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Love puzzles? This fork and knife need to be unlocked before you eat

A new silverware set on Kickstarter is like cutlery-meets-Rubik's cube.
/ Source: TODAY

There's a new silverware set that has to be unlocked before you can eat with it. But is it functional art or just an extreme dieting idea?

That's what we thought anyway after a look at the up-and-coming Locklery — a set of cutlery that doubles as a puzzle, and is currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter.

Locklery
Here's what Locklery--a silverware puzzle now on Kickstarter--looks like assembled. It's meant to double as a "unique decoration piece," the company says.Fusion Mars

Whether you bother to solve the puzzle depends on how hungry you are, we guess, but here's how it's supposed to work: The six black-and-gold utensils (two forks, two knives, two spoons) have notches, and lock together to stand on their own like a tiny tripod.

It's based on Kongming Luban, a 2,000-year-old wooden-puzzle toy, according to to the Hong Kong-based inventors, Andy Wan and Chris Chow. As a boy, Wan received the toy from his father, and it always fascinated him, he said in a press release.

Locklery
And here's what Locklery looks like once taken apart--and yes, you can really eat with it.Fusion Mars

"As I grew up, I thought about fusing this beautiful Chinese culture classic with a Western element," he added. "It's functional, beautiful to look at, and fun to play with."

That's sweet and all, but for a minimum donation of $39, you basically get two place settings (and no soup spoon or salad fork, may we add), which ships in February 2018...if the fundraising goal is met. Versions of the original toy, meant to be a brain teaser, can be found for about $5.

Aside from the price, we're guessing that people may be leary of the frustration factor, though the company assures us that "it's easy to take apart" but it is "difficult to assemble." It also points out that it's a "unique decoration piece that shows good taste when displayed at home."

Taste is subjective, of course, but so far, there are just 10 backers of the Locklery Kickstarter.