Plus Plus Puzzle By Number & More Review
DISCLOSURE - THESE ITEMS WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER'S OWN.
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
Autumn term is under way, and I’m suddenly inundated by birthday party requests, fabulous for my son but a headache for me, the one who must go out buying gifts!
I was very pleased indeed then, to find out that I had the opportunity to review some toys from the Plus Plus puzzle range as I had seen their brightly coloured packaging whilst out browsing for ideas. In case you haven’t heard of it, Plus Plus is a Danish brand creating toys and puzzles to enhance children’s, or adult’s, fine motor skills using an innovative interlocking single shaped piece. The pieces are BPA-and phthalate-free and very hygienic as they can be washed in either the washing machine or dishwasher taking away that headache of being touched with sticky fingers or spilt drinks.
When the parcel arrived, it included two puzzles from their Puzzle By Numbers range, a 3d Alien to build and a tube of their Basic puzzle pieces. The Basic pieces come in several different types of packaging according to piece quantity with the 100 & 240 piece coming in a clear tube, with a pop on lid. The pieces are all the same identical shape but come in a large variety of different colours looking really enticing in the tube. On closer inspection the pieces are fairly small hard plastic, similar size to a jellybean, say, and are shaped like two plus signs stuck together. They are all branded with an unobtrusive Plus Plus indented stamped branding on one side. For younger children they also do a BIG range, suitable from 1 year upwards. Inside the tube was a leaflet with some design and build ideas, but really your imagination is your only limit, as the pieces just fit together to create any shape you like. My son, age 10, made a wristband, some little boxes with lids and a really funky pair of glasses! When you have finished playing it is very easy to break up and scoop back into the tube and snap on the lid.
The Puzzle by Number sets are for those who prefer a plan. Similar to painting by numbers you follow a number & colour pattern chart to create a specific design of which there are 9 to choose from. The sets vary in difficulty starting at 250 pieces aimed at age 5 to 12 years, up to 800 pieces aimed at age 7 to 12 years. I received a fun brightly coloured space rocket and a pastel-coloured rainbow, both 250 piece sets which took my son around an hour and a half to do. He laid the pattern out on a hard surface and then built on top of it to create the cool shaped puzzle. When finished it was one hard interlocking design which could easily be put in a frame or glued on to a backing to use as a picture or a table mat.
The Plus Plus Alien is one of a range of learn to build 3d projects mostly aimed at 7+. Starting at just 100 pieces and around £8.00 they are perfect for birthday gifts and stocking fillers alike. If you have a larger budget there are a huge choice of other products on their website, https://plus-plus.com/en/shop/products, from glow in the dark sets to Advent calendars, there is something for everyone.
Whether you prefer free play or like to have a design to follow Plus Plus has a product for you, the ease of build encourages creativity and imagination and the fact that they can be machine washed is a huge bonus. A fabulous toy, for any age, that I wish I’d discovered earlier!
Rating: Highly recommended 5 out of 5
RRP: from £8.00 upwards.
This product can be purchased from: toysrus.co.uk and Toymaster stores.