The Story Behind Lini Cubes

The pain was sharp and immediate. I looked down to see a small building block that I had just stepped on. Annoyed, I picked it up, intending to toss it aside, but instead, I paused to take a closer look. It was surprisingly remarkable. Simple in design, yet it had the potential to revolutionize an entire industry.

As I examined the block, I was transported back to my childhood. I remembered my frustration with traditional building blocks. They were limited; you couldn't build to the sides. How had this fundamental flaw persisted for so long? Was it truly an unsolvable problem?

Simply adding plugs to the sides wouldn’t work. But what if I inverted the design? What if the plugs extended from the opposite side, creating a smooth surface on top? By adding a flat, inverted pattern to the remaining sides, the blocks could interconnect from all directions. If the block was a perfect cube instead of a cuboid, it would simplify the variations needed.

The idea struck me in seconds, but turning it into reality was a long journey. Industry experts were skeptical. They claimed such a building block was impossible to create. When I developed a working prototype, they said it couldn't be mass-produced. It was a good thing that experts aren't always right.

With Lini Cubes, we created a groundbreaking product, something that seemed impossible for generations. We set a new standard in the world of building blocks.

The German Design Council jury described Lini Cubes as follows:

"The Lini Cube is a new concept in toy building blocks: with only one type of building block, it returns to the old-fashioned simplicity. This encourages imagination and creativity while opening up countless design possibilities."

Daniel Stead
Designer of the Lini cube

Timeline

 

  • The idea together with a certain determination was born out of frustration over the toy industry's lack of innovation.

  • First prototype with round plugs. Followed by the second prototype with “sinus” plugs in June 2014 and a third prototype with various colours and better quality in September of the same year.

  • 3 utility patents

  • Over a hundred prototypes were made to test various models in real life conditions. Up to this point it was only possible to build something using 3D software on the computer, due to the small quantity of the prototypes. Now we could make sure that models made in 3D renderings could actually be built.

  • The mold was a challenge. However, the cube came out surprisingly well with still some tweaks to be done.

  • 10 Designs registered

  • Support from the German Economics Ministry (German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy).

  • Against all odds the results from the production molds were great.
    Ready for production.

  • Launch of the first public Lini cubes: The Limited Edition Red.

  • Exhibitor on the joint stand "Innovation Made in Germany" from the German Economics Ministry.

  • Decision was made to place Lini cube in the exclusive / luxury market rather than mass market.

  • Lini cube wins the Red Dot Product Design Award 2016

  • Introducing our color concept Shades.

  • Lini cube wins the German Design Award 2017

  • Lini cube on YouTube

  • 2017, October - Exhibition Brands & Signs
    2017, November - Toy Fair Dresden

  • Lini cube on YouTube

  • The Lini Cube story startet with an idea. Nobody believed a building block with those features would be possible to build. Even with a working prototype, industry professionals didn’t believe it could be mass produce.

    Thanks to our Kickstarter supporter, Lini Cube was mass produced in Germany with astonishing precision and quality. We could even introduce DNA counterfeit plagiarism protection for the first time in a toy.

    We shipped Lini Cube to all our supporters and everyone who bought them through our homepage. The business is now closed and Lini Cubes can't be bought anymore. However, we might open the business again in the future, to be able to produce and sell some more. For now there are only a few sets in privat ownership. If you are interested you can contact us.