RELEASE DATE: Fall 2008/August 18 (Amazon)
LIST PRICE: $19.99
AGE RANGE: 18mos and up.
OFFICIAL URL: www.hasbro.com/playskool
RATING:

I’m a big believer that a child cannot have too many different building sets. Learning “This fits into this this way…” is a great learning adventure for children, and building things is a wonderful exercise in achievement and validation. When a child has multiple types of building sets in different shapes and sizes, that behave in different ways, it encourages them to use their imagination and to explore new ways of doing things.

WHAT IS IT?

Clipo is a building set by Playskool, that breaks the mold of “blocks”. Rather than simple square shapes that resemble bricks, the Clipo play pieces are a variety of shapes that are covered with pegs. The pegs fit in between one another and the pieces lock together. Younger children can mash the shapes together haphazardly to create organic structures, and older children can create more complex figures either using their imagination, following the structures on the sides of the bucket or using the included guide that comes with the set. Be forewarned, though, the guide shows figures that cannot be made with just the shapes in the Clipo set… As with all of these building sets, you’ll most likely end up buying a variety of kits to let your child build more.. And more.. And more. The whole “It’s addictive” thing is both a pro and a con, to be sure!

THE PIECES

This set is made up of a lidded bucket and fifty Colorful connecting pieces (pictured to the right) that include:

Small simple shapes: Twelve green squares, nine red triangles, eight open-center orange squares, and six pink circles. The smallest shape is the pink circle which measures 3″ diameter.

Large simple shapes: Four blue rectangles, four yellow rectangles, and two open-centered green triangles. The largest shape is the yellow rectangle which  measures 6″ long, 3″ tall.

Both the large and small simple shapes are about 1/2″ thick.

Complex shapes: One head with short blonde hair, one head with red pigtails, two green and purple angle connectors with rotating circular facets, and one green and purple cube with rotating circular facets.

THE BUCKET

The bucket is red with a yellow top. The interior of the bucket is about 5″x7 1/2″ 8 1/2″ tall.

The bottom of the bucket has a scalloped rim reminiscent of a castle-making sand bucket.   The labels on the sides of the bucket appear to be  screenprinted directly onto the bucket rather than affixed with adhesive. This allows it to resist tearing and scratching. Each side has pictures of things that can be made with the shapes that are included in this set, and on one side is a diagram of what shapes are in the set- a handy reference tool for packing away the toys and remembering which CLIPO parts belong with which set.  On the bottom of the bucket is a red label with the proof of purchase and other information.

The bucket is similar in construction to an average plastic beach bucket. It holds up well to use and is very sturdy when it is tipped on end.

The top of the bucket has a play board that is about 6″x3″ and that allows your child to build structures on top of the bucket. The underside of the bucket lid has two rounded protrusions that reinforce the lid and that make it harder to break- this is a smart addition since children are likely to push down hard on the lid and the figures while building.

A handle on the bucket would be a nice addition. Since there is no handle, one is tempted to grab it by the lid, which can sometimes result in the whole bucket being dumped out in a loud clatter.

EDUCATIONAL & ENTERTAINMENT VALUE

This building set is more multi-dimensional than most building blocks. Rather than stacking a square object on top of another square object and allowing the flatness of the square’s facets to determine your structure, you are using shapes that can be put together in many different directions to create many different structures, from houses to super heros, to dragons.

Younger children can match the colors and shapes, and explore how the pegs fit one way but may not fit another. Older children can build complex structures and involve their creations in imaginative play.

This set is great for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skill development, as well as an exercise for your child’s creative and logical thinking.

EASE OF USE

The pegs on this toy can be a bit difficult to really figure out to the point where you can build a structure quickly. The pegs alternate with dips, and on the opposite side the shape as the opposite pattern. So if on one side there is a raised peg, the other side will be a dip that a peg fits into. This can create somewhat of a challenge for a child that is trying to fit two identical pieces together in a way that stacks them evenly. Most children will quickly figure out that if the edges of the shape that they’re trying to stack are not aligning, that they can simply turn the shape over in order for it to stack smoothly.

EASE OF CARE

The bucket is simple to wash clean, although you may need to use a q-tip to get inside of the scallops on the bottom. The pieces are plastic and easy to wash clean. If they become dirty you might want to use a spray hose to direct more forceful streams of water into the dips and curves of the play pieces. They do not trap water, so washing them is not a big deal.

The pieces all fit into the bucket, without much room to spare, and sometimes the circular reinforcements of the lid will make it so that you have to dump the pieces out and try to fit them in again. I couldn’t really find any particular method of stacking the pieces that made them fit in better or worse, other than keeping some of the smaller pieces for last, as they fit in between the reinforcements on the lid. A good fifty percent of the time I’d simply stick the left-over pieces to the top of the lid.

BOTTOM LINE

This play set is a lot of fun in a small amount of space. The different parts are light and small enough for small hands, but are large enough to be safe for even younger children to play with on their own. This play set should be appealing to a wide age range.