Joey Hudy Goes to Washington

Education Science

DALE DOUGHERTY is the leading advocate of the Maker Movement. He founded Make: Magazine 2005, which first used the term “makers” to describe people who enjoyed “hands-on” work and play. He started Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, and this event has spread to nearly 200 locations in 40 countries, with over 1.5M attendees annually. He is President of Make:Community, which produces Make: and Maker Faire.

In 2011 Dougherty was honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” through an initiative that honors Americans who are “doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.” At the 2014 White House Maker Faire he was introduced by President Obama as an American innovator making significant contributions to the fields of education and business. He believes that the Maker Movement has the potential to transform the educational experience of students and introduce them to the practice of innovation through play and tinkering.

Dougherty is the author of “Free to Make: How the Maker Movement Is Changing our Jobs, Schools and Minds” with Adriane Conrad. He is co-author of "Maker City: A Practical Guide for Reinventing American Cities" with Peter Hirshberg and Marcia Kadanoff.

View more articles by Dale Dougherty

@dalepd

February 7th, 2012 30

You can’t help yourself when you see an air cannon. You have to ask for a demonstration. “Let’s try it,” said President Obama, wanting to see Joey Hudy’s “Extreme Marshmallow Shooter” in action. Later, he added: “The Secret Service won’t like this.”

After getting the President to help pump it up, Joey pulled the trigger and the marshmallow cannon worked. The crowd went wild. Congratulations, Joey. Joey and his project became the center of attention for the event, which celebrated efforts to engage kids in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

(whitehouse video)

Over 778 sources were covering Joey and the “extreme marshmallow cannon”, according to Google News. Here’s a sampling.

New York Times: Obama Announces Education Initiatives at White House Science Fair
Washington Post: President Fires Marshmallow Cannon
Huffpost: Obama Makes ‘Special Plea’ To Press: Pay Attention To White House Science Fair Winners
Whitehouse.gov: President Obama Launches a Marshmallow Cannon
National Journal: Obama Shoots Marshmallow Through State Dining Room at Science Fair

I’d say Joey went to Washington and made something happen.

30 thoughts on “Joey Hudy Goes to Washington”

Joey | Mambohead says:

February 8th, 2012 at 4:31 am

[…] Washington Blog this! Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on FriendFeed Buzz it up Share on Linkedin Share via MySpace Share on Orkut Share with Stumblers Share on technorati Tumblr it Subscribe to the comments on this post Bookmark in Browser Tell a friend […]
Tim Flint (@timflint) says:

February 8th, 2012 at 5:03 am

That is awesome. I hope more makers and innovators are brought to the White House and not just athletes. Hopefully this president’s successors will continue the trend.
Mark says:

February 8th, 2012 at 5:03 am

Now that’s fun! Wow, nice to see the blue Maker Faire ribbon hanging on the air cannon!
Watch President Obama shoot a marshmallow cannon | Grist says:

February 8th, 2012 at 6:45 am

[…] And then I see the genuine delight on President Obama’s face as he helps a tiny brainiac shoot a marshmallow cannon, and I worry a little […]
Ken Corkum says:

February 8th, 2012 at 6:48 am

Going to be a great memory for Joey ! Like to see the personal side of heads of state. Used to be like this in Canada …
Daniel Kim says:

February 8th, 2012 at 9:34 am

The President remembered to pick up one of Joey’s cards. Mr. Hudy may find himself invited to a STEM education bill signing in the near future.

I loved the question ‘do you think it will stick?’
Obama tries out MAKE’s Extreme Marshmallow Shooter | TUMBLR TRANSLATOR says:

February 8th, 2012 at 11:01 am

[…] Joey Hudy Goes to Washington […]
President Leaves Campaign Trail to Host The 2nd Annual Whitehous Science Fair | GoodOleWoody's Blog says:

February 8th, 2012 at 1:03 pm

[…] Joey Hudy Goes to Washington (makezine.com) […]
Peace Nobel Prize says:

February 11th, 2012 at 7:38 am

Unfortunatelly this canon cannot be used in next oil war.
MAKE | “Don’t Be Bored. Do Something” says:

February 27th, 2012 at 12:44 pm

[…] Hudy’s visit to the White House left a lasting impression on the President. Not only did Joey demonstrate his Extreme Marshmallow […]
Logbook says:

March 28th, 2012 at 7:58 am

[…] → MAKE: Joey Hudy Goes to Washington. A great video in which the President of the United States shows a bit of humanity: he sees a marshmallow cannon and wants to shoot it. Inside the White House. With the Secret Service there. And he and the eighth grader do. And then they track down the marshmallow. […]
Maker Camp on Google+ will be a blast! | Internet Marketing Denver | ReachLocal Denver | Social Media Denver says:

July 16th, 2012 at 8:32 am

[…] the words of young maker Joey Hudy: “Don’t be bored. Make […]
Maker Camp on Google+ will be a blast! | Krantenkoppen Tech says:

July 16th, 2012 at 8:35 am

[…] the words of young maker Joey Hudy: “Don’t be bored. Make […]
GoogleBig » Archive » Maker Camp on Google+ will be a blast! says:

July 16th, 2012 at 9:30 am

[…] the words of young maker Joey Hudy: “Don’t be bored. Make […]
Maker Camp on Google+ will be a blast! | Social Media Presence Now says:

July 16th, 2012 at 8:03 pm

[…] the words of young maker Joey Hudy: “Don’t be bored. Make […]
Maker Camp on Google+ will be a blast! | Social Media Torpedo says:

July 16th, 2012 at 8:07 pm

[…] the words of young maker Joey Hudy: “Don’t be bored. Make […]
Maker Camp on Google+ will be a blast! | F.A.E.M.M. - Host says:

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:11 am

[…] the words of young maker Joey Hudy: “Don’t be bored. Make […]
Maker Camp on Google+ will be a blast! | Social Fan Dealers says:

July 27th, 2012 at 3:52 pm

[…] the words of young maker Joey Hudy: “Don’t be bored. Make […]
Maker Camp on Google+ will be a blast! says:

August 7th, 2012 at 6:20 pm

[…] the words of young maker Joey Hudy: “Don’t be bored. Make […]
MAKE | Joey Hudy: One of 10 “Smartest Kids on the Planet” says:

May 1st, 2013 at 2:17 pm

[…] was invited to the White House science fair last year so we can only assume that Business Insider will get around to bestowing honors on Sylvia next […]
Joey Hudy: One of 10 “Smartest Kids on the Planet” - IT Clips says:

May 1st, 2013 at 9:06 pm

[…] was invited to the White House science fair last year so we can only assume that Business Insider will get around to bestowing honors on Sylvia next […]
MAKE | 3D-Body Scanning With Joey Hudy says:

September 17th, 2013 at 8:01 am

[…] you don’t know about Joey, he’s a 16-year-old maker who sells kits and got to meet the President. If you’re at the Faire, be sure to check out Joey’s […]
3D-Body Scanning With Joey Hudy - IT Clips says:

September 17th, 2013 at 9:28 am

[…] you don’t know about Joey, he’s a 16-year-old maker who sells kits and got to meet the President. If you’re at the Faire, be sure to check out Joey’s […]
Two Maker Moms Discuss the Importance of Making for Kids | MAKE says:

May 6th, 2014 at 5:39 pm

[…] maker we met at Maker Faire Rome, who created a marshmallow cannon that he got to shoot in the White House with President Obama. Joey and Julie have been kind enough to donate products to MakerKids, including the awesome Maker […]
Two maker moms discuss the importance of making for kids #MothersDay « adafruit industries blog says:

May 10th, 2014 at 9:30 pm

[…] maker we met at Maker Faire Rome, who created a marshmallow cannon that he got to shoot in the White House with President Obama. Joey and Julie have been kind enough to donate products to MakerKids, including the awesome Maker […]
National Day of Making: White House Hosts Its Maker Faire June 18th | MAKE says:

June 4th, 2014 at 12:45 pm

[…] in February of 2012, we saw Joey Hudy launch marshmallows in the White House with President Obama grinning over his shoulder. With the young maker as an ambassador, those quick blasts of sugary […]
Joey Hudy Launches Back to the White House | MAKE says:

June 18th, 2014 at 6:31 am

[…] Faire. He was briefly famous for the “extreme marshmallow cannon” that President Obama helped him set off during the White House Science Fair in 2012, and he’s been Michelle Obama’s guest to […]
The President’s Address at the White House Maker Faire | MAKE says:

June 18th, 2014 at 3:52 pm

[…] probably the only person who was ever allowed to fire a marshmallow in the White House. (Laughter.) Joey Hudy — where’s Joey? There he is. (Applause.) There’s still a stain — (laughter) — […]
Obama inaugura una Maker Fair alla Casa Bianca | stampa3dscuola says:

June 19th, 2014 at 2:19 am

[…] the only person who was ever allowed to fire a marshmallow in the White House. (Laughter.) Joey Hudy — where’s Joey? There he is. (Applause.) There’s still a stain — (laughter) — from where […]
Rallying the Community for a Maker in Need: Joey Hudy Recovery Fund | Make: says:

March 21st, 2017 at 1:42 pm

[…] Joey Hudy Goes to Washington […]