Tinkertoys have been a staple of childhood since 1914 – wow, can you believe they’ve been around 100 years? The simple wooden spool and stick sets have delighted children for many generations now. In 1992, Joel Glickman was sitting at a wedding reception one day, fiddling with a straw. He thought what could I do with straws if I could connect them? Thus the idea behind K’NEX was born.
Glickman tried to market K’NEX to four major toy companies – all of which turned him down. His attempts ultimately lead to contact with Toys R’ Us, which received the first shipments of the toy in Oct. 1992. Since then, K’NEX has been a staples of building toys. K’NEX is similar to Tinkertoys, but more intricate parts such as gears and motors are available, making them suitable for slightly older children (5 to 12 years according to K’NEX website – 5 to 100+ as any adult that loves Tinkertoys and K’NEX knows.)
