Fishing Game Set
This is a simplified and cheapened version of the popular fishing game set among children. However, it is still playable for kids older than 3 years old or older, as long as the child is old enough to know not to swallow everything. Ideally, the number of ‘fish’–planned to be 6 to 12–and of fishing rods–planned 3– may enable two to three kids playing together.
Materials and Principles: The entire structure, mostly made of plastic, will be contained into a laser-cut wood box. A small, laser-cut plastic gear is mounted onto the axle of a small electric motor, whose rotation will rotate both this gear, who, in turn, will also help rotate a larger laser-cut plastic gear beside it. The larger gear is drilled with holes, where the ‘fish’ made of table tennis are inserted into. To make table tennis a ‘fish’, one wants to cut it into half and use tape to stick them together. While inserted into the hole and rotates with the larger gear, those fish will meet laser-cut plastic slopes under the larger gear. The slopes will lift the fish up, while making them open their mouth at the same time. However, once they go through the entire slope, they will fall down and close their mouth. Make sure to put the fishing hook using your fishing rod before they do that. Once you catch a fish, you can lift it up from its hole.
Safety and Durability: On the one hand, the toy is generally safe, since most of its components and tools are large pieces. On the other hand, fishing hooks made of small strips of steel may hurt the children’s eyes, as during the game, children may shake their fishing rods from time to time to catch the fish. Replacing the steel hook with another laser-cut plastic hook may reduce such risk. Keeping the motor charged is extremely important for the game, or else the game set will not run at all. However, breaking any other component will also make the game set malfunction.