Stories

Highlighting the magic behind people, places, science, and art.

The History of the Slinky

The History of the Slinky

Some of the greatest inventions in the world happened by accident. Silly String, Play-Doh, and ... the Slinky. Even stranger? The inventor himself.

Julia Ibbini Evolves the Language of Arabesque

Julia Ibbini Evolves the Language of Arabesque

She's spent the past five years applying her own visual language to these ancient motifs, painstakingly crafting biomorphic paper sculptures.

Celebrating 9 Years

Celebrating 9 Years

On August 13, 2013, we launched Art of Play with over a hundred different decks, which was incomparable at the time. It was a brilliant idea, but sales suggested otherwise.

Pelikan Puzzles

Pelikan Puzzles Pack Elegance and Deception

Pelikan is known as the Rolls-Royce of packing puzzles and require a great deal of spatial problem-solving.

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The Designer Who Listens to Trees

The Designer Who Listens to Trees

Swedish woodworker Olof Davidsson creates some of the most peculiar furniture designs with pieces that snap together like puzzles.

Oliver Sogard on Exploring Narratives for Playing Cards

Oliver Sogard on Exploring Narratives for Playing Cards

The founder of dealersgrip discusses how we can challenge the conventional idea of what a deck of cards should be.

Perspective Shift: The Illusions of Jan Dibbets

Perspective Shift: The Illusions of Jan Dibbets

Jan Dibbets concerns himself with illusion and reality as he uses nearly right angles to “correct” recessive perspectives of flatland.

Coastal Dinosaurs by William Stout

The Prehistoric Art of William Stout

From creating iconic posters like Octopussy to reconstructing a T-Rex, William Stout is one of the most iconic fantasy illustrators living today.

Anna Devis painting an avocado

Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda Capture Joyful Mise-en-Scènes

The Spanish artists have spent nearly 7 years turning large windows into hot air balloons, brown hats into avocado pits, and much more into playful illusions.

Armchair Treasure Hunts

Armchair Treasure Hunts

In this exclusive book excerpt from The Puzzler, New York Times-bestselling author A.J. Jacobs details one of the longest ongoing treasure hunts in the world.