This massive multiplayer Bop It is a childhood dream come true

Melia Robinson

Bop It has returned, and it's more addictive (and difficult) than ever.

A group of inventors called the PSI Makers showed off a massive, multiplayer Bop It at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, California, last weekend. Kids were lining up to try.

The old-school Bop It toy commanded players to perform simple actions like twisting the device's knob, pushing a button, and pulling the pull-thing. The better you played, the quicker the instructions came.

The revamped game assigns one person to each station - "twist it," "spin it," you know the drill - and rattles off commands at an increasing level of difficulty. A stack of tires may be smacked to "flick it," while a foot-powered pedal may be pushed to "bop it."

It's also outfitted with torches that shoot flames after a sequence is accomplished.

Chuck Schuler, an electrical engineer and inventor of the upgraded Bop It, was inspired to build the contraption after seeing his daughter play with the old-school device. He thought it would be the perfect installation for parties and festivals like Burning Man.

Twenty-eight artists, engineers, and builders came together over three weekends to build the Bop It, which cost about $5,000. Schuler's creation includes a reprogrammed microchip from a real Bop It toy.

Melia Robinson

The latest rendition of Bop It isn't the most portable - or safe, by the look of those fire canons. But that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.