A bead maze or bead roller coaster is a children's toy. Bead mazes feature a wooden base with brightly-colored rigid wires strung from one side of the base to the other, often in intricate tracks that loop and intertwine with one another. Large wooden beads, often themselves brightly colored and sometimes having differing shapes, are strung along these wires, allowing the child to move the beads along the tracks from one side to the other.[1]
Designed for children aged 18 months to 5 years, bead mazes are purported to encourage eye-hand coordination, spatial memory, and color and shape recognition through manipulation of the beads in three-dimensional space.[1][2][3] They are a common fixture in waiting rooms of doctors' offices to keep children entertained while waiting to be seen.[1][4][5]
History
editBead mazes were introduced to the North American market in 1982 by Anatex Enterprises[5][6] and in 1983 by Educo International,[7][8] whose original designs featured five wires. Educo discovered and licensed the invention from Australian educator George Valentine, a school principal who originally developed the toy for special needs children.[7][8][9] Anatex marketed bead mazes to pediatricians and teachers for use in doctors' offices and classrooms, and promoted them through the American Academy of Pediatrics.[5][6]
Materials
editA typical bead maze contains a wooden base with metal wires travelling in loops. Some bead mazes contain multiple wires with beads on each wire. The beads are normally made of wood to minimise friction.
Accolades
editThe original bead maze designs have been recognized over the years since they were first introduced.
References
edit- ^ a b c Hoffmann, Frank; Augustyn, Frederick J.; Manning, Martin J. (2004). "(Classic) Bead Maze". Dictionary of Toys and Games in American Popular Culture. The Haworth Press Inc. p. 17. ISBN 0-7890-1503-X.
- ^ Van, David Allan (2021-10-18). "Best bead maze toy". BestReviews. FOX31 Denver. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ "Bead Mazes – Not Just Another Educational Toy". SensoryEdge Blog. SensoryEdge. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ a b "Catching Up with Old Friends" (PDF). Access Alberta. Western Economic Diversification Canada. July–September 2002. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ a b c d Auerbach, Stevanne (1999). "1999 Classic Toy Winner: Anatex". Dr. Toy's Classic Toys. Dr. Toy. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
- ^ a b c "About Us". Anatex Enterprises, Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-09-01.
- ^ a b c d Auerbach, Stevanne (1999). "1999 Classic Toy Winner: Educo". Dr. Toy's Classic Toys. Dr. Toy. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
- ^ a b c "Company". Educo International, Inc. Archived from the original on 2005-03-05.
- ^ Smith, Cassidy (2022-02-27). "Cassidy Smith Talks about Uniche Collective, Brian Turtle, Mentors, LipSync Battle, Ice Cream, and More!". People of Play. Chicago Toy & Game Group, Inc. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
- ^ "Parents' Choice Award Winners: Toys". Parents' Choice. 1991. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
- ^ "Best 25 Toys of 25 Years". Parents' Choice. 2003. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
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