Spirograph Mandala Maker Review

Reviewed by Alice Dixon

I have fond memories of playing with my Spirograph set as a child. In fact Spirograph has been around for so long that my own Mum talks about having a set when she was a child too. I spent many hours experimenting with the different sized discs to create different patterns and designs. Spirograph is still as popular as ever and there is now also an updated version called Spirograph Mandala Maker. This is recommended for age 8+ and will make a wonderful Christmas present for any children who like arts and crafts activities.

My son is very artistic so was eager to have a try at Spirograph Mandala Maker. We are already familiar with the classic Spirograph so he quickly began creating designs after a brief look through the instructions. It’s no problem if you haven’t used Spirograph before as the instruction booklet was detailed and easy to follow with diagrams. I liked that there was also an extra section with some more advanced ideas to try such as using watercolours and other mediums. This is something we’d never thought of trying before.

Spirograph Mandala Maker comes in an attractive cardboard box. There are quite a few pieces inside and I found everything neatly went back in the box when we had finished playing making it easy to store and less likely to lose any small items. In the box is the Spirograph Mandala Maker Frame, 2 stencil templates and 6 classic Spirograph wheels. There are also 25 sheets of paper and 5 fine line pens included. I think this is fantastic as children can open the box and get creating straight away, no need to look for pens and paper. That’s definitely handy for a hectic Christmas morning. The pens are in 5 different colours with very fine tips making them perfect to fit into the small holes on the wheels.

I remember as a child trying to place a wheel in the stencil ring and getting so frustrated when it accidentally slid ruining the design I was creating. With the Mandala Maker the stencil ring fits tightly into the Mandala Frame with a click. Plus, the paper slots into the back of the frame so everything is secure. You can then use the stencils or the Spirograph wheels to begin your Mandala design. The frame rotates so you can continue making a large intricate Mandala design. One thing my son liked the most is that the instruction booklet shows all the patterns that can be made and has a reference next to it of which numbered wheel and hole is needed to create the particular design.

I think the toy is very well made and even the pens included are high quality. So, I would say it’s very reasonably priced at £24.99. It certainly has a high play value. There are endless designs that can be made so I can’t see my children getting bored of this easily. Making and colouring Mandalas is also a lovely mindfulness activity and I’ve enjoyed spending quality time with my son and drawing with him. Spirograph is such a well loved toy and so this new take on a classic is sure to make a wonderful Christmas gift.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £24.99

Spirograph Mandala Maker can be purchased from the PlayMonster website here.