Rube Goldberg 2024 Competition

I think everyone must be a fan of Rube Goldberg machines, but not everyone realizes that they are. This is largely because when the machines are shown in movies, TV and YouTube videos, they don't usually call out the name "Rube Goldberg". They just include them. We ooh. We aah. We dream of making them.

Getting started is not hard, but many of us need an extra push to do something you want to do.

Here is an extra push.

Joseph Herscher is a professional Ruber. He and his team create videos for YouTube.

The band OK Go created a video with the support a broad number of individuals connected under the name SynnLabs (now appears defunct). This video has over 72 million views, and I think at least 100 of those views were mine. The video combines music and the delight that a Rube Goldberg machine can bring.

I wouldn't plan on renting a warehouse to build the machine right off the bat. I would set up a corner in my house, school or community center where I, my child and others could build. To give us all a goal, the Rube Goldberg organizers host an annual competition and announce it in late September. I think this year, it was announced in late August. If you want to jump ahead and read more about it yourself, please do so!

The competition information is on the Rube Goldberg website. https://www.rubegoldberg.org/ The goal this year is to put toothpaste on a toothbrush. Easy peasy, right? But let's figure out how we can do it with simple machines (levers, wheels and axles, inclined planes, pulleys, screws, wedges), junk (old toys, parts, pieces of wood, old toasters, electric toothbrushes) and as many steps as we can. This makes it much more interesting and fun, although some will never get the toothpaste onto the toothbrush.

If you are interested in learning more about this years competition, please join us at our STEAM Party at Long Beach City College on October 7th from 11AM to 3PM. We will be hosting Mikal Thompson, the creator of the Rube-A-Thon, a school based experience for getting started in Rube Goldberg contraptions. If you want to bring Rube Goldberg to your school, find out how on October 7th! I will share about the Rube-inator, a booth level format for practice in contraptions.

There are other activities (LEGO(R) competition, Robotics, Art Competition), but several of us will be there for hands-on with Rube Goldberg play and competition information. Click here to register. This event is made possible in part through sponsorships from the Port of Long Beach, the City of Long Beach and the Arts Council for Long Beach.

If you would like to participate on a team, I will be hosting virtual meetings for K-12 students and gathering and connecting team members. The Makersville studio at Shoreline Village is available to teams until our competition in March (to be announced). Register for our email list at http://makersville.net.