How do you think out of the box?
Bulby is four light-and-shadow games that teach children the basics of design thinking. For one child and one grown-up.
Four light-and-shadow games that build creative confidence through play.
children and grown-ups, playing with shadows
Four answers
Each game is one way to think out of the box. Play them in order, or start anywhere.
Thinking you can touch
Thinking differently is hard to teach, because nobody can see it. Bulby turns it into a shape, a light and a shadow.
- AbstractionA glass becomes a shape.
- ConnectionTwo shapes, one new idea.
- PerspectiveTilt it. The shadow changes.
- CuriosityWhat is inside the shadow?
- BoldnessGive a shadow a new name.
- ParadoxA man walking. Or six rectangles.
- ComplexityA feeling you can taste.
- PersistenceTry another way. Then another.
Eight skills, built through play, participation, practice and discovery.
Try it here
Move the shape. Watch the shadow.
Move the shape
Two different things. One new idea.
Hint: Hold the bulb just above the glass.
- ?
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How Bulby works
A wand, a magnet, a few shapes, and any light.
- Attach a shape to the magic wand with the magnet.
- Shine a point light and project the shadow on any clean surface.
- Rotate the shape to change the shadow's orientation.
- Hold the wand at an angle for a skewed shadow.
- Move near or far from the light to make the shadow big or small.
Four ways in
For schools
A four-month creativity course, one art a month.
Workshops and year-long learning journeys.
For every learner
Personalised tools for neurodivergent and ADHD groups.
Book a workshop
Missed one? Bring up to six people to our studio.
For events
An installation children walk up to and play with.
Exhibitions and installations, large and small.
Why it takes two
Every Bulby game is played by a child and a grown-up together. Research on shared play points the same way.
Taking turns
Back-and-forth exchanges between a child and a caring adult help build the brain connections that language and social skills grow from.
A gentle guide
Play gently guided by an adult can teach some early maths and shape skills as well as, or better than, direct teaching.
Words for shapes
Children who hear and use more words for shapes, sizes and positions tend to do better on later spatial tasks.
Words for feelings
Parents who help children name feelings tend to have children who understand emotions better.
Designed by Shivani Chakrachhattri
Bulby is a Red Dot design award winner, made in Luxembourg since 2018.
Design Play Store began in 2018 with a question: how can creativity become tangible?
The full set
All four games · €100