Texas Girl Wins Toy Invention Contest, $2.5k Scholarship
9-year-old Emma Turner of Marble Falls was the winner of Fat Brain Toy's Kidventor competition. She created the "Buggy Light", which is a box containing LED lights children can attach to a window to attract insects and study them through the glass.
The Associated Press reports that her invention was chosen by a panel of toy industry veterans after being selected as a finalist via online voting. According to Fat Brain Toys, Emma's invention gets hung outside of a door or window with the suction cups on the front of the box. The LED lights attract the bugs and there are control lights that can project the movement of the bugs onto the ceiling for better observation. The toy teaches kids about bugs in a fun and educational way.
Mark Carson, Co-Founder of Fat Brain Toys said, "We had lots of creative inventions to choose from this year, but Emma's Buggy Light really won us over with its sheer innovation. She took something that bugs do naturally and harnessed it into a device that will be entertaining AND educational.”