No greater thrill than riding the "serpent".

• Position: WHAT'S NEW? - Brief article

There's something addictive about building toys. The challenge of taking a pile of rods and connectors and methodically turning them into something tangible is almost intoxicating. That's why we love K'NEX, the Hatfield, Pa., company started by a bored guest tinkering with straws at a wedding reception. Perhaps it was his extensive background in the plastics industry, but it was at that noisy, crowded reception in 1988 when Joel Glickman got the idea that there had to be a way to connect the straws so children could build actual models from them.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

We're particular fans of the Thrill Rides construction sets, which not only offer the experience of building the model, but have a motorized component to bring life to the creation. The latest edition...