PlaSmart Inc. founder Tim Kimber’s latest addition to his product line, the Perplexus, is a complicated mind-bending puzzle game.
When Tim Kimber first picked up the spherical, colourful plastic toy called Perplexus, he knew he was holding a game-changer in his hands.
Kimber, who grew up in Centretown, has been testing out toys and puzzles for the last 10 years. He says this hobby is part of the job description as the founder of PlaSmart Inc., located on MacLaren Street.
His litmus test for new products is just playing with them.
“I played it for 15 seconds, and I was like ‘Wow, this is amazing, I want it, how do I get the rights to this product?’ ” says Kimber, recalling the first time he tried the Perplexus.
The toy itself is a complicated, mind-bending puzzle game, in which the goal is to move a small ball inside a plastic sphere through a 3D maze, flipping and turning the sphere to get the ball to its goal.
Kimber’s decision to add the Perplexus to the PlaSmart roster paid off in November 2011 when the Toy Industry Association nominated it as one of seven contenders for Educational Toy of the Year.
PlaSmart is also closing in on selling about a million units – quite a feat for a company that employs about 15 people.
“Toys (in this category) keep kids engaged, so anything from brainteasers to puzzles that teach logic,” says Adrienne Appell, a spokesperson for the TIA. “There’s hundreds and hundreds of toys that are nominated, so any toy (in the category) really is a strong contender.”
The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on Feb. 11 in New York City.
The nomination is also an achievement for Michael McGinnis, the toy’s creator, who says he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to distribute his invention.
“I was completely terrified and didn’t know what to do, getting the toy out to the world,” said McGinnis. “I didn’t know who to talk to, what would be the right kind of deal to make, who would be a good company, who would be fair, and who would do it correctly.”
A U.S. sculptor and art teacher, McGinnis has been building and rebuilding Perplexus with his co-designer, Dan Klitsner, for more than 30 years.
He says even now, he’s amazed when he sees Perplexus in the hands of some of the students at his school. But McGinnis says he’s also glad he and Klitsner chose PlaSmart, because they’re able to keep working on their invention.
Perplexus is actually PlaSmart’s fourth shot at the award for one of the best educational toys of the year.
But Kimber says this one is the most likely to strike gold.
Even if the toy doesn’t win in New York, Kimber has a lot of faith in its potential.
“(We) truly believe this is a Rubik’s cube type of item,” he says.
“Rubik’s cube has sold over 350 million units worldwide since its inception, so I think we’re excited about the potential that Perplexus has. The sky’s the limit.”