude I Want That via Mike Shouts]

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Hat-wearing Hamster Owns Super Mario Maze

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I used to think hamsters were cool until about 1990 when the field behind our house caught fire and all the field mice fled… right into our house. The little fuzzy bastards apparently liked it there and they would wake me up at all hours of the night doing whatever mice do in the dark. Now I can’t stand rodentia of any sort.

mario-hamsterzoom in

Some Japanese folks built an awesome Super Mario Bros. maze for their hamster to run through and the little guy dominated the maze. It’s a bit like Ninja Warrior, only for tiny rodents.

The video is well worth a watch. I guess hamsters can be pretty cute as long as they aren’t running loose in my house.

[via Nerd Approved]