THE MAD DASH TO 4F

APRIL 13, 2026

Prototyping day: a red-backed playing card polyhedron, Facet Felon box and cut cards spread across the shop table

It started with a whiteboard. In January, Sam and Adam took over the 4’x8’ whiteboard in the shop and turned it into a vision board for the year: new products, new packaging, a magazine, and near the top, circled, 4F and MAWNY in Buffalo, New York. Then the countdown began.

Prototype, Print, Repeat

We never stopped inventing. Kirigami Cards (now Topogami Cards) and packaging prototypes took over the tables. The Folding Frog started when Adam’s 4-year-old daughter kept asking Sam to fold her frogs out of playing cards. It just kind of took off from there, and it became a product with its own routine.

We also came across George Hart’s 30-card spheroid polyhedron. After talking with him about his design, he was happy for us to use it, and it became our Do-Decka-Hedron. The 3D printers ran day and night, and not every print survived. Sometimes you get precision parts, and sometimes you get a bird’s nest of spaghetti.

3D Card Polyhedra Spheroid-30 box held next to a finished playing card sphere

Folding Frog prototypes made from red playing cards beside Bicycle decks, calipers and Kirigami Cards instruction cards

3D printer bed covered in a tangle of failed black filament after a print gone wrong

Building Inventory

Early Infinity Chalice builds: aluminum chalices in open black cases on a cutting mat

Meanwhile, the Infinity Chalice went from a handful of early aluminum models to a full production run, including stainless and plastic versions, lined up across the shop. Then a freight truck backed down our gravel drive with a whole pallet of playing cards. There’s no turning back after that.

Infinity Chalice production run with rows of black cases on the shop table

FedEx Freight truck backing down a desert gravel road to deliver a pallet of playing cards

Packaging From Scratch

Every tuck box went through round after round of design before we were happy with it. Then each one was laser cut and folded by hand, and the chalices got custom tubes with SLY on the lids, pad printed in house.

Work table piled with tuck box design iterations and printed dielines

Epilog laser cutting a sheet of printed Kirigami Cards tuck boxes

Hands folding a custom tuck box next to stacks of finished Kirigami Cards and Unhinged Deck boxes

A Magazine, Hats and Bags

Printed Sly Designs April 2026 Product Catalog, The Magic Industry’s #1 satirical magazine

We finished and printed our first magazine, the April 2026 Magazine and Product Catalog: part satire, part catalog.

We also stepped up our game with the flannel drawstring bags that come with the deluxe version of the Infinity Chalice. A local seamstress embroidered our logo on them, and since her sewing skills are better than ours, we handed the bags over to her entirely. We also ordered hats and shirts with the company logo, plus custom shopping bags so every purchase at the booth went home in style!

White and black Sly Designs caps on a black Sly Designs tote bag

Setting the Stage

To make every inch of the booth shine, we made custom display holders so each product could stand up and show off.

Last-Minute Mischief

While we were packing, Sam came up with the idea for Tickle Certificates. Not to be outdone, Adam came up with the American Excess card, and our Inappropriate Ice Breakers were born.

Tickle Certificates are credit-card-size anodized aluminum cards, engraved on one side and made in the USA. The Standard version is thin and flexible and comes in a variety of colors, and the HD version is thicker, sturdier and black only. They’re perfect for adding a touch of whimsy to any interaction.

Packed and Rolling

Packing Sly Designs products at the shop table among card boxes, tubes and decks

After months of work, everything fit into the car, barely. Next stop: Buffalo. Read how the trip went.