In the world of young inventors, dreams often serve as a driving force behind innovation. For 13-year-old Wolf Danzer, a seventh-grader in the APEX Homeschool Program, this sentiment rings true. Inspired by his family’s love for games and a memorable blanket fort, Wolf designed a game called Blanket Kingdom, earning him the Most Authentic Award in the 2023 Young Inventor Challenge (YIC).
Blanket Kingdom begins with the game’s tiles lying face-down and scattered randomly across the board. Players take turns rolling the dice, and if they roll a specific number, they flip over a tile, which adds a “room” to their blanket fort. However, they must navigate the presence of the cleanup tile, inspired by Wolf’s mom, which adds a strategic element to the game.
“I thought of the idea for my board game on my 13th birthday when my dad and I made a crazy blanket fort that took up the entire first floor of our house,” shared Wolf. “When my mom finally had us take it down, the idea popped into my head to make a game with blanket forts that you never have to take down.”
To develop his first prototype, Wolf utilized Canva, a web-based tool for designing a wide range of visual content, to make the cards and tiles. “I used Canva’s AI-image generator to create the early images,” he shared. “I got the idea that since my board game was about blanket forts, I should make the board a blanket, which also meant that the game would be very portable. I put all the cards on hexagon-shaped pieces of fabric so that it’s easy to transport.”
The YIC is an annual national competition where students between the ages of six and 18 have the opportunity to create an original play product and pitch it to professional toy and game inventors for a chance to win large prizes. Past winners have seen their entries licensed, manufactured, and sold in both specialty toy stores and major retailers, including Target and Amazon. The goal of the competition is to inspire the next generation to utilize creativity, critical thinking, and STEAM skills in the invention and innovation process.
This is Wolf’s second year participating in the competition, which was held both in Chicago and virtually. “The most exciting part of the Young Inventors Challenge for me was getting into the car after my Ultimate tournament and seeing my name at the top of the standings because I did not expect to win the challenge, and it came as a real surprise,” shared Wolf. “It was an experience I’ll never forget. I feel like it was a really great moment.” APEX Principal Kim Lancaster expressed her pride in Wolf, stating, “Wolf’s win at the YIC speaks volumes about his exceptional talent and hard work. We are incredibly proud of him and look forward to witnessing his continued success as he pursues his dreams.”
For Wolf, the YIC experience was a stepping stone to realizing his lifelong dream of owning a game company. “My dad and I recently started our own game company (Alpha Amazing, LLC), and we hope that Blanket Kingdom will be on shelves sometime soon.” Kate Tillery-Danzer, Wolf’s mom, shared, “It has been a truly amazing experience. Blanket Kingdom is currently being evaluated by a game company. He’s on his second round of edits to his game based on their feedback. There’s no guarantee that they’ll take it, but they have shown some solid interest.”
In addition to the excitement of winning an award, Wolf recently had the opportunity to appear on a live broadcast of Fox 31’s Great Day Colorado. During the segment, he explained what inspired him to create Blanket Kingdom, demonstrated how to play the game, and shared his experience participating in the YIC.
Tillery-Danzer attributes Wolf’s success in the competition to the invaluable skills he developed using Canva under the guidance of his teacher, Mrs. LaFevre. “I appreciate that Ms. LaFevre has worked so hard this year to ensure that Wolf and all of her students are learning applications that are truly useful in the real world,” said Tillery-Danzer. “The judges specifically commented on the high quality of his game cards and expressed surprise that a kid his age already had such great design skills. If you watched his TV interview and noticed his poise, you can thank his amazing musical theater teacher, Ms. Cox-Robie. She has turned Wolf into a lifelong theater kid.”