Life-Size Version of Mouse Trap Board Game is a 50,000-lb. Rube Goldberg Machine! (PHOTOS)

You might remember playing <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mousetrap+board+game&amp;oq=mousetrap+board+game&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.4120j0&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;espvd=210&amp;es_sm=93&amp;ie=UTF-8">Mouse Trap</a> as a kid, but now there's a whole new way to experience the popular board game on a gigantic scale. "Fungineer" <a href="http://lifesizemousetrap.org/">Mark Perez</a> recently brought his "<a href="http://makerfaire.com/makers/life-size-mousetrap2/">Life-Size Mousetrap</a>" to Queens, New York for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/maker-faire/">Maker Faire</a> 2013, and Inhabitat had a chance to check out the hand-crafted, 25-ton <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/rube-goldberg-machine/">Rube Goldberg machine</a> in person. Click through <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/life-size-version-of-mouse-trap-board-game-is-a-50000-lb-rube-goldberg-machine-photos/lifesize-mousetrap-14/">our gallery</a> to see over-sized versions of all the parts from the original game - from the rickety stairs to the slide, and even <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/life-size-version-of-mouse-trap-board-game-is-a-50000-lb-rube-goldberg-machine-photos/lifesize-mousetrap-10/">the bathtub</a>!

Mark Perez built much of his <a href="http://lifesizemousetrap.org/">Life-Size Mousetrap</a> by hand with the aim of using it to teach kids about Newtonian physics in a fun way that they could actually experience with their own eyes.

"I believe that in these times of seemingly endless virtual and digital experiences, it is crucial for kids and adults alike to have a real life encounter with the scientific principles that govern our world," Perez writes on his <a href="http://lifesizemousetrap.org/">website</a>.

You might recognize these stairs as almost an exact replica (except for the scale, of course) of the ones in the game.

The 50,000-lb., 16-piece Rube Goldberg machine set on a 6,500-square-foot game board was completed in 2005 and has since toured the United States, bringing its brand of wonder to festivals like <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/maker-faire/">Maker Faire</a> as well as science centers and museums.

The sculpture itself is kinetic, with parts that move just like in the original Mouse Trap board game, but the excitement doesn't end there.

Perez also organized a Vaudeville-style show to accompany it. The performance features "sexy" mice Can-Can dancers, clowns and an original score by <a href="http://www.esmereldastrange.com/">Esmerelda Strange</a>.

A regular-sized version of Mouse Trap is also part of the traveling exhibit.

"The Life-Size Mousetrap can be described as a dream come true," writes Perez. "I believe that most people endeavor to shape their immediate environment, and this motivation is never more pure than when one is a child. As a kid I learned to play board games like "Mouse Trap" and finally could exercise control over my own destiny, no help from the parents or older siblings my developing wit against the world."

The Life-Size Mouse Trap has been self-funded for five years now but Perez is currently seeking grants to continue the program and hire more artists and teachers for his team. If you're interested, please contact him at <a href="http://lifesizemousetrap.org/">his website</a>.