During the Covid-19 pandemic people devoted a lot of time to their hobbies to stay sane. Ken Fager was no different, as he experimented with photography and learned how to program in Applesoft BASIC for the Apple II series of computers. Living downtown he frequently noticed that groups of people playing Pokemon Go were socializing while looking for their next catch. The idea of creating something that people could look for and get out of the house resonated.

Not wanting to program another videogame he turned to another Nintendo property for inspiration. Ken has been shooting with a GameBoy Camera since 1998, and he sought to modify one to take Canon EF mount lenses to expand the camera’s limited capabilities. After a few days of watching YouTube he decided to purchase a 3D printer despite having no experience in how to create things in a 3D modeling application.

To learn he chose a frequent photography subject for inspiration, the Wisconsin State Capitol Building. As prototypes began piling on his desk he realized that these could be given away rather than disposed of. So around February 2021 he started to leave them around the capitol square and Little Free Libraries. What he did not anticipate was the positive reaction people had to finding the capitol replicas. Citizens of Madison needed a reason, any reason, to get out of the house.

Thus the Mini WI Project was born. Random acts of kindness, discovering something new, and community are the reasons it continues to thrive after the pandemic. These things are always in short in our world.

One 3D printer turned into two, then three, and now four. The creator will be the first to tell you each model is just like him; cheap, made of poor materials, and giving it away for free. But each Mini WI is printed, packaged, and distributed by him making each discovery personal.