Frabjous Puzzle
Frabjous, designed by George W. Hart, is a highly symmetrical geometric sculpture
and interlocking puzzle. The name Frabjous is borrowed from Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll: “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
The puzzle has a perfectly regular form, as the corners form a (pentagon) dodecahedron,
although they are not connected. The thirty identical S-shaped pieces penetrate each other
in the inside without touching each other.
Three S-shaped pieces always build a corner.
To get a quick picture of which corners connect the S-shaped piece,
take a look at two pentagons which share an edge.
The two corners which are farthest apart are connected with each other by the S-shaped piece.
The symmetry corresponds to a (pentagon) dodecahedron. In addition, Frabjous has a chirality (dissymmetry).
How to solve the puzzle:
To start, assemble three pieces into a three-cycle corner.
Two further S-shaped pieces have to be joined on each free end in order to make a three-cycle corner.
It gets more difficult to connect further corners with an S-shaped part after having 12 pieces together.
The reason is that the pieces are in the way when the next part is inserted. At each intersection,
you have to decide whether to weave over or under the piece. It facilitates the decision to look closer
at the symmetry. Solving the puzzle takes about two to four hours.
I was astonished by Frabjous. The puzzle is completely different from other interlocking puzzles.
It has neither complicated notches nor any pieces meeting in the center. Instead, Frabjous possesses
an elegant inner structure which is achieved by assembling simple pieces. It is fascinating how the
appearance of the puzzle changes when you take another point of view.
If you look at it along the five-fold rotation axis, then it reminds of a flower.
Viewed along the three-fold rotation axis, it has a completely different appearance.
Frabjous is available in two different versions: blue acryl and Acrylite Radiant Acrylic. I would recommend
the puzzle in Radiant Acrylic, as it glistens in different rainbow colours according to its angle.
From my point of view, it is a mental challenge as well as a beautiful art object.
You can buy the Frabjous Puzzle on the official website.