On 20th July, in Nuremberg, Germany, the 2017 The Golden Rocking Horse officially unveiled its prize winners, with Hape’s Medieval Quest (part of the Quadrilla marble run series) wining in the category of “Art and Architecture”
As a typical STEAM toy, Medieval Quest integrates the philosophy of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math together. Building by themselves enables children to become acquainted with the principles of centripetal force, gravity and frictional force, and enjoy the mystery of science and comfort of nature as they grow up.
Technology & Engineering: Medieval Quest combines parts like convertible blocks, 180° straight rails, accelerators and colourful marbles in an interesting way, with which the players can build different structures. The blocks’ colours vary to reflect their different functions; some have small switches to redirect the marbles; some are slot blocks and others have stacking functions. Placing different colour blocks at the same point will switch the marbles route. In Medieval Quest, the best exercise for the players’ spatial thinking comes through experimentation.
Art: Quadrilla is a patented creative marble-run construction series, whose initiative designer, Mr. Brown, a German engineer, drew inspiration from the Da Vinci Circle. Medieval Quest adds the charm to the series thanks to the flair of Italian designer Mrs. Giangrande, who introduces an amazing story about the castle fight between a fiery Dragon and a Griffin in medieval Europe, using eye-catching accessories and stickers etc.
Mathematics: The height adjusters and basic rings are pure Math. The design code that says five adjusters equal one block in height makes for a flexible building experience, and with these parts players can keep the runs horizontal and keep the marbles moving forward smoothly. The straight rails are also essential to the marble run due to their unique slots that make the stable and free-flowing.
Building Medieval Quest is a fulfilling project and each choice from the player can change the layout of the runs and switch the direction of the marbles. The unique accessories such as the watermill, rotary tower, carriage and drawbridge adds yet more fun to the runs. Its educational qualities stem from children’s desire to play, their precious thinking abilities and from the concentration needed during construction. All these factors together may help explain why Medieval Quest is highly appreciated by both judges and customers, and ultimately why it picked up a Golden Rocking Horse.
"The Golden Rocking Horse" was co-presented by Spielwarenmesse®, the host of the Nuremberg Exhibition, and the German magazine familie & co. The categorys were ‘Newborns’, ‘Logic & Technology’, ‘Most Popular Toy Among Children’, ‘Art & Architecture’ and ‘Family Game’. For each category, ten toys were shortlisted with only one emerging as the winner.
