Toys and Games

Makey Awards 2011 Nominee 12: Lego, “Best Product Documentation”

Makey Awards 2011 Nominee 12: Lego, “Best Product Documentation”

Lego, founded by father and son Ole and Gotfred Kirk Christiansen in Billund, Denmark, in 1932, injection molded its first modern-style Lego brick in 1963. Shortly thereafter, in 1964, they introduced the first of their Lego system toys that included printed instructions. Since that time, Lego has manufactured models that range from about ten pieces up to their largest set ever…

Math Monday: Playing Cards

Math Monday: Playing Cards

By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics We looked at playing card constructions before in this column, but this one by Nick Sayers is impressively intricate. The 270 playing cards each have four slits, and lock together like the classic IQ Lamp. Each card is forced into a curved form because it locks with […]

Combat Gnomes

Combat Gnomes

MAKE regular Shawn Thorsson, of Petaluma, CA, casts and paints these rather brilliant army man / lawn gnome mash-up figures in his home workshop. They are available in both painted and unpainted varieties in Shawn’s Etsy shop, and there’s also a Flickr set full of great in-process photos.