Product Description

Just add water, and watch in amazement as the PixOs beads magically fuse together to create a work of art. When you're done with your creation, finish it off by using the studio's built-in dryer. Studio comes with 500 PixOs, two design trays, five double-sided templates, two instruction booklets, spray bottle, super studio unit with built-in storage, dryer and pen dispenser. Refills sold separately. Requires 2 "AA" batteries, not included.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9876 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Spin Master
• Model: 6011348
• Released on: 2008-08-01
• Dimensions: 2.20 pounds

Features

• Arrange PixOs in any pattern or design you want and spray with water and play
• Magic, no heat, no glue and no mess
• Super creative play for hours of fun
• Safe and non-toxic
• Includes 500 PixOs, two design trays, five double sided templates, two instruction booklets
• Also includes one large sprayer, one super studio unit with storage, dryer and pen dispenser

Amazon.com Review
The PixOs Super Studio allows young children to explore their creative impulses and make various two- and three-dimensional creations and designs. With no ink or mess, the PixOs Super Studio is a clean and easy way for children aged four and up to get started with art. You're child will be thrilled when he or she presents you with an original sculpture. Because of the many small pieces, this studio is not appropriate for small children who need constant supervision during playtime.

Children can create cute, colorful figures such as a cat. View larger.

The fan helps designs dry and set more quickly. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Fun studio unit stimulates creativity and lets children create art. The Bad: Takes awhile to dry; small balls can be swallowed and lost; fan not very strong. In a Nutshell: Kids can create and display fun, easy-to-make art with the PixOs Super Studio, but watch out for the small pieces. At a Glance Ages: 4 and up Requires: Two AAA Batteries to operate fan (not included)

Easy, Clean Art
The Super Studio requires some assembly, which a parent will most likely have to do. Don't worry: set-up is simple. The PixOs Super Studio works by allowing kids to create art by using small balls called PixOs that will stick to each other if lightly sprayed with water and allowed to dry.

There are different colored PixOs, and children create designs (using templates or with their own imagination) by using the "pen" to place the PixOs on a grid-like tray. An included "eraser" makes it easy to remove a misplaced PixO. After the child is done with a design, he or she lightly sprays it with water using the included spray bottle, and puts it underneath the fan to dry. When dry, the finished piece can be removed from the tray and placed it wherever you'd like.

We made a cute, colorful cat, then gave her a dog for a playmate soon after. Once we understood how it worked, we were able to whip up new designs and art quickly. Just be certain that the designs are fully dry. It took a bit longer than we expected, and we accidentally ruined a cherry because we picked it up off the plate before the PixOs were sufficiently dry and stuck together.

Please note that the PixOs are tiny. Although the recommended age on the box says four and up, we believe that children on the younger end of the scale might require supervision, especially if they are inclined to swallow things. Additionally, the fan requires two AA batteries to operate, but we found that the fan was too weak to really speed up the drying process; instead we placed our finished PixOs designs by an open window to save on batteries.

Different Templates Make Learning Fun
Included are six template designs of varying degrees of difficulty that will help you get accustomed to using the studio. With the templates, kids can make strawberries, cherries, cats, dogs, and more! Some of the designs are three-dimensional, so they can stand on their own. Once these templates have been mastered, kids can create whatever they want and will only be limited by their imaginations.

What's in the Box
500 PixOs, PixOs Sorter and Dispenser, six template designs, two trays, water sprayer, standard instructions, 3-d instructions.

From the Manufacturer
The PixOs Super Studio has everything needed for PixOs fun. Adding water makes the PixOs magically come together for the most unique and beautiful creations. The secret is, the water magically makes the colorful dots stick together to create an awesome design. It is simply made to spray and stay for hours of fun every day. The built in dryer makes finishing off your creations quick and easy. Includes 500 PixOs, two design trays, five double sided templates, two instruction booklets, one large sprayer, one super studio unit with storage, dryer and pen dispenser.

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Customer Reviews

We're glad this product is back on the shelves!
My 5 year old and I were thrilled when this product became available again. We have had to work a little harder with this product as it doesn't seem to stick as well as the aqua dots did but after awhile we figured it out and realized that we weren't spraying enough water on it and we weren't waiting long enough for it to dry. If you do those two things right, it was our experience that the designs don't fall apart. I gave it a 4 star because I agree with the other reviewer that you will require more product. Once you get going and get the hang of it and start getting really creative you are longing for more beads! It will require your child to have patience and may develop your child's patience. If you think you can just hand this over to a 5 year old and go do your thing, you're mistaken. For younger children, still developing patience, an adult will need to assist in order to ensure that this is a fun and creative project rather than a frustrating one. After your child gets the hang of it and develops patience, they can do this on their own. If you try to rush through this you will find yourself frustrated with beads falling out of place and not sticking well.

Perhaps not as good as Aquadots but still GREAT!
My daughter wanted Aquadots so badly and we got her some for Christmas last year - two days after purchasing them, they were all recalled. I wrote in to SpinMaster for replacement parts and we received the Pixos in the mail. We still had the originals and I tried both. The Aquadots do stick better but the Pixos can do the same with a little trial and error. You just need more water. Just keep spraying the Pixos until they have completely dried and if they have trouble coming up from the tray - spray them some more. We also left them out in the sun to dry which helped.

There are two trays that come with this set - a pink (diagonal) one and a blue (straight across) one. I agree that the blue one is not so great. You need lots of water for that one to stick. And there are very few good designs for that tray. It would be better if it came with at least 2 of the pink trays and a blue so that you could keep working while your project is drying - or you AND a friend could work on the good designs at the same time.

The other problem with the set was that the tube that is supposed to shoot the dots out into the tray just didn't seem to work all that well. Like someone else said, if anything got wet, the Pixos would get clogged in there and were very difficult to get back out. We just stopped using that and my daughter (4 1/2) put the Pixos in by hand. She absolutely LOVES this toy. She loves making up new designs and she loves playing with her creations.

Because of my daughter's love of this toy and the wonderful value it has had for her - both educational and otherwise - I am willing to overlook the less sticky beads (I mean, after all, at least they are not covered in a toxin that might kill my child, right?!), the shortage of good trays, and the annoying tube-thingy. Overall it has been one of the more regularly used toys in our home - and that is saying something for a little child with no attention span! Perhaps better for the more patient and/or artistic child (and parents) and for them, I definitely recommend it. A great toy!

Simply doesn't work
Want frustrated kids that give up (for good reason) after playing with something ONE time?

Then, by all means, buy this thing. The beads often do not even touch - but even where they do, the bond is so fragile that the designs either break apart while you're lifting them out or fall apart in your hands (the remaining pieces of the design).

The points at which the beads meet are obviously too small for a solid bond.

Worse, an outright stingy amount of beads is provided.

Stay away.