“I could stand on this and it wouldn’t break,” says Ben Matchstick, placing a hand on his PinBox 3000, a far-stronger-than-it-looks pinball game crafted entirely from die-cut cardboard.
Tall, quick with a smile, and as articulate as the lifelong educator he is (as well as artist, designer, and puppeteer), Matchstick long ago earned his moniker: “the cardboard guy.” And through that he teaches art and theatrical design, and cardboard-based technology.
“Cardboard,” Matchstick says, “is the gateway to prototyping. Its flexibility, rigidity, and availability make it the perfect material for makers and artists, young and old.”
To that end, in 2006, Matchstick and his partner in crime Pete Talbot founded The Cardboard Teck Instatute: “a think tank devoted to the creation and development of products and experiences that emphasize the versatility, durability, and accessibility of cardboard. CTI emerges from the remnants of an overgrown shipping and packaging industry, pulling out interdisciplinary and interactive performances and products.”
Through a residency at Burlington’s Maker Space and two Kickstarters, Matchstick and Talbot created and promulgated a construct-it-yourself “customizable tabletop pinball machine kit” made entirely of cardboard and a few 3D printed plastic parts.
Committed to not offshoring their production, Matchstick and Talbot found a capable manufacturer in Pennsylvania and began producing and selling the unit through their website and a few distributors, with strong repeat sales to middle schools.
The educational value is not to be overlooked. The game, as the company’s website explains well, has “an innovative and accessible design [that] allows for multiple levels of participation. To build the PinBox 3000 is to master its functionality, which in turn builds confidence, multiplying the possibilities when it’s time to design your unique, custom play boards.”
Matchstick elaborates: “The open-ended nature of the PinBox 3000 invites young game designers to experiment with a variety of materials and how they work gravitationally within their own pinball game. As a commercial product, that’s ‘a flaw’ because it’s not all complete, even once assembled. As a teaching aid, it’s a feature that inspires creative thinking.”
It takes about an hour to assemble a PinBox. And when touring the company’s space in downtown Montpelier, it is readily apparent the creativity players and makers have added to the blank canvas that the game offers. Bright, colorful, playful, and artistic designs hang on the walls and sit on tables, begging to be played. The company has also spun out several add-on playboards to supplement and decorate the PinBoxes. And the PinBox 3000 has racked up 13 ribbons for Educational Excellence from the World Maker Faire.
“I love that the PinBox 3000 has been introduced to schools as a project that invites creativity, technology, and design,” Matchstick says. “Seeing students’ work from around the country is incredibly rewarding. You just know they are having a great time in school, cheering with delight, and that makes me very pleased.”
Still, the physical game market is a tough nut to crack.
“The PinBox 3000 is always balanced on a razor’s edge,” Matchstick says, “and staying hopeful is one of the key ingredients to staying alive in this business. Kids believe in cardboard more than adults, so I have hope that the future will bring more paper ingenuity and less plastic disposability. Luckily, the toy industry is in shambles, as kids gravitate toward screens. But I think the PinBox 3000 can provide a tactile oasis from all the digital chatter.”
