K'NEX
Encyclopedia
K'Nex is a brand name of a construction toy
system invented by Joel Glickman, designed and produced by Industries of Hatfield, Pennsylvania
, USA. Currently Michael Araten is the president of the organization. The name is, presumably, a phonetic variation of connects, and is pronounced the same way. The toy's building system consists of interconnecting plastic rods and connectors, which can connect together to form all kinds of contraptions. K’Nex is a construction toy, and therefore in the same genre as LEGO
, Fischertechnik
and Meccano
. It is similar to Tinkertoy
.
if he could connect it with other straws. He and his brother Bob Glickman discussed the idea and started the K’Nex company. The original building system kept very closely to the idea that Joel Glickman had: The K’Nex building system was simply Rods and Connectors which could be easily attached together to make different things. Other parts such as wheels
and pulleys were also included to allow more flexibility in construction. The first K’Nex Box was launched in the U.S. market in 1993. Original models with moving parts had a handcrank to make things move. But soon gears and motors
allowed models to move on their own.
When K’Nex went to the big toy companies, such as Hasbro, and others, their idea was turned down, but they were referred to giant construction toy producer Lego
. However Lego refused to even see their new toy. K’Nex is now distributed in Europe by TOMY.
, Star Wars
, etc.), but often based its sets around popular fads (such as mech warriors and RC
cars). In 2001, K’Nex broke from this trend and introduced a line of toys using the BattleTech
/MechWarrior
label, and later launched the OCC (Orange County Chopper) line of toys in 2006 and a line of Sesame Street
building sets in 2008. In 2011, K'nex released a brand of Mario Kart Wii
building sets with buildable karts and tracks as well as items and obstacles such as Mushrooms, Bullet Bills, Chain Chomps, Thwomps, Goomba's, Shell's and many more. This set came with Mario
, Luigi
, Bowser
, and Yoshi
as the racers.
, such as Wheels, Pulleys, Panels, Spacers, Gears, Bricks, Roller Coaster Pieces, (SS and Micro Pieces) and "Flexi-Rods" to name some. These give greater variety to what can be realized when being creative with K’Nex. There are various Motors that can make the models move. New K’Nex bricks were added into the K’Nex matrix in 2008 as part of K’Nex's 15th Anniversary celebration.
Many hobbyists have included low-power servo motors and wheels other than K'Nex in their constructions. Even real bikes (complete with bicycle wheels) have been constructed with K'Nex.
With the almost unlimited variety of gears, wheels and motors available for use, even the most complicated, functional construct can be created with K'Nex.
Gadgets like little computers and solar panels also have made it a instant classic with hobbyists.
K’Nex has toured the United States with exhibitions which have large displays of K’Nex. Many of these models are ones that sell or have sold, but there are many unique professionally made K’Nex models. These can can be quite large and built from tens of thousands of pieces. For example an 8-foot (24 m) model of the United States Capitol
building took 514,000 pieces to build, and is the biggest K’Nex model ever made. Unlike Lego
bricks which can come in any color, K’Nex pieces are color-coded and therefore come in certain colors based on their shape. This fact presents a challenge when attempting to make a model out of a specific color.
Concordia University
's Women in Engineering
chapter has erected models of a space shuttle
, the Sears Tower
, and the Eiffel Tower
out of K'nex.
Construction set
A construction set is a set of standardized pieces that allow for the construction of a variety of different models. The pieces avoid the lead time of manufacturing custom pieces, and of requiring special training or design time to construct complex systems...
system invented by Joel Glickman, designed and produced by Industries of Hatfield, Pennsylvania
Hatfield, Pennsylvania
Hatfield is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,290 at the time of the 2010 census.-Geography:Hatfield is located at ....
, USA. Currently Michael Araten is the president of the organization. The name is, presumably, a phonetic variation of connects, and is pronounced the same way. The toy's building system consists of interconnecting plastic rods and connectors, which can connect together to form all kinds of contraptions. K’Nex is a construction toy, and therefore in the same genre as LEGO
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
, Fischertechnik
Fischertechnik
FischerTechnik is a brand of construction toy. It was invented by Artur Fischer and is produced by FischerTechnik GmbH in Waldachtal, Germany. Fans often refer to FischerTechnik as FT or ft. It is used in education for teaching about simple machines, as well as motorization and mechanisms...
and Meccano
Meccano
Meccano is a model construction system comprising re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices....
. It is similar to Tinkertoy
Tinkertoy
The Tinkertoy Construction Set was created in 1914—one year after the A. C. Gilbert Company's Erector Set—by Charles H. Pajeau and Robert Pettit in Evanston, Illinois. Pajeau, a stonemason, designed the toy after seeing children play with pencils and empty spools of thread. He and...
.
Early years
The concept behind K’Nex was originally conceived by Joel Glickman. While he was at a wedding, he started thinking of what he could do with his strawStraw
Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
if he could connect it with other straws. He and his brother Bob Glickman discussed the idea and started the K’Nex company. The original building system kept very closely to the idea that Joel Glickman had: The K’Nex building system was simply Rods and Connectors which could be easily attached together to make different things. Other parts such as wheels
Wheel
A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...
and pulleys were also included to allow more flexibility in construction. The first K’Nex Box was launched in the U.S. market in 1993. Original models with moving parts had a handcrank to make things move. But soon gears and motors
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
allowed models to move on their own.
When K’Nex went to the big toy companies, such as Hasbro, and others, their idea was turned down, but they were referred to giant construction toy producer Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
. However Lego refused to even see their new toy. K’Nex is now distributed in Europe by TOMY.
Today
Until 2001, K’Nex did not make sets containing brand constructions (as Lego had with Harry PotterHarry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
, Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, etc.), but often based its sets around popular fads (such as mech warriors and RC
RC
-Computing:* .rc, a filename extension for configuration files in UNIX-like environments, abbreviating "run commands"* File extension and compiler for Microsoft Windows resource scripts...
cars). In 2001, K’Nex broke from this trend and introduced a line of toys using the BattleTech
BattleTech
BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
/MechWarrior
MechWarrior
MechWarrior is the title of a series of computer and video games set in the fictional universe of BattleTech-Games:In these games, players take control of a single BattleMech and combat other BattleMechs, tanks, infantry, and more, from within the cockpit of their machine. A third-person alternate...
label, and later launched the OCC (Orange County Chopper) line of toys in 2006 and a line of Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
building sets in 2008. In 2011, K'nex released a brand of Mario Kart Wii
Mario Kart Wii
is a racing video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series and the second Mario Kart title to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The game was released worldwide...
building sets with buildable karts and tracks as well as items and obstacles such as Mushrooms, Bullet Bills, Chain Chomps, Thwomps, Goomba's, Shell's and many more. This set came with Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
, Luigi
Luigi
is a fictional character, featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario series,...
, Bowser
Bowser
Bowser may refer to:*Bowser , the main villain in the Mario series of video games**Bowser, Jr., Bowser's son*Bowser , a generic name for a tanker of various kinds...
, and Yoshi
Yoshi
, is a fictional dragon-like character who appears in video games published by Nintendo. His debut was in Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick , and he later established his own series with several platform and puzzle games, including Super...
as the racers.
Basic Pieces
The basic K’Nex pieces used to make models are Rods and Connectors. When both of these are used together, they can create a wide variety of 3D objects and contraptions. All K’Nex Connectors and Rods are color coded.- K’Nex Rods come in a range of lengths, each length having a distinct color. When the additional length of connections is taken into account, the ratio between successive lengths of rods is √2/2. This simplifies the construction of right-angle isosceles triangleTriangleA triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
s, and these triangles provide structural strength in models. Most types of K’Nex rods are only very slightly flexible, but there are extra rigid and very flexible versions of some of the longer rods.
- K’Nex Connectors also come in a range of types, each having a different number of slots. They can link the rods together in different ways. The first way is to insert the end of a rod into a slot on the connector, where it snaps firmly into place. Rods connect at angles which are multiples of 45 degrees. The second method is to snap the rod into one of the connector slots perpendicular to first method. The rods cannot rotate and will not move without deliberate force. The third way is to slip the rod through a round hole in the connector. The rod can slide and rotate freely while in the hole.
Other Pieces
There are many other K'Nex piecesK'NEX Pieces
When the first K'Nex Box was released in the U.S. market in 1993, there were roughly 20 different K'Nex Pieces. Since then new varieties of pieces have been added regularly. Now they are difficult to number...
, such as Wheels, Pulleys, Panels, Spacers, Gears, Bricks, Roller Coaster Pieces, (SS and Micro Pieces) and "Flexi-Rods" to name some. These give greater variety to what can be realized when being creative with K’Nex. There are various Motors that can make the models move. New K’Nex bricks were added into the K’Nex matrix in 2008 as part of K’Nex's 15th Anniversary celebration.
Use
K'nex has been used to construct virtually everything because many different pieces can interlock at different angles and directions. From miniature cows to complete table sets, many objects and things in various sizes can be constructed. Because K'Nex pieces are made of a strong plastic and interlock, these constructs are usually quite sturdy.Many hobbyists have included low-power servo motors and wheels other than K'Nex in their constructions. Even real bikes (complete with bicycle wheels) have been constructed with K'Nex.
With the almost unlimited variety of gears, wheels and motors available for use, even the most complicated, functional construct can be created with K'Nex.
Gadgets like little computers and solar panels also have made it a instant classic with hobbyists.
Display Models and Exhibits
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
building took 514,000 pieces to build, and is the biggest K’Nex model ever made. Unlike Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
bricks which can come in any color, K’Nex pieces are color-coded and therefore come in certain colors based on their shape. This fact presents a challenge when attempting to make a model out of a specific color.
Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
's Women in Engineering
Women in engineering
-USA:The percentage of female graduate students in engineering in 2001 was 20%. Doctoral degrees awarded to women in engineering increased from 11.6% to 17.6% of total degrees awarded between 1995 and 2004...
chapter has erected models of a space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
, the Sears Tower
Sears Tower
Sears' optimistic growth projections were not met. Competition from its traditional rivals continued, with new competition by retailing giants such as Kmart, Kohl's, and Wal-Mart. The fortunes of Sears & Roebuck declined in the 1970s as the company lost market share; its management grew more...
, and the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
out of K'nex.
Original Rides
- 6 Ft Ferris Wheel Ferris wheel
- Big Air Ball Tower Ball tower
- Carousel Carousel
- Corkscrew Canyon Waterpark
- Electronic Arcade Pinball set
- Hometown Carnival Ferris wheel, octopus ride and spaceship ride
- Looping Lizard Ball machine
- Musical Ferris Wheel Ferris wheel
- Pirate Ship Park Pirate ship
- Rippin' Rocket Roller coaster
- Screaming Serpent Roller coaster
- Shark Run Roller coaster
- Starburst Spinner Enterprise
- Storm Mountain Roller coaster
- Trampoline Tower Ball tower
Micro Rides
- 6 Ft Double Ferris Wheel Ferris wheel
- Double Ferris Wheel Ferris wheel
- Doubledare Duelling Double roller coaster
- Dragons Drop Hanging roller coaster
- Drop n' Swing Drop tower and swing ride
- Ferris Wheel Ferris wheel
- Motorised Madness Ball tower
- Octopus Whirl Octopus ride
- Renegade Run Roller coaster
- Sawblade Blade ferris wheel
- Serpent Spiral Roller coaster
- Sonic Blizzard Double roller coaster
- Speed Coaster Roller coaster
- Swing Ride Swing ride
- Vertical Venegance Roller coaster