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You can try to trap those pesky little devils, but they always seem to get away. If you’re a frequent reader of this infrequent blog, you probably know “Jack” - yes, my six year old son. He came home from school several weeks ago with a mission: To create a Leprechaun trap. From the very start, he wanted something that smashed the Leprechaun… kind of like a mouse trap for little green people who run around and cause trouble. After explaining to him that smashing Leprechauns was politically incorrect, I suggested that he “capture” the Leprechaun. So, off to Home Depot we went. If in doubt, always head to the plumbing isle. Jack and I found a 10 foot long piece of 1/2″ PVC and a saw (we just borrowed it!) and the creative juices began to flow. I cut the pipe while he ran over to the connector bins to assemble his idea. An elbow piece here… t-fitting there… a few eye hooks and we had the basic structure. Honestly, it’s a memory that I’ll always treasure… father and son sitting in the plumbing isle at Home Depot building a Leprechaun trap.
Here’s how it works… The big cup is attached to a piece of string that is fed through a series of eye-hooks, and a large washer is tied to the other end of the string. Pulling on the washer raises and lowers the cup. So, the washer is held in place using a plastic cup filled with “liquid gold” for the Leprechaun to drink (hey, I can’t make this stuff up!). Lifting the cup releases the washer and the big cup falls on the Leprechaun! Life is good!
Oh, one final touch… the “liquid gold” is just water with yellow food coloring. If you secretly add a drop of blue food coloring to the water, the water turns green. Jack set the trap before going to bed in hopes of catching something in the morning. He came bolting out to the kitchen the next morning to find the trap sprung and the “liquid gold” had turned green. “Mom… Dad… It worked! The Leprechaun fell in the water and turned it green!” I think he might remember this St. Patrick’s Day.
For more leprechaun ideas also read Leprechauns Strike with Green Water >
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March 1st, 2006 at 4:16 pm
i would like to thank u 4 helping me think of away to build a leprechuan trap like yours but diffrent
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:04 pm
this an awesome idea cool!!!! thanks 4 the help with my project
March 4th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
This is an awesome Idea! my little sister will love it!
March 10th, 2006 at 6:28 pm
My son, Hunter, and I just found this and think it is AWESOME! I have been on line for several hours and have seen all kinds of traps but this one is best by far. I love the idea of the water turning colors. I can’t wait to tell his teachers about this one. When there is no father here to help Hunter build things I depend on wonderful people like you to give me Instructions. I can do a lot with the right info. Thanks. Oh, he wants to build it NOW! He is 5 and I cannot get through to him I don’t have the stuff here!
March 11th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
I’m in second grade.Thanks for the help.From Charleston SC
March 13th, 2006 at 10:52 am
Thank you so very much…. I hope that we catch the leprechaun….If we do we’ll split the gold.
March 16th, 2006 at 9:44 am
Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one whose son wanted to SMASH the leprechaun! :oS Thanks for the encouragement!
May 25th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
My sons, Sean and Niall, have both constructed Leprechaun traps as a school family project in first grade. As bait, Sean made a pot ‘o gold using candle votive filled with gold spray-painted coins…
As a secondary special education teacher, I have used many of your experiments in my independent science class. Thanks for the great ideas for cool science on a shoestring!
March 12th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Every year those mischevious leprechauns visit our home. We’ve had a great time building the traps. Not only do the lil guys seem to escape, but the turn our milk and toilet water GREEN, put furniture and other items UPSIDE down and even smudged some green glitter on our cat’s head and ears! What a great family memory and opportunity for sharing/discussion/joint project!
March 13th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
how did u get the cup thing to fall??? please help my trap is due thursday!! thx
March 15th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Hi - you put the string under the little cup of gold, so when the leprechaun lifts the cup, the bigger cup above falls down. Good luck!
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I am confused. If the washer is released then the cup goes up not down. What I am picturing is the big cup is turned upside down and attached to a string with the other end tied to the washer, keeping the cup in the air. So if the other end of the string is under the smaller cup filled with liquid gold when the cup is lifted the washer goes down pulling the big cup up. What am I missing?
March 5th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Hi Carol - we are working on a diagram to better describe the trap. We’ll post it soon. The washer should be on the table under the cup, the washers around the top of the trap, and the big cup in the air. When the washer is released, the string will loosen and the cup will fall. I hope that helps.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Ha Ha! This is so cute and clever! My kids are teens now, so they would roll their eyes at the idea of trapping
little leprechauns, but I will definitely show this trap to my friends who have young children– great memory-making!