Computer Engineering for Babies (Hacky Labs)

"Interactive physical books that teach computer engineering and simple machines concepts to babies and kids through satisfying clicky buttons and hands-on mechanisms, with a new title launched via Kickstarter."

no rev. info provided

hackylabs.com

Maker: crobertsbmw

no rev. info provided

Marketing Channels

Primary

Ads (unspecified platform)

One commenter mentioned 'I always see your ads,' indicating active paid advertising campaigns

Secondary

Kickstarter

New book 'Simple Machines Made Simple' launched on Kickstarter a month or two before the thread

Ongoing

HN Show thread

Regular presence in HN threads; a similar book author noted their sales took off after posting an HN article about the writing experience

Primary

Word of mouth / gifting

Multiple commenters bought copies as gifts for friends' babies, baby showers, nephews — strong gift economy flywheel

Secondary

Curated product directories

Featured on select.supply, a curated product directory

Growth Levers

Expand to more languages — German copy already available, Spanish explicitly requested by a buyer
Capitalize on the baby shower gifting use case with gift bundles, gift wrap options, or registry integrations
Run seasonal sales (Christmas, Boxing Day) as explicitly requested by a commenter
Fix the NOT page light sensor issue from earlier production runs to improve product reviews and reduce complaints
Launch more titles in the series to create a collectible product line (Simple Machines Made Simple is already in progress)
Write an HN-style article about the experience of creating a physical interactive book — a similar author reported this drove steady business for years

First Customer Strategy

The creator launched with a physical interactive book (Computer Engineering for Babies) that hit a unique niche: tech-savvy parents who wanted to share their profession with their children. The product naturally spread through gifting at baby showers and among tech communities like HN. A similar book author noted their sales only took off after posting an HN article about the writing process, suggesting HN and tech community exposure is a key channel for this niche.

Pricing Insight

Physical product sold on the creator's website and Amazon. Multiple language versions available (German exists, Spanish requested). Users asked about sales/discounts (Christmas, Boxing Day), suggesting price sensitivity exists but demand is strong enough for full-price purchases. The gift economy (baby showers, friend gifts) means buyers are often less price-sensitive since it is a gift.

New Market Opportunities

Spanish language market Buyer purchased German copy and explicitly requested a Spanish version
Baby shower gift registries Commenter noted it has become popular at baby showers to bring a book and they have gifted 5-6 sets — integrating with gift registries could formalize this channel
Grandparent market One commenter noted grandparents are confused by it, another can't wait for a grandchild — suggests marketing to grandparents as an educational gift
Simple machines / physics books series Creator already launched Simple Machines Made Simple on Kickstarter, expanding beyond computer engineering into broader STEM topics

Key Takeaways

• Physical products with tactile interactivity (clicky buttons, mechanisms) create an emotional connection that drives repeat gifting and word-of-mouth in ways digital products cannot
• The gift economy is a powerful growth engine — products that are natural gift choices (baby showers, new parents) benefit from repeat purchases by the same buyers for different recipients
• Niche targeting (tech-savvy parents wanting to share their profession) creates a passionate community that self-selects and evangelizes
• Production quality issues (NOT page sensor bug) in physical products need iterative improvement across print runs — early adopters are forgiving but reviews suffer
• Kickstarter is an effective launch channel for sequels when an audience already exists from a first product
• Writing about the creation process (blog post, HN article) can drive steady sales for years — content marketing works especially well for creator-led physical products

Sentiment Analysis

17 Pos

Notable Quotes

"Literally the first book I bought for my hellspawn. We had fun working out the mechanisms. — anotherhue"

"The baby likes it. The grandparents are confused by it. — kelvindegrees"

"The buttons are so satisfyingly clicky. — tyrust"

"As it has become popular at baby showers to bring a book I always send my partner with the original 2. We have probably gifted 5 or 6 sets now. — matart"