I loved Lego growing up. I remember having bins upon bins of those plastic bricks. I spent hours building whatever my mind could create. Then, once I was satisfied with my creation, I would tear it down and begin again. I built cars, ships, buildings, and worlds as a kid.
Several years ago when Minecraft became a roaring success, I thought that physically building with our hands was dead. While Minecraft is great and has its benefits, and Lego were wonderful, a new building toy has arrived on the scene.
Clixo by Toyish Labs has devised a building toy without limits. While that sounds remarkably impossible, I can assure you it’s been done. Toyish Labs claims to be the “antidote to overly-structured play, encouraging kids to embrace fun, freeform exploration and experimentation”. I happily can say that these little magnetic strips have been exactly that.
I have a toddler who is 18-months old who absolutely loves playing with the magnets. I have even found them to be quite enjoyable myself.
The possibilities are truly endless with the ability to build in 2D or 3D. Clixo included a very minimal starting place which was merely a jumping off point. The “directions” included showed how to make very simple shapes, such as a ball, a helicopter and a tube. From there, the team at Toyish Labs encourages you to let your mind run wild.
I could go on and on about the things I love about Clixo. The individual pieces are durable and yet not able to cause damage on their own if thrown or dropped — which my son has helped me out in testing quite a few times. He has also helped me out in testing the magnetic connections. These little magnets are the perfect blend between strong and yet mild enough that even toddlers can pull them apart.
Lego, while they allowed for endless fun for my childhood, still lived within the confines of the bricks. Clixo has no limits. Each joint can move in a full circle, clicking into little ridges at every degree of turn. We also quickly noticed that unlike Duplo or other building toys, the pieces themselves are bendable and all around flexible. This allows for even more building possibilities and even less restrictions.
My family has quickly fallen in love with Clixo. This compact toy (when broken down) is loved by my son and, admittedly, by me. We both have spent hours building and playing with Clixo and I expect many more hours and creations to come.
