Spin Master PixOs Super Studio

Children can create cute, colorful figures such as a cat. View larger.

The fan helps designs dry and set more quickly. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Fun studio unit stimulates creativity and lets children create art. The Bad: Takes awhile to dry; small balls can be swallowed and lost; fan not very strong. In a Nutshell: Kids can create and display fun, easy-to-make art with the PixOs Super Studio, but watch out for the small pieces. At a Glance Ages: 4 and up Requires: Two AAA Batteries to operate fan (not included)

There are different colored PixOs, and children create designs (using templates or with their own imagination) by using the "pen" to place the PixOs on a grid-like tray. An included "eraser" makes it easy to remove a misplaced PixO. After the child is done with a design, he or she lightly sprays it with water using the included spray bottle, and puts it underneath the fan to dry. When dry, the finished piece can be removed from the tray and placed it wherever you'd like.

We made a cute, colorful cat, then gave her a dog for a playmate soon after. Once we understood how it worked, we were able to whip up new designs and art quickly. Just be certain that the designs are fully dry. It took a bit longer than we expected, and we accidentally ruined a cherry because we picked it up off the plate before the PixOs were sufficiently dry and stuck together.

Please note that the PixOs are tiny. Although the recommended age on the box says four and up, we believe that children on the younger end of the scale might require supervision, especially if they are inclined to swallow things. Additionally, the fan requires two AA batteries to operate, but we found that the fan was too weak to really speed up the drying process; instead we placed our finished PixOs designs by an open window to save on batteries.

Different Templates Make Learning Fun
Included are six template designs of varying degrees of difficulty that will help you get accustomed to using the studio. With the templates, kids can make strawberries, cherries, cats, dogs, and more! Some of the designs are three-dimensional, so they can stand on their own. Once these templates have been mastered, kids can create whatever they want and will only be limited by their imaginations.

What's in the Box
500 PixOs, PixOs Sorter and Dispenser, six template designs, two trays, water sprayer, standard instructions, 3-d instructions.