Miracle Sets Rube Goldberg Institute Partnership in Motion

Miracle Recreation, a playground manufacturer for nearly a century, has announced a strategic partnership with The Rube Goldberg Institute for Innovation & Creativity, the family-run nonprofit that encourages creativity and access to STEM and STEAM education by creating chain-reaction machines that achieve a simple task.  

In the first of many collaborations that celebrate the spirit of cartoonist and engineer Rube Goldberg, Miracle will introduce its Miracle Machines product line at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) annual conference at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.  

Three oversized, double-sided panels – "Curiosity Thrilled the Cat,” "My Cup of Tea" and "Goooaaalll" – allow children to create constant motion using mechanisms such as levers, gears, pegs, balls and spinners.  

"Miracle is thrilled to kick off this collaboration with The Rube Goldberg Institute that celebrates creativity and inclusiveness, especially in children," says Mike Sutton, vice president, global sales, Miracle Recreations."We are excited for the Miracle Machines to foster an entirely new level of playground interactivity, becoming in and of themselves destinations for kids. These simple machines help serve as a reminder that STEM and STEAM learning can happen anywhere." 

"This partnership with Miracle is an exciting next extension for the Rube Goldberg brand," says Jennifer George, chief creative officer and granddaughter of Goldberg, The Rude Goldberg Institute."These first three Miracle Machines bring the whimsy and kinetic energy of my grandfather's work to life in a fun and tangible way. As this partnership expands, we hope to bring STEM and STEAM education into playgrounds where kids and machines will interact together, making outdoor learning as compelling and educational as being in the classroom. "  

"The Miracle Machines project was fun for our industrial designers and also very challenging, given what's required of commercial playgrounds from a ruggedness, durability and weather-proofing standpoint," said Sutton. "Not unlike Rube Goldberg machines, our design team overcame many complicated obstacles to achieve an elegantly simple result: putting smiles on the faces of kids." 

The Miracle Machines will be available for purchase in the first quarter of 2022.