Hedgehog in the Cage

The puzzle consists of a small sphere with protruding spikes of various lengths contained within a cylinder perforated with holes of different sizes.

[2][3] It has been suggested that Worrall's invention was inspired by a Japanese puzzle called the Snake and Star, which appeared in the catalogue of the games manufacturer Selchow & Righter on 25 May, 1895.

[2] The principle of both inventions is similar: solving the puzzle involves finding the correct position and angle that allows the object ("the hedgehog" or "the star") to be removed from its entrapment in the cage or the snake.

[5][6] It was not until 1940 that it achieved its remarkable level of popularity, when Jaroslav Foglar published Záhada hlavolamu (Mystery of the Conundrum), the first part of his sequence of stories about the Rychlé šípy ("Rapid Arrows"[7]) boys' club.

The Hedgehog in the Cage plays a key role in the story and its sequels in the trilogy, Stínadla se bouří (The Shades are Revolting) and Tajemství velkého Vonta (Secret of the Supreme Vont).

Two Hedgehog puzzles
The first known model of the puzzle, patented by Clarence A. Worrall.
The masked "Supreme Vont" alias "Široko" ( Scirocco ), holding the Hedgehog in the Cage. A screenshot from the TV series Záhada hlavolamu about Rychlé šípy club (1969).