The Pixos toy this year, as you all know, is a safer non-toxic version of the Aqua Dots that were recalled last year. They basically just reformulated the little beads so that they are safe for kids. Here is a review and a video for you to decide if this toy is right for your child. This is such a cute toy!
The Pixos Super Studio Comes with the Following
- 2000 colored beads
- Pixos Studio that you can easily put together yourself.
- Pixo grabber which is just a little sticky dot on a handle.
- 2 trays with holes that you put your design in.
- 2 sheets with designs on them. You slip them under the tray with holes to help kids make their art design.
- Tiny water bottle used to spray your designs to get the beads to stick together.
Here's the Pixos Super Studio
Advantages
- The main pixos site is very kid friendly and there they offer even more designs you're kids can create themselves.
- Once kids get the hang of this product they seem to love it. They can get really creative and want more beads.
- Will help your kids develop patience! This is a good thing!
Disadvantages
Please see the "handy tips" below because these negative things can be overcome.
- The tube that is supposed to shoot the dots out into the tray doesn’t work well if anything gets wet. The Pixos will get clogged in there and it’s difficult to get them out.
- With the dispenser, if even a small amount of moisture gets inside it it’s pretty much ruined. This is because the balls will swell up and become stuck. Now they will be almost impossible to remove. Just be very careful and it should be no problem.
- With the two trays – There’s a pink and a blue one. The pink one is great. The blue rectangular one has issues with making many of the designs because of how the holes are lined up. On the blue tray the beads don’t always touch like they should. There are gaps and it makes the design harder to bond. There are also very few good designs for this tray.
- The kit doesn’t come with a sufficient amount of beads. Many parents report that the 2,000 pixos that are included only lasts there kids a couple of days. While you’re at the store you can pick up another refill bag of pixos because they’ll be used up fast!
- It’s a toy that requires a lot of patience because you have to arrange the pixo dots just so.
- The little fan that is used to dry the new pixos art after it is sprayed with water does not dry the art in 5-10 minutes like it says. It takes more like a half hour.
- It’s not suitable for kids under 3 years old because it’s a choking hazard and some parents are saying their small children think it's candy and try and eat the pixos beads!
Where to Buy Pixos Studio and Refill Sets
You can pick Pixos up at Toys R Us, Target and Walmart. Since most parents mentioned that their kids run out of the beads you should probably pick up an extra Pixos refill set. They sell refill sets at the stores as well. It’s probably good to phone before you go because I believe this toy is extremely popular… just like the Bendaroos are this year.
You can find the Pixos Studio on eBay
Many sellers are now offering free shipping which is nice.
 Pixos Micros Pink Show N Glow Studio Press Pour Pets Refill Kits LARGE Lot NEW  US $32.99
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 Pixos SUPER STUDIO ROSE PINK nip US $29.99
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 Pixos ColorN Create Studio US $29.13
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 Spin Master PixOs Super Studio US $24.81
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Here are the Pixos refill sets
Handy Tips
- It will take some patience to remove the design from the tray. If only one little pixo section isn’t completely dried and bonded the design is ruined. It’s much easier to slip a card underneath to remove the design and keep it intact.
- Spraying lots and lots of water on the art to get the beads to bond.
- Wait at least half an hour for your Pixos art to dry.
- You’ll have better results with drying the pixos art by just letting it sit in the direct sunlight.
Great comment from one parent...
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.”
- Careful when you use Pixos if you have very small kids or pets. Especially if they love to eat everything that falls on the floor.
- It’s important to read the instructions and follow them to a "T". If you do you’ll have better success with the fan. You will probably have to wait more like 30 min to 45 for the fan to dry the design, instead of 5-10 minutes like they say. Especially if you have to use a bit extra water (like with the blue tray) to make everything stick like it should.
Pixos refill package looks like this
If you are looking for more Pixos art ideas or more information on the safety of Pixos, their website is pixos.com.The Pixos site goes on and on about how safe their product is. Although there are two ladies reporting that their kids had an allergic reaction to the Pixos residue. Did anyone else have problems like this? Please leave a comment below...thanks!
Pixos Starter Set
To Summarize
The Pixos Super Studio overall is enjoyed by kids that like doing creative projects and have some patience. Most parents can overlook the negative things about this [tags]pixos[/tags]product and the majority approve of this toy. The biggest problems were that kids did get a bit frustrated with the pixo beads not sticking. Once they figured out how to apply dry their pixos creations they enjoy and use the toy regularly. You might also consider the Pixos Starter Set which is all kids really need to enjoy Pixos. The rest of the Studio Set isn’t really necessary although kids think it’s pretty cool!
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Got the Pixos super studio for my daughter for Christmas, and I must say my daughter is pretty disappointed at the dry time. If it takes 30-40 minutes to dry then the instructions should state that, hence setting a realistic expectation for the children. That kind of dry time will eat batteries real quick resulting in less usage and enjoyment of this toy/activity as parents cannot afford to buy lots of batteries AND refill dots on a regular basis. Too bad, false adverstisement in my opinion.
I know, I really hate that when infomercials always hype up their products, especially for kids. They make their products look so good yet never tell the “full” story.
One parent mentioned they ended up slipping a card underneath to remove the design and keep it intact. Then actually dried the Pixo Art by the window with sunlight. Then their child could go on making designs and not have to sit around waiting 40 minutes for a design to dry with the fan.
I totally agree with you that they should put that on the instructions. They also seem to want to make money off the extra purchases of Pixos refills. I sometimes wonder if they actually test the products out before they put them on the market.
i bought my son the pixos and the residue that it leaves from the dots gave my son an allergic reaction he’s eye became swollen shut i want to know if anyone had the same situation???
My son also has developed swelling of the eyes after using pixos for the first time. I have been giving him Benadryl all day and the swelling keeps coming back.
Karolyn, thanks for mentioning this, That’s really awful. Wow that’s really scary that the swelling won’t even go away! I wonder what the Pixos company has to say about that. Did your son have allergic reactions with any other toys in the past? BTW I’m going to let Griselle know that she’s not the only one with this problem. I hope your son is going to be ok!
my mom told me pixos was great but there a little issues like when you put it under the fan it will dry and and put of squirt of water but there is another easy way to have a shorter way to dry it easyer like put it by a lamp or sun and leave it there like a half hour and then wala. it should work wight about there. we bought our pixos at
toys’R'us my mom got it for because it looked great and creatavie my mom is the best because she told me about pixo’s
Our daughter seems to be having an allergic reaction to Pixos as well. Each time she plays with them, her hands swell up with a red rash showing most prominently on the back of the hands. We stopped playing with them for a few days and things cleared up, but when we tried them again, the swelling and rashes returned. Can’t be certain that this is caused by the Pixos, but we’d like to know if this is something others have experienced. I see a few mentions here and would certainly like to know if there are others.
Thanks for reporting this Mike, I agree…other parents need to know these things. I tried emailing Pixos customer service and never heard back from them.
after my son begged for months for this thing, i found several sets at the local goodwill. the sets were mostly complete for around $3-$4 each.
That’s a great deal you got there! It’s amazing what you can find at goodwill stores. There’s one right by my place and they end up throwing lots of stuff out in the dumpster because it’s too small to hold larger furniture items. What a shame!
Hi,
The Pixos sound very fun! I’m just not so sure about the safety. Can anyone help me?
Aylvia,
I’m quite confident that this product is safe because they’ve done extensive testing and it’s been reviewed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada. If you take a look over a http://www.pixos.com and look at the safety bulletin at the bottom of the page, you can see all the steps they’ve taken to make sure they’re safe.
There are a few kids who have allergic reactions to the Pixos but I believe they may be only a small minority.
i have a really big allergic reaction
I just bought my daughter Pixos for Christmas and she broke out in a horrible rash. She had hives all over her hands, arms and legs. Do not buy these it your child has sensitive skin!
We just tried the Pixo Super Studio my daughter received for Christmas and within the first 10 minutes the beads in the sorter were getting trapped underneath the sorter and now we can’t get the beads to come down through the hose. Are others having this problem? Any suggestions how to get the run-away beads out without breaking the sorter tray?? And I’m glad I read all of comments we both just got up and washed our hands with soap! Wouldn’t have even crossed my mind otherwise. Thanks.
Hi Michelle, There are many others experiencing the exact same problem with the Pixos sticking. The first thing that comes to mind is… I’m wondering if you can stick a wire down there to pry the beads loose and maybe give the toy a good shake. Unfortunately it looks like there are major design flaws with this toy.
These gave our two year old daughter a rash and chicken pox looking bumps all over her face, chest, and hands. They were on the floor over at grandma’s house where the big kids were playing with them, she thought they were candy.
My 9 year old daughter broke out in a rash (small red dots, not itchy) all over her body after playing with PixOs for the first time at school today. She said the rash hurt alittle bit. The school nurse applied a cream (not sure which) that relieved the symptoms.
I like eating the PixOs. I hate that I did not know about the Aqua dots.