Goliath Games Rattlesnake Jake!
A viral game with a surprising strike!
The classic “Load em up and bust” game formula is a timeless play pattern. The problem is, they have become predictable and mechanical. Their cause and effect relationship is too clear; press a button/pull the lever/ crank the shaft and the jack in the box goes off. The solution? Update a classic play pattern utilizing new technology.
I invented Rattlesnake Jake and codeveloped it with Robert Civetini at Big Monster Toys, and it was subsequently licensed by Goliath Games. Rattlesnake Jake uses a capacitance sensor in his coiled base to detect the hand’s electromagnetic field near his gold stash, and rattles his tail in response. This remote behavior makes him feel alive, as he responds to proximity and not direct inputs. After enough thefts, Jake will reverse motor direction and release the latch that holds back his sprung fabric neck, lunging at the thief! To be honest this is my favorite game I’ve invented; it makes adults jump and is a great drinking game! Due to NDA, I’m unable to show my development process.
Our Model:
A 3D Printed Snake body with a series of ABS cut linkages, our model used one motor direction to drive the rattle on the tail, and the second motor direction to release his sprung neck from its latch. The fabric neck is sewn into a lip on the body, and inside the the foam head on the other end. This video had to be filmed in the hour before our client meeting ended because Goliath wanted to take the model with them!
Goliath’s Commercial:
You can see how similar the final product was to our initial design; when we demonstrated Rattlesnake Jake for the first time our client literally jumped out of his chair in surprise! The clever addition of a cowboy hat that flies off when Jake strikes made this game a standout, getting millions of views on instagram and tik tok.