Bead maze
{{Short description|Children's toy}}
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.
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.{{cite web
|url=https://kdvr.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/building-sets-blocks-br/best-bead-maze-toy/
|title= Best bead maze toy
|last=Van
|first=David Allan
|date=2021-10-18
|website=BestReviews
|publisher=FOX31 Denver
|access-date=2022-07-15
|url=http://blog.sensoryedge.com/bead-mazes-are-more-than-just-toys/
|title=Bead Mazes – Not Just Another Educational Toy
|date=2016-01-16
|website=SensoryEdge Blog
|publisher=SensoryEdge
|access-date=2022-07-15
}}
They are a common fixture in waiting rooms of doctors' offices to keep children entertained while waiting to be seen.
History
Bead mazes were introduced to the North American market in 1982 by Anatex Enterprises and in 1983 by Educo International, 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.{{cite news
|last=Smith
|first=Cassidy
|date=2022-02-27
|title=Cassidy Smith Talks about Uniche Collective, Brian Turtle, Mentors, LipSync Battle, Ice Cream, and More!
|url=https://peopleofplay.com/blog/cassidy-smith-talks-about-uniche-collective-brian-turtle-mentors-lipsync-battle-ice-cream-and-more
|website=People of Play
|publisher=Chicago Toy & Game Group, Inc.
|access-date=2022-07-19
}}
Anatex marketed bead mazes to pediatricians and teachers for use in doctors' offices and classrooms, and promoted them through the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Materials
A 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
The original bead maze designs have been recognized over the years since they were first introduced.
- Anatex Rollercoaster
- 1991 Parents' Choice Award: Toys{{cite web
|url=http://archive.parentschoice.org/previousawardlist.cfm?p_code=p_toy&awdyr=1991&thePage=toys&award=AW
|title=Parents' Choice Award Winners: Toys
|year=1991
|website=Parents' Choice
|access-date=2022-07-19
}}
- 1999 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys
- 2003 Parents' Choice "Best 25 Toys of 25 Years"{{cite web
|url=http://archive.parentschoice.org/article.cfm?art_id=347&the_page=editorials
|title=Best 25 Toys of 25 Years
|year=2003
|website=Parents' Choice
|access-date=2022-07-19
}}
- Educo Super Maze
- 1994 Parenting Magazine Toy Hall of Fame
- 1999 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys
References
{{reflist|refs=
|title=(Classic) Bead Maze
|encyclopedia=Dictionary of Toys and Games in American Popular Culture
|year=2004
|last1=Hoffmann
|first1=Frank
|last2=Augustyn
|first2=Frederick J.
|last3=Manning
|first3=Martin J.
|publisher=The Haworth Press Inc.
|page=17
|isbn=0-7890-1503-X
}}
|title=Catching Up with Old Friends
|url=https://publications.gc.ca/Collection/C89-2-4-1-4-7E.pdf
|magazine=Access Alberta
|publisher=Western Economic Diversification Canada
|page=7
|date=July–September 2002
|access-date=2022-07-21
}}
|url=http://2005.drtoy.com/1999_c/anaroll.htm
|title=1999 Classic Toy Winner: Anatex
|last=Auerbach
|first=Stevanne
|author-link=Stevanne Auerbach
|year=1999
|website=Dr. Toy's Classic Toys
|publisher=Dr. Toy
|access-date=2022-07-19
}}
|url=http://2005.drtoy.com/1999_c/educo.htm
|title=1999 Classic Toy Winner: Educo
|last=Auerbach
|first=Stevanne
|author-link=Stevanne Auerbach
|year=1999
|website=Dr. Toy's Classic Toys
|publisher=Dr. Toy
|access-date=2022-07-19
}}
|url=http://www.anatex.com/about/index.asp
|title=About Us
|website=Anatex Enterprises, Inc.
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901201128/http://www.anatex.com/about/index.asp
|archive-date=2011-09-01
}}
|url=http://www.educo.com/company.htm
|title=Company
|website=Educo International, Inc.
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305121645/www.educo.com/company.htm
|archive-date=2005-03-05
}}
}}
Category:Physical activity and dexterity toys
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