The Origin of Astrojax

How Astrojax was invented and who invented it

Astrojax was invented by the American physicist Larry Shaw.
While still at graduate school Shaw discovered the basic principle of Astrojax while playing with hex nuts and dental floss in a physics lab.
Intrigued by the complex patterns this simple arrangement created, he started to develop the idea. What first looked quite simple was actually very hard to solve mathematically. It took almost two years and hundreds of prototypes before Shaw decided on a model and had the principle patented.

Finding the right company to produce the toy was the next hurdle. Like many other breakthrough inventions, Astrojax was not understood by the large established toy companies since it didn't fit in their standard categories. Shaw formed a toy company himself which produced Astrojax before he finally met a partner with a record in making and promoting unusual and innovative motion toys. Since the year 2000 the Swiss toy company ACTIVE PEOPLE has taken charge of production and worldwide distribution of Astrojax.

Astrojax wins prestigeous toy awards in the United States and already has three different categories in the Guinness Book of Records.

The aj product family is gradually growing with SATURN the exciting light up version introduced in 2002 and V-MAX following in the same year, all in a completely new look created by Swiss designer Alex Hochstrasser.

More and more dedicated players are pushing the possibilities of Astrojax further, inventing new styles and tricks at a growing pace.

2003 is shaping up to become the big Astrojax year! Together with major distributors Astrojax is being launched all around the world, from Australia to Finland, Hong Kong to Mexico - everywhere Astrojax will be swinging.