As any office prankster worth their salt will tell you, launching objects in a parabolic arc at an unsuspecting co-worker is one of the greatest and most-satisfying ways of communication (assuming that said objects are gummy bears, marshmallows, and the occasional spitball). E&M Labs is offering a new way of stepping up your office warfare game with their new Ballista and Catapult designs that harness the power of the physics-packed Siege Engine (twisted rope) to power a gummy bear or other object across the room with enough force that it just might crack your buddy’s new HD monitor 8 desks across the room.

Because Office Warfare is Fun!

Having been designing toys for over two years including the previously-successful Trebuchette and Skallops Kickstarter-launched toys, E&M Labs are increasing their office warfare arsenal with two more weapons that will help make Monday mornings a little more fun. Consisting of clever laser cut designs, the toys are designed and manufactured in-house from baltic birch plywood and a tung oil finish. Since launching the Trebuchette on Kickstarter two and a half years ago, the company has ironed out the kinks in their toy design processes and have grown to to run their own wood supply chain in the Bay area that allows them to process their orders in a timely and effective manner…how’s that for a feel-good Kickstarter story?

While the majority of their designs are made from baltic birch plywood, the kits also include precision-ground steel axles, steel washers, and high-tension rope to ensure maximum computer monitor and coffee mug-shattering effects.

Perhaps future crowdfunding candidates should look to E&M Labs when considering launching their own projects as they has managed to not only raise money well-beyond their goals, but also overcome hurdles that have risen in the often-overlooked fulfillment process with successfully-funded campaigns:

“Our very first Kickstarter project, back in 2011, hit a major production problem. Our Trebuchette project had successfully funded in late April, and we expected to deliver in Sept / Oct. In mid September, we began production using an external job shop to do our laser cutting, and their laser caught fire. In a big way. It was down for weeks, with no sign of becoming operational again. We did a calculation and realized that the only way we could deliver on time for Christmas was to run our own laser 24×7 doing production for six weeks straight. And that’s exactly what we did: the three of us took an eight-hour shift each, every day, for the six weeks leading up to Christmas 2011, and we delivered.”

If shooting gummy bears into the engineering or design department sounds more appealing than sending an email, head over to the Catapult and Ballista Kickstarter page to order one starting at $40 USD.

(Images via E&M Labs/Kickstarter)