Clipo Building Blocks Entrance Some, Fail to Engage Others

Judging by the photos used on their products and their recommended age of 18 months and up, Clipo blocks are a good product that is being badly marketed. Although I am sure that the Playskool folks test their products with real kids, somehow I think they reached the wrong conclusion with their Clipo line, which takes a fair amount of skill to manipulate into anything which will stay put together. Based on my observations, it's not a good toy for toddlers, but is fair for older preschoolers and kids in the early grades.

My six-year-old grandson was ecstatic when he spotted the Clipo blocks on my living room floor. "They had these at my school," he said and immediately began begging his mother for permission to spend the night in order to optimize his play time. As it turned out, the Clipo blocks didn't hold his attention long enough to make a sleepover necessary, but it did occupy him for over an hour, which is a fairly impressive feat. He built a rocket ship, a tower and a butterfly, all without benefit of instructions, but he did have some difficulty making his creations stay together.

If you remember Bristle Blocks, one of those toys popular in the 80s, you have the concept for Clipo. In the Clipo version, the bristles culminate in rounded knobs, so they are less bristly, which means they are less likely to elicit curse words when stepped on with a bare foot. Unfortunately, they are also more difficult to stick together.

The Clipo set I had was the people builder set. Playskool also makes basic block sets and a vehicle builder set. Another item in the line is the Clipo Creativity Table, which has a rotating turntable for children to use to display their creations. The rotating unit can also be taken out and used to achieve a crude type of motorization of some of the Clipo creations. The table also includes drop slots and shape sorter. It requires two AA batteries.

If you have grandchildren who are enthusiastic builders, Clipo blocks are a worthwhile purchase. I don't recommend that you buy these blocks for kids under three. There are always exceptions to the rule, but most kids under three are going to be frustrated by this toy rather than charmed.