I sometimes wonder what it is about magnetic toys that delights children as much as they do. In my own childhood, I was constantly taken in by how magnets seemed to have magical powers all their own. Odds are good that you have a few memories yourself of playing with some magnets when you were a kid. I couldn’t resist getting back into magnetic toys, and I’ve discovered some popular ones. Keep reading to learn what 5 of them are.
Magnatiles
I start the list with these because I love them over all else. They’ve genuinely enthralled kids all around the world, including my own. These are the kinds of toys that kids never really get bored with. In particular, magnatiles are designed to be geometric plastic shapes. They have magnets along the edging, which is what lets them stick to one another. You can stack them into nearly any sort of structure you can imagine. If any portion of the structure winds up collapsing, it’s an easy fix. Adding to structures you already have going is really simple, because you can just add various triangles to a few squares and make nearly any shape or structure you need.
My kids love them because they’re virtually like Legos in how broad the possibilities are. I love them because of the BPA-free plastic construction and how they’re safe for any kid over the age of 3. When I need to have a bed bug exterminator in Seattle come deal with their bedrooms, I know I can sit them down with this in the living room and let them be, staying out of the exterminator’s way. The 100-piece set seems to be quite popular, and it’s got enough pieces to build some bigger things. You’ll soon find that 100 pieces can’t match your imagination though. You need more. The 100-piece kit is mostly clear or transparent color pieces. If you really want some stunning visual aesthetics, also get a solid color set before mixing the pieces with the clear colors. It just opens up so many more possibilities.
Magna Doodle
You’ll likely recognize this one, since it’s been a smash hit all around the globe. I don’t know a single family with kids who don’t have this in their toy box. Count this as my close second favorite. This is essentially a plastic drawing pad, square in shape, that uses magnetism to create drawings that can be quickly erased. The stylus is magnetic itself, and you can use it to draw with some sort of dark magnetic powder encased in a thick opaque liquid to make dark lines on the pad’s surface. The eraser also uses magnetics, drawing powder off of the pad surface to white-out the display.
Frigits Deluxe
This toy is truly delightful, and it’s really just fridge magnets gone wild. The toy has a variety of magnetic parts intended to funnel marbles through a curious track down to a bucket that eventually catches them. The interesting thing about this toy is how there are 11 various parts inside this pack. The marble will mostly move along rails, but it can also bounce off a Ferris wheel or even a tornado ride. There are also serpentine chutes which catch the marbles before gently placing them on the next rail.
It’s a lot like crazy cartoon machines where someone flicks a small switch and sets off a chain reaction of two dozen events just to make a cup of coffee. I love this thing, so I bought one, and now I’m looking at collecting all the extensions. The launcher looks fun. I’m just glad my kids are 7 and older, because these marbles are a choking hazard.
Smart Max Magnetic Set
This one is a lot like Magnatiles. You build small structures and shapes. The parts are very simpler, meaning they’re generally safe for toddlers. The parts are really just thick, short bars that have been magnetized at their ends. You can connect them to other magnetic pieces or even plastic balls. The magnetism in this toy is really quite robust. The creators claim the toys can carry as much as 60x their own weight. Families love these, particularly in families with really small kids. Older kids like them too, though. So do some adults. That’s the farthest my admission will go.
Buckyballs
I almost don’t want to write about this one. It was a favorite of mine, but this one has been discontinued. There was too high a risk of death by inhalation. Swallowing the magnets could also result in some gnarly intestinal damage. You can understand why they’re not among my favorites any longer. Still, there are some on the secondary market, and they deserve an honorable mention for just how cool they used to be. They’re essentially a whole set of balls that are magnetized that you can form into cubic shapes. It’s almost like using individual atoms to build molecules, and they were plenty of fun. Then again, they’re not legally available for purchase in most jurisdictions.
Jumbo Magnet Zappers
These toys are quite popular with kids. Little boys seem to especially love them. Essentially, they’re a pair of strong magnets. You throw them up into the air, where they start spinning. While they do this, they make a strange noise, somewhere between whizzing and clapping. The sound has given them the occasional nickname of ‘rattlesnake eggs’, but don’t let that turn you off.
There you are, my recommendations for 5 of the top magnetic toys on the current market.
