New plexiglass toy creates “instant” igloo

Traditional knowledge is no longer needed to build an igloo, or snowhouse — all you need is some snow, and the “Eskimold” kit, a new Canadian toy.

“Eskimold” is a coloured plexiglass mold that produces blocks of packed snow, which can then be used to build a small igloo about five to six feet wide.

“You don’t need any other special equipment, clamps or forms. All you need is an “Eskimold,” our free snow saw and a couple of friends,” says information on the promotional web site, www.eskimold.com.

“When the mold is full, just tip it upside down and a perfectly shaped snow block will easily fall out,” the Web site explains.

The simple-to-use kit has been recommended to organizers of the annual trek to Israel made by Inuit from Nunavut and Nunavik, as a way of building an igloo on top of Mt. Hermon.

The snow blocks are designed to interlock so the rows of “Eskibloks” don’t fall as the igloo goes up. It takes about two hours to construct an igloo.

You don’t need a lot of snow to make one, but according to the instructions, the snow needs to be sticky — the kind that falls more often in the South than in the North.

The product, designed in British Columbia, has been a hit with kids, said one of the three partners behind it, Warren Hufcroft.

And teachers particularly like the “Eskimold,” according to Hufcroft, because they can use the igloos as teaching tools.

“They are very good for the studies of the Inuit because, when you build one, it creates memories and shows how an igloo is built,” Hufcroft said.

Some people have put up igloos in front of their houses made with the Eskimold and illuminated them from the interior with coloured lights.

“It looks very attractive,” Hufcroft said.

One man who built an igloo in front of his house finally bought several kits because people kept stopping by to buy them.

The $22 kit has been used with mud instead of snow in Guatemala, and to build windbreaks for ice fishermen and shelters for dogs.

The “Eskimold,” whose sales have more than tripled over the past two years, is sold across Canada and in 40 U.S. states, where it’s marketed as a uniquely Canadian product.

“It’s very Canadian — on the logo you can see the Canadian flag behind the igloo,” Hufcroft said.