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I’m surprised no one mentions Knex. By far my childhood favorite, and for me, far more creative opportunity when comparing to something like lego.

by gervwyk 10mo ago

stevenjgarner 10mo ago
Yes! K’NEX [1] is based on spatial geometry. You connect plastic rods of different lengths into star-shaped connectors. This creates a "skeleton" or wireframe structure. It is much better than LEGO for building large-scale, open-air structures like roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and bridges. It is superior for kinetic builds. Interestingly, K’NEX has released "K’NEX Bricks" in the past that are compatible with LEGO studs, and some modern K’NEX sets include brick-compatible parts. [1] https://www.basicfun.com/knex/ https://www.basicfun.com/knex/
- leobg 10mo ago
  Now we finally know where the LLMs learned this style: > K’NEX isn’t just a building toy—it’s a gateway to limitless creativity!
  - stevenjgarner 10mo ago
    Haha! Great catch. That specific structure ... "It’s not just a [Product], it’s a [Experience/Metaphor]!" ... is a classic trope of mid-to-late 20th-century American advertising. This style exploded during the "Creative Revolution" of advertising (1960s–1980s). Agencies like Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) began moving away from "reason-why" copy (which listed technical specs) toward emotional copy. So it is kind of a time capsule, like a website from the 90's. In professional copywriting, this is called Feature-to-Benefit Transformation. In classical rhetoric, this is a form of Correctio - when a speaker replaces a word or a description with a more powerful one to emphasize a point.
jauntywundrkind 10mo ago
I still think of Capsela a lot. That's my weird pick. Weird spheres that had gears and motors and things. It wasn't fancy, I didn't do that many incredible things with it (vs my LEGOs) but wow, still hits as a very special kind of toy, just because it was the only one that actually did things.

I’m surprised no one mentions Knex. By far my childhood favorite, and for me, far more creative opportunity when comparing to something like lego.

by gervwyk 10mo ago

I’m surprised no one mentions Knex. By far my childhood favorite, and for me, far more creative opportunity when comparing to something like lego.

stevenjgarner 10mo ago

Yes! K’NEX [1] is based on spatial geometry. You connect plastic rods of different lengths into star-shaped connectors. This creates a "skeleton" or wireframe structure. It is much better than LEGO for building large-scale, open-air structures like roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and bridges. It is superior for kinetic builds. Interestingly, K’NEX has released "K’NEX Bricks" in the past that are compatible with LEGO studs, and some modern K’NEX sets include brick-compatible parts. [1] https://www.basicfun.com/knex/ https://www.basicfun.com/knex/

leobg 10mo ago
Now we finally know where the LLMs learned this style: > K’NEX isn’t just a building toy—it’s a gateway to limitless creativity!
- stevenjgarner 10mo ago
  Haha! Great catch. That specific structure ... "It’s not just a [Product], it’s a [Experience/Metaphor]!" ... is a classic trope of mid-to-late 20th-century American advertising. This style exploded during the "Creative Revolution" of advertising (1960s–1980s). Agencies like Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) began moving away from "reason-why" copy (which listed technical specs) toward emotional copy. So it is kind of a time capsule, like a website from the 90's. In professional copywriting, this is called Feature-to-Benefit Transformation. In classical rhetoric, this is a form of Correctio - when a speaker replaces a word or a description with a more powerful one to emphasize a point.

jauntywundrkind 10mo ago

I still think of Capsela a lot. That's my weird pick. Weird spheres that had gears and motors and things. It wasn't fancy, I didn't do that many incredible things with it (vs my LEGOs) but wow, still hits as a very special kind of toy, just because it was the only one that actually did things.