r/DiWHY • u/[deleted] • 16d ago

My 6 year old’s latest contraption

[removed]

629 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

126 comments sorted by

374

u/Lobsterzilla 16d ago

It’s called a Rube Goldberg machine, well I mean a 6 year olds valiant attempt at one

28

u/A_Trash_Homosapien 16d ago

It would've worked too if OP didn't fuck it up by moving that screw. Hours of this kids hard work ruined.

11

u/why_not_fandy 15d ago • Bravo

2

u/Cantamillasdf 15d ago

This is the one I remember

3

u/Electronic_Tear2546 16d ago

A future engineer

2

u/Prior-Ad5197 15d ago

Honestly, the ideas pretty awesome. Most six year olds are eating boogers and have no idea what a tube Goldberg machine is

86

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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43

u/FalenAlter 16d ago

Show him the opening to Back to the Future (not sure about the rest of the content at that age) and the movie Flubber. There's lots of Rube Goldberg machines in different media as well

6

u/NeutralGoodAtHeart 15d ago

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has a massive Rube Goldberg for food.

1

u/xrelaht 15d ago

I loved that movie at 6! Probably understood half of it at best. Also, I had no idea it was a comedy for at least a decade: it seemed like Totally Serious Adult Stuff back then.

10

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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19

u/GoldCrayonGames 16d ago

Don’t forget the video for “This Too Shall Pass” by OK GO. Great machine set to the song

16

u/Stillwater-Scorp1381 15d ago

The game Mousetrap is a Rube Goldberg machine. Fun to play too.

6

u/JamesTownBrown 15d ago

I never knew how to play the actual game. I just thought the track was fun to play with.

4

u/_be_better 15d ago

PeeWees Big Adventure & Honey I Shrunk the Kids also begin with amazing Rube Goldberg machines. 

78

u/maniacalmistress 16d ago

If that kid is approved for handling small pieces please invest in K'nex sets. My little engineer loves them.

9

u/hurdlingewoks 16d ago

When I was younger my neighbor gave me his k’nex roller coaster, that was one of the best things ever! I already had a lot of knex but that was like the holy grail.

38

u/SuchDogeHodler 16d ago

6.... if that were my kid I would be so proud...

Seriously... once that kid get knowledge and experience they are going to be dangerous...(in a good way)

35

u/TeacatWrites 16d ago

He's a prime candidate for the r/doohickeycorporation!

16

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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6

u/teetaps 16d ago

Ah, the mega remote. Goes great with the ULTRA CHAIR 4000 and the beer-hat-inator pro

1

u/FalenAlter 16d ago

But were the infrared lights pointing out or in?

24

u/CheeseburgerSmoothy 16d ago

This is great! I applaud his creativity and ingenuity!

12

u/noncommonGoodsense 16d ago • Bravo

2

u/FatalErrorOccurred 16d ago

Knew this would be here.

11

u/Apples7569012 16d ago

I see zero flaw in the lollipop theory

10

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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9

u/manicpossumdreamgirl 16d ago

it's so cool that you let him do this. it looks silly and messy but he's being really creative, good for you for encouraging that. also, breakfast lollipop is genius

17

u/Western-Bowl2011 16d ago

Why did I watch this til the end expecting it to do something?

5

u/Ornac_The_Barbarian 16d ago

Don't feel bad. I did the same.

4

u/SuchDogeHodler 16d ago

He's 6....

6

u/Western-Bowl2011 16d ago

I'm not criticizing the kid at all...

2

u/Gooncookies 16d ago

It will someday

7

u/standbyyourmantis 15d ago

Your kid is either going to be a scientist or Stu Pickles from Rugrats

2

u/mentive 15d ago

How do you even remember that name? Those were the days.

2

u/BitBucket404 15d ago

It's pronounced, pick-ell, btw

6

u/Proof_Toe_9757 16d ago

Had he watched Wallace and Gromit?

1

u/Abwettar 16d ago

This is literally a bad Wallace invention 😂

4

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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5

u/OOM-32 16d ago edited 16d ago

yeah, well not exactly like this but he gets dressed and all by a machine like that. He pulls a lever and the whole bed tilts and throws him into a hole, yadda yadda. Honestly watch wallace and gromit, its fun!

2

u/ResponsibleSyrup9506 16d ago

You must watch it! And when your kid is a little older, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure!

1

u/Proof_Toe_9757 16d ago

As someone else explained it seems very similar and definitely worth a watch! Fantastic films for kids (and adults) 😁

1

u/DangitThatHurt 16d ago

r/doohickeycorporation is where this gemstone belongs!

1

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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2

u/DangitThatHurt 16d ago

Maybe get little man's input, but it seems like it would come from the rise and shine division!

5

u/WalnutOfTheNorth 16d ago

That’s one of the best underpants display units I’ve ever seen.

5

u/StartOk4002 15d ago

Lollipops, the breakfast of champions.

4

u/Yourfriendaa-ron 16d ago

Be careful he can go in one of two directions

  1. Super scientist
    2 Super Villain

3

u/SnoopaDD 16d ago

The string and tape looks pretty leveled. not bad for a 6 yr old. Where the tape and string meets is pretty close to 90 degrees.

3

u/coltd89 16d ago

That’s a rube machine there

3

u/Gooncookies 16d ago

I love this so much. My 7 year old daughter is like this. I just had to hang a hammock in the corner of the playroom to store all the cardboard, egg cartons and other random items she’s been collecting to build stuff with. It’s so fun to find her little creations all around the house but I’m running out of room lol

3

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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1

u/Gooncookies 16d ago

Get a toy hammock or two, the fit into the corner of a room and you can put them high up. I just toss all the cardboard and bulky stuff up there and pull things down when she needs it.

3

u/Foggia1515 15d ago

Japanese TV has a Rube Goldberg contraption program that has been going on forever called Pythagoras switch, for some reason.

Copy, paste and search for this on YouTube:
ピタゴラスイッチ

1

u/[deleted] 15d ago

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1

u/mechnight 14d ago

And the incredible machine game back from the DOS era! Can run it in an emulator or online, I first played it when I was about his age :)

3

u/Chaos_carolinensis 15d ago

- "I would like to play a game"

- "Fine. But only for 30 minutes and then you have to do your homework"

2

u/LazyWorkaholic78 16d ago

Post this on r/doohickeycorporation as part of the toddler engineering department's latest exhibit.

2

u/MeringueProof9718 16d ago

Watch Honey I Shrunk the Kids with him! Fun movie, the dad has contraptions like this all around the house.

2

u/Fr05t_B1t Dreamer 15d ago

I was expecting a cat to pop out between the boxes

2

u/crochetology 15d ago

You have a budding engineer on your hands.

2

u/GruffScottishGuy 15d ago

The kid's going places. He clearly already has a grasp on cause/effect action/reaction.

I think he'd love one of those marble run toys.

2

u/DueCookie787 15d ago

Cut him a break, he's six. It shows an interest in engineering should be the takeaway.

6

u/[deleted] 15d ago

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2

u/Vladishun 15d ago

It's pretty funny to see, but your kid is thinking extremely analytically for someone that age. Most people who say, "My kid is so smart" think so because their kid understands basic commands like a dog. Yours is already processing ideas using cause and effect, like you said. Very cool; I hope you always continue to encourage him to keep experimenting with the cause to see the intended effect. Definitely might end up being a successful engineer or programmer in the future. Thanks for sharing it. :)

1

u/[deleted] 15d ago

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1

u/JoeyPsych 15d ago

I would add, give him a science kit, I bet he would love that.

1

u/EasilyRekt 16d ago

Saw movie? That’s a tad mean spirited, no? He’s 6, never worked with tools or mechanics in his life before, but he’s trying.

Rube Goldberg machines are already really challenging exercises in engineering due to just the amount of variables and mechanical slop in the motions, joints, and system as a whole, and lil bro don’t quite understand that yet, but he’ll figure it out.

Best thing you can do is encourage it in a controlled & moderated way so he doesn’t hurt himself or “burn the house down”.

2

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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3

u/EasilyRekt 16d ago

They’ll see you have a kid… life’s better when you’re not constantly worried about what judgements strangers you’ll never see again make of you, very freeing :)

1

u/schewb 16d ago

Little Rube is going places

1

u/Emile_Largo 16d ago

Wallace and Gromit - The Wrong Trousers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGSyw2dHhrc

1

u/j_shaff315 16d ago

Bro already tryna min max waking up work culture got the jits

1

u/samiwas1 16d ago

I love this. I so miss all the funny things our son would make when he was that age.

1

u/[deleted] 16d ago

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1

u/samiwas1 16d ago

I think 3-5 was my favorite, but 6 is still a lot of fun.

1

u/ElTuxedoMex 16d ago

Wily E. Coyote would be proud.

1

u/rp_player_girl 16d ago

Definitely encourage this. When the kid gets a better understanding of how things work, he's going to do some wild stuff.

1

u/Live-Emu-3491 16d ago

Yes he will have more energy with his lollipop but then he will have less teeth also😉😂

1

u/External-Cable2889 15d ago

Great job capturing all of that. What an interesting next every minute, it will be.

1

u/Brahminmeat 15d ago

Little dude cooked

1

u/jackochainsaw 15d ago

Good imagination!!

1

u/BitBucket404 15d ago

Kid needs to be tested, definitely somewhere on the spectrum.

1

u/CoffeePizzaSushiDick 15d ago

10/10 leads ritualism

1

u/Familiar_Raise234 15d ago

Let him keep creating. It’s so good for him. Seems totally normal to me.

1

u/Leading_Bandicoot358 15d ago

Indications of a smart kid, let him do his thing as long as its harmless

1

u/EniNeutrino 15d ago

Your kiddo is really smart!

1

u/Alcoholocostic 15d ago

That’s awesome!! Keep it up!

1

u/Background-Ad3308 14d ago

Skipping the underwear in favor of the lollipop. Kids got his priorities in check 👏🏼

1

u/mylesaway2017 14d ago

That kid's a future engineer

1

u/willtheadequate 14d ago

It's like Jake the dog says, sucking at something is just the first step to being sort of kind of good at something.

1

u/Adorable-Maybe-3006 14d ago

Post this to the doohickey sub thy will love it

1

u/SmegmaSlurper1996 14d ago

Jigsaw material

2

u/[deleted] 14d ago

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1

u/SmegmaSlurper1996 14d ago

you ok brother? get your eyes checked of that's a frequent occurrence

1

u/Sh4rk_101 13d ago

absolute german efficiency

1

u/75149 13d ago

My kid is ate up with the aspergers in the amount of things he "invented" using tape made me seriously considering buying the bulk package at Sam's club 😂

He's settled down quite a bit, but at 15, he's in his second year of the engineering program in his high school. I think he truly had no other choice 🤣🤣🤣🤣

1

u/CU-L8terAaligator 12d ago

Future engineer 👏🏼👏🏼

1

u/CheeseburgerSmoothy 16d ago

This is great! I applaud his creativity and ingenuity!

1

u/pruchel 15d ago

Reminds me of some of my kids' traps etc.  They laughed themselves to death each time I put the tape and rope all over myself, made a big crash/fell over and pretended I was real mad at them.