The Polyflex

The Polyflex - A Fascinating Geometric Toy

Originally called the Jitterbug by its inventor Buckminster Fuller, I once sold Polyflexes to toy stores all over the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas.

Michael David Crawford
michael@geometricvisions.com

Back when I was a student at the University of California Santa Cruz, my memory is hazy but it seems to me it was the Fall of '86, a friend and I had a business called Bright Ideas, in which we made Polyflexes and sold them to toy stores all over the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas.

It turned out that the business was completely unprofitable! Why? Because of the amount of labor required, combined with the price the stores could reasonably sell them for, as well as the standard hundred-percent markup from the wholesale price we charged; we were unable to charge a price that made our labour worthwhile.

But we had a glorious time! It was one of the most exciting and fun times of my young life so far. I have no regrets whatsoever.

The Polyflex was actually invented by the visionary architect Buckminster Fuller, who is best known for his geodesic domes. What we called the Polyflex, he called the Jitterbug.

I don't sell these anymore; instead I make them as a labour of love, to give as gifts to friends and family.

Video of Polyflex Gyration

YouTube Page

Make Your Very Own Polylex - Real Soon Now

This page is still Under Construction, but please bookmark it and come back in a few days for detailed Polyflex-making instructions. They are both easy and inexpensive to make.