Mercury Maze
- Object:
Maze Puzzle
- Place of origin:
England (designed)
England (manufactured) - Date:
1978 (designed)
1978 (manufactured) - Artist/Maker:
Loncraine Broxton & Partners Ltd (designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Moulded plastic
- Credit Line:
Given by Caroline Kitchener
- Museum number:
B.245-2010
- Gallery location:
In Storage
The Mercury Maze, Game of Skill was designed by Loncraine Broxton & Partners in England in 1978. The company won a number of Design Council Awards in the early 1980s for their plastic puzzles and games such as Mindbenders and Aquabatics. These puzzles were aimed at older children and teenagers, as well as adults and families in general.
The aim of the game is to rotate and tilt the puzzle to get the silver blob of mercury into the centre of the maze. It is a late example of the use of mercury in a game aimed at children and young people. Mercury is known to be toxic and hazardous to health and the environment, and is consequently banned or restricted from use in manufacturing. Similar maze games now use a ball-bearing or something similar instead of mercury.
