After what felt like a little bit of a lull, the past couple of years have delivered some fantastic new ways to foster hands-on creativity. One company that’s been leading the charge is Spin Master (an outfit whom you’ve no doubt heard me mention on occasion), and this year they’ve got a new spin on creative play with Bunchems Alive!, the latest iteration of Bunchems – winner of the coveted 2016 Activity Toy of the Year Award, presented by the Toy Industry Association. These little balls stick together, allowing for endless possibilities in what kids can create. Squish, connect and create the creatures, characters, structures and vehicles shown on the box, or just free-form to create your own – this is open-ended imaginative play… with NO MESS. And now, with Bunchems Alive!, kids can add motion to their creations, bringing a whole new element into some already rockin’ play.
With hair pulled back* (very important – more on that below), The Rock Daughters™ have been spending quite a bit of supervised time with their Bunchems Alive!, mixing-and-matching pieces to create a variety of different items. Addie’s been big on the cutesy stuff like puppies, bunnies, etc., while Finn has been all about the more mechanical – vehicles and robots. By building with the Motorized Stick ‘Em Ball, now their Bunchems creations can shake, wobble and “dance.” Check out one of Addie’s:
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BKeSAAsgcXt/” style=” color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;” target=”_blank”>Afternoon fun at #RockFatherHQ with #BunchemsAlive by @SpinMaster! Look for more on my site soon! #CG #sponsored #toys #toyreview #STEM #crafts #fun #play #creative #play #imagination
With Halloween fast-approaching, we’ve also been working on things like “The Pumpkin King” (a crown on a pumpkin makes it Royally-official) and some little Goblins. In fact, one such creation made its way into our official photo spot in The Toy Testing Facility at Rock Father HQ™:
*Now, it is important to note that Bunchems function much like a natural bur (seed pod) like you might come across outside – something that our seven-year-old was quick to point out, a comparison also made in the instructions. That said, it’s important that kids and grownups with long hair (I chopped mine a few years back) have their long locks tied-back and away from the Bunchems. You’ll also want to do these on a nice, flat surface, and make sure not to place them on carpet or furniture (anything fibrous) that they might attach to. This includes pets. Here’s what Bunchems look like up close:
In the event that you do get caught, Spin Master has a video available to help you: How to get Bunchems out of Hair. There are also warnings in several places on the package, but as with any project such as this, I recommend supervised play.
THE ROCK FATHER™ was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all that of James Zahn.
