From the Toysit archive
Rush Hour
Slide cars and trucks to free the red car, with the old Binary Arts set distinguished from later Rush Hour editions.
The play at a glance
Clear a route by moving what is in the way
Rush Hour begins with a traffic jam arranged from a challenge card. The red car has an exit to reach, but the other vehicles block the route. The puzzle is to change their positions until that route opens.
The original Toysit account describes a Binary Arts set with 40 challenges, four difficulty levels and a drawer for the cards. The retained image shows the grid, vehicles and challenge-card format.
The rule that makes it a puzzle
In ThinkFun’s #5000 rules, vehicles slide forward and backward along their own lanes. They cannot turn, move sideways or be lifted out to clear a path. Match a challenge card’s arrangement before beginning, then free the red car through the exit. The card back provides a solution sequence.
A useful first question is which vehicle directly blocks the red car. Then look for what prevents that vehicle from moving. Sometimes progress starts with a piece far from the exit.
Make one change you can explain
Before moving a vehicle, notice what space the move creates and what space it takes away. If the arrangement becomes confusing, reset to the card and try a different sequence. Rebuilding the starting position is part of working on the puzzle, not a penalty.
Two people can discuss possibilities together, or one can solve while the other watches. These are suggested ways to share the activity; they do not turn the classic single-player challenge into a competitive game with new official rules.
Keep the card set and vehicles together
- Starting position: check the length and orientation of every vehicle against the card.
- Completeness: check the grid, red car, blocking vehicles and challenge cards against the particular set’s inventory.
- Difficulty: follow the levels on those cards rather than assuming that another edition uses the same numbering.
- Edition: Junior, Deluxe and expansion products need their own contents and rules checks.
The old page’s Mensa discussion is preserved as context. It is not needed to understand the puzzle, and this guide does not promise a change in intelligence or school performance.
The historical record
Original Toysit coverage
The complete original puzzle description and appended Mensa discussion remain below. The award, classroom-use and organizational claims are retained as historical statements, not newly verified endorsements or evidence of a learning outcome.
Traffic Jam Gridlock Game
Pure bumper-to-bumper enjoyment. Players set up the traffic on a game grid to match one of 40 playing cards, then try to maneuver the red car to escape the gridlock. Honk! Honk! It's gridlock and the little red car can't move. The player is a traffic cop in the Rush Hour Traffic Jam Puzzle where the objective is to get the red car off the road. To play, pick one of 40 challenge cards; solutions are printed on the back of each card. Then set up the cars and buses in a specified pattern on the 6-inch-square road grid. Move the vehicles one by one (obey those traffic laws) until the red car can escape the traffic jam. There are four levels of difficulty. Kids can alternate turns with another player or just play in traffic alone. The game from Binary Arts received a national award from Mensa and is used in elementary school math classes. The design includes clear instructions printed on the sturdy box, which can be used both as a playing tray and for storage. The game cards stow away in a drawer in the road grid.
Mensa is an international organization founded in 1946 with the mission of identifying and fostering human intelligence for the benefit of humanity. To become a member, an individual must score in the top 2% on an accepted, standardized intelligence test. Mensa serves as a social and intellectual network for its members, providing them with various opportunities for discussion, debate, and engagement on a wide range of topics. The organization also engages in outreach activities aimed at stimulating intellectual achievement in the wider population, often through educational programs, scholarships, and publications. Mensa has more than 100,000 members worldwide, representing diverse fields and backgrounds. The organization is not only a hub for intellectual exchange but also aims to use its collective resources for positive societal change.
Sources and editorial notes
ThinkFun’s manufacturer-hosted #5000 instructions, copyright 2010, were visually inspected on October 15, 2026. They document the classic sliding rules and color/letter key. They are a later rules reference, not proof of the exact card sequence or revision in the old Binary Arts photograph. No physical set or challenge solution was tested.
- ThinkFun: Rush Hour #5000 instructions (PDF) — Classic movement rules, challenge setup and vehicle identification; copyright 2010.
Images and descriptions are retained as historical material. How Toysit covers toys.
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