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Ball-in-a-maze puzzles are dexterity puzzles which involve manipulating either a
Ball-in-a-maze puzzles are dexterity puzzles which involve manipulating either a maze
A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...
(or labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...
) or one or several balls so that the ball or balls are maneuvered towards a goal. Toys like this have been popular since '' Pigs in Clover''(also spelled ''Pigs-in-clover'') was invented by Charles Martin Crandall
Charles Martin Crandall (May 30, 1833 – Jun 25, 1905) was an American inventor and toy-maker. He was best known for various toy blocks, "Crandall's Acrobats", "Noah's Dominoes", "Illuminated Pictorial Alphabet", "District School", "Menagerie", "P ...
and then patented on September 10, 1889. The game was a craze in the United States from mid-February to May 1889, at 8 000 puzzles being produced daily according to ''The Waverly Free Press''. It was played at home, on buses, in the street, parks, and even by US politicians. Sam Loyd
Samuel Loyd (January 30, 1841 – April 10, 1911), was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematics, recreational mathematician. Loyd was born in Philadelphia but raised in New York City.
As a chess com ...
falsely claimed to have invented it in an interview in 1891.
In some versions, a wooden labyrinth is tilted using two knobs and the ball has to be navigated past a series of holes and obstacles. A magnet is used in other versions where the balls have to be manipulated rather than the maze. Perplexus
Perplexus is a 3-D ball-in-a-maze puzzle or labyrinth game enclosed in a transparent plastic sphere. By twisting and turning the sphere, players attempt to maneuver a small steel ball through an intricate maze composed of a number of steps (var ...
is an example of a 3D ball-in-a-maze.
Another version, usually molded in transparent plastic, uses the ball as a key to opening an internal compartment by manipulating the ball into position, and then operating a sliding mechanism that releases an access door. They are sometimes called "Money Maze" banks
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becaus ...
or puzzle box
A puzzle box (also called a secret box or trick box) is a box that can be opened only by solving a puzzle. Some require only a simple move and others a series of discoveries.
Modern puzzle boxes developed from furniture and jewelry boxes with ...
es.
Virtual versions of the puzzles have been made.
See also
* ''Labyrinth (marble game)
''Labyrinth'' is a game of physical skill consisting of a box with a maze on top with holes, and a steel marble. The object of the game is to try to tilt the playfield to guide the marble to the end of the maze, without letting it fall into any ...
''
* Rubik's 360
Rubik's 360 is a 3D mechanical puzzle released in 2009 by Ernő Rubik, the inventor of Rubik's Cube and other puzzles. Rubik's 360 was introduced on February 5, 2009 at the Nürnberg International Toy Fair ahead of its worldwide release in Augu ...
Notes