The Perplexus: A puzzle in the round

  • 12 Feb 2010


Good design takes time.Michael McGinnis, based in Santa Rosa, California, first came up with the idea for his Perplexus puzzle, in which you guide a ball bearing through a three-dimensional labyrinth, when he was 17. That was 31 years ago, and he has been tweaking the game ever since. "A lot of people get frustrated early on when they can't complete something to their satisfaction, and they give up," says McGinnis. "To me, that's just another step in a process."

He and toy company KID had two goals for the puzzle: to focus the piece around a central spiral, and to create a series of intersecting planes. They began by sketching the elements they thought it should feature, including gantries, pivots and drops. Twelve wooden models were created, each sphere covered in numbered Post-its to track the sequence of the puzzle. McGinnis built the final prototype in 100 hours, with a jeweller's saw.

The result is an "interactive sculpture" -- and if you're up for a bigger challenge, McGinnis also sells larger, handmade puzzles to private collectors. Perplexus is released in March.

Over 150 names were considered, including Struga Sphere, Zut Alors, Escher's Dream, Von Shlick, HavaBall, Fall-Off and Orbit. But Perplexus it was.

The puzzle features a 7.4mm ball-bearing; 16 drops; 23 screws; 63 plane changes; 100 points; 126 railings and 673cm of pathways.

Available for $24.99 (about £16) at