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A Trick of the Eyes: Forced Perspective Optical Illusions

Stylized 'Welcome to Camp Crunch Labs' sign with a circular red logo. The number 2 is in the lower right corner.
Stylized 'Welcome to Camp Crunch Labs' sign with a circular red logo. The number 2 is in the lower right corner.

We had so much fun in our first week of Camp CrunchLabs! Now, we’re looking at you, Week 2! It’s a new week of Camp CrunchLabs, with a new video, and a new challenge. And now that you’re getting used to the 8am camp wake up call on Saturdays, you’ll be fresh for the week coming up.


If you're like us, you've been waiting for this moment all week. Well, wait no more, Week 2 is here!




We had so much fun in our first week of Camp CrunchLabs! Now, we’re looking at you, Week 2! It’s a new week of Camp CrunchLabs, with a new video, and a new challenge. And now that you’re getting used to the 8am camp wake up call on Saturdays, you’ll be fresh for the week coming up.


If you're like us, you've been waiting for this moment all week. Well, wait no more, Week 2 is here!



How do you make a laser maze in your own house?







How do you make a laser maze in your own house?


How do you make a laser maze in your own house?

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest begins at 9:00 a.m. PT on 6/1/24 & ends 11:59 p.m. PT on 8/13/24; but, to be eligible to win Grand Prize, one must enter by 11:59 p.m. PT on 7/30/24. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., who are 18+ and the parent or legal guardian of at least (1) child between 8-16 years of age. Grand Prize winner must travel 8/16/24-8/18/24. See Official Rules for full details including entry periods, entry requirements, prize descriptions and judging criteria. Void where prohibite





Week 2: First Camp Livestream with Mark!


That's right: we went LIVE for the second episode of Camp! In fact, we'll be going live every other week for the rest of the summer! This week’s livestream was be packed with zany fun. From unexpected surprises to hilarious moments and the reveal of the first super challenge winners, we had a great time sharing laughs and excitement.


Check out our YouTube Channel to join in on all the fun! If you weren't able to tune in live, no worries! You can watch the livestream replay at any time on YouTube here. And get ready, we'll be going live again on June 22nd. Mark your calendar, and we'll see you there!



CAMP CRUNCHLABS SAVES THE DAY




You use toilet paper! Last week’s challenge of agility and DIY toilet paper laser maze kicked off a summer of fun activities with Camp CrunchLabs. Now that it’s a week out, we’re wondering: did you participate in the challenge? More importantly, were you able to make it through without breaking the fragile tissue paper?


We absolutely loved every single challenge submission and – this is coming directly from Mark Rober – your creativity is a real inspiration. We saw some awesome acting, sophisticated storytelling, and best of all, super elaborate laser mazes in your videos. Congratulations to our winners, whose videos truly stood out!

A child is walking through a doorway into a maze made with toilet paper and balloons.

Week 2: First Camp Livestream with Mark!



NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest begins at 9:00 a.m. PT on 6/1/24 & ends 11:59 p.m. PT on 8/13/24; but, to be eligible to win Grand Prize, one must enter by 11:59 p.m. PT on 7/30/24. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., who are 18+ and the parent or legal guardian of at least (1) child between 8-16 years of age. Grand Prize winner must travel 8/16/24-8/18/24. See Official Rules for full details including entry periods, entry requirements, prize descriptions and judging criteria. Void where prohibited.

You use toilet paper! Last week’s challenge of agility and DIY toilet paper laser maze kicked off a summer of fun activities with Camp CrunchLabs. Now that it’s a week out, we’re wondering: did you participate in the challenge? More importantly, were you able to make it through without breaking the fragile tissue paper?


We absolutely loved every single challenge submission and – this is coming directly from Mark Rober – your creativity is a real inspiration. We saw some awesome acting, sophisticated storytelling, and best of all, super elaborate laser mazes in your videos. Congratulations to our winners, whose videos truly stood out!























NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest begins at 9:00 a.m. PT on 6/1/24 & ends 11:59 p.m. PT on 8/13/24; but, to be eligible to win Grand Prize, one must enter by 11:59 p.m. PT on 7/30/24. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., who are 18+ and the parent or legal guardian of at least (1) child between 8-16 years of age. Grand Prize winner must travel 8/16/24-8/18/24. See Official Rules for full details including entry periods, entry requirements, prize descriptions and judging criteria. Void where prohibited.





Week 2: First Camp Livestream with Mark!


That's right: we went LIVE for the second episode of Camp! In fact, we'll be going live every other week for the rest of the summer! This week’s livestream was be packed with zany fun. From unexpected surprises to hilarious moments and the reveal of the first super challenge winners, we had a great time sharing laughs and excitement.


Check out our YouTube Channel to join in on all the fun! If you weren't able to tune in live, no worries! You can watch the livestream replay at any time on YouTube here. And get ready, we'll be going live again on June 22nd. Mark your calendar, and we'll see you there!


That's right: we went LIVE for the second episode of Camp! In fact, we'll be going live every other week for the rest of the summer! This week’s livestream was be packed with zany fun. From unexpected surprises to hilarious moments and the reveal of the first super challenge winners, we had a great time sharing laughs and excitement.


Check out our YouTube Channel to join in on all the fun! If you weren't able to tune in live, no worries! You can watch the livestream replay at any time on YouTube here. And get ready, we'll be going live again on June 22nd. Mark your calendar, and we'll see you there!



Introducing Challenge #2:

Text 'FORCED PERSPECTIVE OPTICAL ILLUSION' with geometric shapes and white spheres in an illustration in the background.



This week, we’re exploring the fascinating world of forced perspective! Your challenge for Week 2 of summer camp is to create a forced perspective illusion that really wows us. Can you make your tallest friend look shorter than your shortest friend? Can you make your cat look taller than you? Get creative with placing objects closer and farther away to shoot a video using forced perspective that's got us doing double takes of disbelief. Use angles and distance to create optical illusions, making objects appear larger, smaller, closer, or farther away than they really are.


There will be four winners for each of the summer's six super challenges. Challenge winners will receive a challenge prize pack: a signed patch, a signed backpack, and a signed Phat Gus.


Then, from those winners, Mark will choose the grand prize winner who will be invited to the real-life CrunchLab and star in the 12th and final video with Mark Rober himself.


Ready to participate? Parents can head over to crunchlabs.com/challenges to submit your creation.




Person jumping over a toy dinosaur in a desert landscape. The perspective makes the person look smaller than the toy.


NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest begins at 9:00 a.m. PT on 6/1/24 & ends 11:59 p.m. PT on 8/13/24; but, to be eligible to win Grand Prize, one must enter by 11:59 p.m. PT on 7/30/24. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., who are 18+ and the parent or legal guardian of at least (1) child between 8-16 years of age. Grand Prize winner must travel 8/16/24-8/18/24. See Official Rules for full details including entry periods, entry requirements, prize descriptions and judging criteria. Void where prohibited.







INTRODUCING CHALLENGE #2:



INTRODUCING CHALLENGE #2:


This week, we’re exploring the fascinating world of forced perspective! Your challenge for Week 2 of summer camp is to create a forced perspective illusion that really wows us. Can you make your tallest friend look shorter than your shortest friend? Can you make your cat look taller than you? Get creative with placing objects closer and farther away to shoot a video using forced perspective that's got us doing double takes of disbelief. Use angles and distance to create optical illusions, making objects appear larger, smaller, closer, or farther away than they really are.


There will be four winners for each of the summer's six super challenges. Challenge winners will receive a challenge prize pack: a signed patch, a signed backpack, and a signed Phat Gus.


Then, from those winners, Mark will choose the grand prize winner who will be invited to the real-life CrunchLab and star in the 12th and final video with Mark Rober himself.


Ready to participate? Parents can head over to crunchlabs.com/challenges to submit your creation.


With the recent launch of our
Hack Pack, we have robotics and coding on the brain! With all the technology we have today, we can create new machines that don’t use plastics, and use coding to make things digital rather than generating more single-use products which end up in the trash, or polluting the ocean.

Go ahead, you’ve got our permission to get lost in a daydream for a moment– imagine the perfect environmentally friendly robot.

  • What if there was a robot that turns plastic into gold?


  • Could an algorithm reduce contamination to improve composting?


  • Can we automate sorting trash from recycling?

All it takes is a good, creative idea and a little help to implement it to change the world around you.

#TeamSeas saw a problem – an estimated 11 millions tons of plastic entering the ocean every year. So Mark Rober and MrBeast teamed up to dream up a solution.

A drawing of a rainbow coming out of a CrunchLabs Build Box.




This week, we’re exploring the fascinating world of forced perspective! Your Week 2 challenge is to create a forced perspective illusion that really wows us. Can you make your tallest friend look shorter than your shortest friend? Can you make your cat look taller than you? Get creative with placing objects closer and farther away to shoot a video using forced perspective that's got us doing double takes of disbelief. Use angles and distance to create optical illusions, making objects appear larger, smaller, closer, or farther away than they really are.


There will be four winners for each of the summer's six super challenges. Challenge winners will receive a challenge prize pack: a signed patch, a signed backpack, and a signed Phat Gus.


Then, from those winners, Mark will choose the grand prize winner who will be invited to the real-life CrunchLab and star in the 12th and final video with Mark Rober himself.


Ready to participate? Parents can head over to crunchlabs.com/challenges to submit your creation.

Our Foray into Forced Perspective Optical Illusions



NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest begins at 9:00 a.m. PT on 6/1/24 & ends 11:59 p.m. PT on 8/13/24; but, to be eligible to win Grand Prize, one must enter by 11:59 p.m. PT on 7/30/24. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., who are 18+ and the parent or legal guardian of at least (1) child between 8-16 years of age. Grand Prize winner must travel 8/16/24-8/18/24. See Official Rules for full details including entry periods, entry requirements, prize descriptions and judging criteria. Void where prohibited.







Our Foray into Forced Perspective Optical Illusions


Mark Rober is a master of optical illusions – they’re like pranks for your eyes. Check out our YouTube short video that uses a forced perspective optical illusion when Mark introduces us to the brand new Hack Pack Turret.


When the video starts, it looks like the Hack Pack Turret robot is taller than Mark is! But then you quickly realize he’s up to his usual tricks when someone scoops up the Turret robot and it’s actually the perfect size to fit on your desktop. Just when you think that’s the end of the deceit, the camera pans to something truly enormous and shocking. You’ll have to watch the video for the reveal.


So, what’s going on here? How can Mark convince us one second that the Hack Pack Turret is so big when it’s really not? The trick is all about playful use of angles and distance.


See, Mark stands far behind a regular Turret robot, making them appear the same size. Since we know Mark didn’t shrink, this is a great example of how forced perspective works. On the other hand, we could have reversed the effect by placing Mark in front of a super sized Turret. This is what makes forced perspective so intriguing and fun to experiment with - and such a great trick to have up your sleeve while making camp challenge videos.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest begins at 9:00 a.m. PT on 6/1/24 & ends 11:59 p.m. PT on 8/13/24; but, to be eligible to win Grand Prize, one must enter by 11:59 p.m. PT on 7/30/24. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., who are 18+ and the parent or legal guardian of at least (1) child between 8-16 years of age. Grand Prize winner must travel 8/16/24-8/18/24. See Official Rules for full details including entry periods, entry requirements, prize descriptions and judging criteria. Void where prohibited.

let the summer fun begin!

Mark Rober is a master of optical illusions – they’re like pranks for your eyes. Check out our YouTube short video that uses a forced perspective optical illusion when Mark introduces us to the brand new Hack Pack Turret.


When the video starts, it looks like the Hack Pack Turret robot is taller than Mark is! But then you quickly realize he’s up to his usual tricks when someone scoops up the Turret robot and it’s actually the perfect size to fit on your desktop. Just when you think that’s the end of the deceit, the camera pans to something truly enormous and shocking. You’ll have to watch the video for the reveal.



So, what’s going on here? How can Mark convince us one second that the Hack Pack Turret is so big when it’s really not? The trick is all about playful use of angles and distance.


See, Mark stands far behind a regular Turret robot, making them appear the same size. Since we know Mark didn’t shrink, this is a great example of how forced perspective works. On the other hand, we could have reversed the effect by placing Mark in front of a super sized Turret. This is what makes forced perspective so intriguing and fun to experiment with - and such a great trick to have up your sleeve while making camp challenge videos.


This week, we’re exploring the fascinating world of forced perspective! Your challenge for Week 2 of summer camp is to create a forced perspective illusion that really wows us. Can you make your tallest friend look shorter than your shortest friend? Can you make your cat look taller than you? Get creative with placing objects closer and farther away to shoot a video using forced perspective that's got us doing double takes of disbelief. Use angles and distance to create optical illusions, making objects appear larger, smaller, closer, or farther away than they really are.


There will be four winners for each of the summer's six super challenges. Challenge winners will receive a challenge prize pack: a signed patch, a signed backpack, and a signed Phat Gus.


Then, from those winners, Mark will choose the grand prize winner who will be invited to the real-life CrunchLab and star in the 12th and final video with Mark Rober himself.


Ready to participate? Head over to campcrunchlabs.com/challenges to submit your creation.

We can’t wait to see what you’re all going to do! Happy Summer and happy creating!

Everyone Loves CrunchLabs!

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A drawing of a CrunchLabs box with a bow tied around it.

Whether your kids are new to STEM or practically professionals, the Build Box and the Hack Pack are the perfect way to foster their love for science and engineering! Each Box comes with an awesome build-it-yourself toy, and we'll teach them how to build it AND the STEM principles at work! 

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A drawing of a CrunchLabs box with a bow tied around it.

Not Subscribed? Not a Problem!

Whether your kids are new to STEM or practically professionals, the Build Box and the Hack Pack are the perfect way to foster their love for science and engineering! Each box comes with an awesome build-it-yourself toy, and we'll teach them how to build it AND the STEM principles at work! 

US Shipping Cost FREE