Most of us try to get everyday chores done in the simplest, most direct way possible. Yet the legendary inventor Rube Goldberg delighted audiences by sketching out wildly elaborate contraptions that accomplish tiny tasks through a hilariously convoluted series of steps. In this roundup we’ll explore 10 surprising places where his spirit of over‑the‑top engineering still shows up, proving that sometimes the longer route is the most entertaining.
10 Surprising Places to Spot These Whimsical Machines
10 Board Games
Several tabletop titles have tried to cash in on the allure of Rube‑Goldberg‑style contraptions. Among the examples are games like Internal Contraption and Factory Fun, which embed mini‑machines into their play mechanics.
The crown jewel of this niche is the classic 1963 release Mouse Trap. Players assemble a sprawling apparatus piece by piece as the game progresses, eventually using the finished device to snare a tiny mouse token. The chain includes a shoe that kicks a bucket, a diver that dives into a bathtub, and a series of capital‑lettered labels that echo Goldberg’s own cartoon captions.
Mouse Trap’s popularity even spawned a life‑size touring version that traveled across the United States, giving crowds a hands‑on lesson in basic mechanical principles while they chased a giant, squeaky mouse.
9 Computer Games and Apps
Digital realms have also embraced the chaotic charm of Goldberg machines. In Minecraft, for instance, creators have built massive Rube‑Goldberg sequences that trigger countless actions—culminating in a spectacular tower explosion.
Dedicated titles such as The Incredible Machine and the official Rube Works Game let players design their own elaborate devices to solve quirky challenges. A quick search for “Rube Goldberg” in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store turns up a treasure trove of apps ranging from educational puzzles to pure entertainment. Even games not explicitly about contraptions, like Pull the Pin, Cut the Rope, and Fruit Ninja, reveal the influence of Goldberg’s chain‑reaction logic.
8 Fine Art
Rube Goldberg himself produced more than 50,000 cartoons featuring his signature over‑engineered devices. Inspired by his legacy, contemporary artists have woven similar machines into their works. For example, Clint Hansen’s piece A Simple Coffee Machine directly depicts a whimsical brewing contraption.
Other creators, such as Vanessa Bates with Klockwerk Orange Patent Pending and Mike Savad’s Steampunk—Coffee Break, embed Goldberg‑like elements into more abstract or surreal compositions, blending humor with visual intrigue.
Recent artistic interpretations sometimes forgo functional machines altogether, opting instead to convey chaos, frustration, or commentary through machine‑like motifs. Peter Kuper’s Election Recap, for instance, mimics a Goldberg diagram but deliberately omits the “A” step, using missing alphabet letters and a chaotic collage of symbols to satirize the political climate.
7 YouTube
YouTube serves as a perfect showcase for homemade Rube‑Goldberg spectacles. Creators have posted machines that automate everyday chores—turning pages, watering plants, even lighting up Christmas trees—demonstrating the playful potential of chain reactions.
One of the platform’s most viral examples is OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass” music video. The sequence launches with a toy truck toppling dominoes, then weaves through spoons striking water‑filled glasses, a falling piano, a typewriter, a shattered TV, and culminates in paintball guns firing at singers—all synchronized to the song’s rhythm.
Like many of these elaborate setups, the machine is designed for a single, awe‑inspiring run; once the final action fires, the contraption must be rebuilt for another performance.
6 Education
Given Goldberg’s background in engineering, his machines naturally lend themselves to teaching physics and mechanics. Organizations bearing his name provide lesson plans and host contests that encourage students to design their own contraptions.
Beyond scientific principles, educators use the projects to nurture project‑management skills, leadership, creativity, and problem‑solving. While some pupils joke about learning “how to make art out of random junk,” most agree that building a Rube‑Goldberg device is an unforgettable, fun‑filled learning experience.
5 Toys
Any toy that sparks a chain reaction can be considered a miniature Goldberg masterpiece. Marble runs, roller‑coaster sets, LEGO builds, and domino cascades all trigger successive motions from a single push or drop—the essential ingredient of a Rube‑Goldberg device.
You don’t even need a commercial set; everyday household items—weights, strings, duct tape, broken toys, kitchen utensils, balloons—can be repurposed into a whimsical machine. Scour the garage, toy chest, or attic for objects that can spin, swing, or tumble, then experiment with unexpected combinations.
Imagine using a running blow dryer as a catalyst, figuring out what can ignite it, and then guiding a toy car onto a track—all orchestrated by your imagination. The sky’s the limit when you think like Goldberg.
4 Private Homes
Families have taken the contraption craze into their living rooms, especially during the 2020 COVID lockdowns when YouTube saw a surge of home‑made machines. Some clever setups even tackled social distancing, devising ways to pass the salt across a table without the participants getting too close.
One inventive household constructed an elaborate house‑wide Rube‑Goldberg that culminated in a foosball goal, turning a simple game into a multi‑room spectacle. While the final result was entertaining, the cleanup was a whole other adventure.
These projects are fantastic for keeping kids occupied when school is out. Start simple—perhaps a nerf dart knocking a stack of books to launch a teddy bear off a dresser—and watch their creativity explode into increasingly complex machines, complete with imagined elements like singing canaries or avalanche‑triggering monster trucks.
3 Sports
Sports-themed Rube‑Goldberg displays often end with a ball soaring through a maze of ridiculous actions before scoring a basket or goal. Even the Harlem Globetrotters have dabbled in the genre, crafting their own over‑the‑top scoring sequences.
Red Bull’s high‑octane advertisement featured a cascade of athletic feats: skydivers, skateboarders, and race‑car drivers each triggered the next stage of the machine, releasing the equipment needed for the subsequent athlete. The result was a seamless blend of human skill and mechanical whimsy.
2 Music
Musicians have turned the Rube‑Goldberg concept into auditory art, building machines that literally play songs. Some setups drop marbles onto resonant surfaces, while others spin gears that pluck piano strings, turning kinetic energy into melody.
One especially intricate arrangement incorporates an orchestra of percussion instruments—drums, cymbals, chimes, and xylophones—each struck by bouncing balls, all coordinated by a computer to produce a rhythmic masterpiece.
1 Movies
Film is a natural canvas for Rube‑Goldberg spectacles, allowing directors to showcase elaborate chain reactions that captivate audiences. Classics such as Home Alone, Toy Story, The Goonies, and Edward Scissorhands each feature memorable machines that drive the plot forward.
Breakfast‑making contraptions have become iconic, appearing in films like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Back to the Future, and Pee‑Wee’s Big Adventure. These over‑engineered kitchen rigs let eccentric characters prepare a simple meal with theatrical flair.
A less obvious example surfaces early in Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indiana Jones triggers a deadly trap by removing an idol. The elaborate sequence heightens tension, proving that a drawn‑out mechanism can be far more entertaining than an instant demise.
Keep your eyes peeled the next time you watch a movie—Rube‑Goldberg‑style machines pop up in the most unexpected corners, adding humor and ingenuity to the storytelling.