Qixels vs Perler Beads

We watched Kung Fu Panda 3 again, on Friday evening.  I pulled out our Perler beads, thinking that the girls (ages 9 and 11) and I might make some Perler bead pandas while we watched the movie.

The girls spotted a couple of sets of Qixels in our "box of summer" though (more on that later), and decided to give the little square beads a chance instead.

If you haven't seen Qixels yet (I'm not sure how long they've been around, but they were new to me), they are sort of a cross between Lego blocks and Perler beads. 

• They are cube shaped instead of round, and they snap onto their little peg board (over stencils that come with the kit, if you like) instead of just setting on the pegs.  This is nice, because you can't really dislodge and scramble your creation by bumping the board (the sad fate of my original panda).
• They are made of some kind of glue, so instead of using the heat of an iron to fuse the beads together (as with Perler beads) you simply have to spritz your creation with water - and kits come with little spray bottles.  Water activates the glue, and once dry (in less than an hour) the creation is securely glued together, and ready to played with... 

 ...or posed on stands...

...that also come with the kits...

...as well as little pop in Lego like pieces...

...to turn your creation into...

...a pendant for a key chain or necklace.

As I mentioned the kits come with stencils, and a theme, and contain blocks in colors for making the suggested designs.  My girls opted to ignore the theme and make their own designs, and that seemed to work just fine.

The upside of the little blocks is that since they don't need heat to fuse together, the girls could make their creations, from start to finish, complete independently.  If the blocks come apart later, they can just be popped back on the pegboard and sprayed again, and the glue will activate and re-stick the blocks together.

I suppose the downside is that if the creations get wet while they are being played with - or worn, they will get gooey and sticky, and not be very pleasant.

Also, because they come mainly in kits, they are a little pricey in comparison with Perler beads (in the $7-$15 range for each kit, making three or four medium sized figures).  There are a couple of refill packs available, but you can't buy individual colors of cubes - which would be nice.  And, because they are glue, or glue coated, you really don't want children putting them in their mouths, while they are being made, or after they have been given as a gift to friend. Although I'm thinking, you wouldn't want children popping Perler beads in their mouths, either.

All in all though, given the fun my girls had with them, and their overall ease of use, I can easily recommend them.  This is not a paid review, just a mom to mom type recommendation.