K'nex
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| Type | Construction set |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Joel Glickman |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1992––ongoing |
| Slogan | Building Worlds Kids Love/The K'Nex Big Thing |
| Official website | |
K'NEX (a pun on connects) is a construction toy system invented by Joel Glickman. Introduced to the U.S. in 1992, K'NEX is currently designed and produced by K'NEX Industries Inc. of Hatfield, Pennsylvania. K'NEX is in the same genre as Lego, Fischertechnik, and Meccano.
Most similar to Tinkertoy, the toy's building system consists of interlocking plastic rods, connectors, gears, wheels, and other components, which can be pieced together to form a wide variety of models, machines, and architectural structures. Unlike Tinkertoy, however, K'NEX is designed for older (5- to 12-year-old) builders, although a larger-sized version, Kid K'NEX, is aimed towards a similar demographic as Tinkertoy.
The toy has been released and marketed in various stores, as well as online websites. K'NEX has released various sets, educational kits, and models consisting of assorted parts, the last of which includes parts and instructions specifically packaged to be assembled into a specific model.
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 straw 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 is simply Rods and Connectors which can be easily attached together to make different things. Other parts such as wheels and pulleys are 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.
K'NEX made contacts at the four largest toy companies: Hasbro, Mattel, Lego, and Tyco (then an independent toy company), and all four turned K'NEX down. As a result of that, Joel Glickman made contacts that ultimately led to toy retailing giant Toys R Us, and the purchasing people there encouraged Joel to produce and sell K'NEX directly. The first shipment of K'NEX was made to Toys R Us in early October 1992.
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