Dominoes are small, flat blocks that can be stacked on end to form long lines. When one domino in a line is tipped, it can cause all of the other dominoes in that row to tip over as well. Stacking dominoes in this way can create very complex, and sometimes mind-blowing, patterns and structures. Dominoes are also an object that can be used to teach children about simple math and number recognition.
Lily Hevesh started playing with dominoes when she was 9 years old, and her grandparents gave her a 28-piece set. She loved arranging them in straight and curved lines, flicking the first domino, and watching the whole chain fall, one by one. By the time she was 13, Hevesh had a large collection of dominoes and was posting videos of her creations on YouTube. She has now grown into a professional domino artist, creating spectacular sets for movies, TV shows, and events.
Unlike most games with cards, which have different numbers of suits and symbols, most domino games involve matching up the pips (or dots) on each end of a domino. A standard double-six set can have four sets of two matching ends, and each extended domino set increases the maximum number of pips on each end by three. In addition to these standard matching games, there are a number of blocking and scoring domino games.
Some dominoes are made with different kinds of natural materials: bone or silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl, or MOP), ivory, and a dark hardwood such as ebony with contrasting black pips. These sets have a more unique look, and their weight can feel more substantial than those made of polymer materials.
In the early days of Domino’s Pizza, founder Tom Monaghan was able to expand the chain to over 200 locations by carefully choosing where to set up shop. He focused on putting Domino’s near college campuses, which allowed him to reach a young and hungry customer base. This strategy paid off, and today Domino’s is the world’s leading chain of pizza delivery services.
As you might imagine, a lot of work goes into planning and creating these mind-blowing domino installations. Hevesh spends hours on each project, and she carefully tests each section of the design to ensure it works before moving on to the next part of the installation. She even films the tests in slow motion, so she can make precise corrections if something isn’t quite right.
