K'Nex/kəˈnɛks/ is a construction toy system created by Joel Glickman. It was first introduced in America in 1992. K'Nex is designed and produced by K'Nex Industries Inc. of Hatfield, Pennsylvania. K'Nex was purchased by Florida-based company Basic Fun! in 2018.[1]
The toy's building system consists of interlocking plastic rods, connectors, blocks, gears, wheels, and other components, which can be assembled to form a wide variety of models, machines, and architectural structures. While K'Nex is designed for children ages 5–12, a larger version, Kid K'Nex, is aimed towards children 5 and younger.
The first K'Nex Box was launched in the U.S. market in 1993. Original models with moving parts had a handcrank to make things move, but soon, gears and motors allowed models to move on their own.[2]
A bridge made from K'Nex
The company's products were sold at Toys "R" Us, starting in early October 1992.[citation needed] By 2011, K'Nex was distributed in over 25 countries, including the United States.[citation needed]
In 2018, all of K'Nex's assets were purchased by Basic Fun!, a Florida-based toy company.[3][4][5] The acquisition was valued at around $21 million.[6][7][8]
In 2024, Basic Fun filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company will use bankruptcy proceedings to repay its creditors while remaining in operation.[9]
Concordia University's Engineering and Computer Science Association (ECA)[11] has erected models of a Space Shuttle, the Sears Tower, the Eiffel Tower, Habitat 67, and mazes out of K'Nex.[12] The U.S. Space and Rocket Center held a Guinness Book of World Records Award for the "World's Largest K'Nex Sculpture" and also has a huge space shuttle and rocket in their gift shop in Huntsville, Alabama. The Guinness World Record for "World's Largest K'Nex Sculpture" was broken in 2014 by a team in the UK with a 13.38-meter-long K'Nex replica of the Bloodhound 1600 km/h Supersonic Car. K'Nex also has a traveling exhibit, K'Nex: Build Thrill Rides, that visits schools and museums across the country.
