Popular Mechanics - USA (2021-11 & 2021-12)

November/December 2021 79

BEST AUDIO TOY

Yoto Player $100

Despite its cute design and ease

of use, the Player is a bit better

for older kids than things like

Storybots. Similar to a View-

Master, just for music, the

speaker plays songs based on

cards that you insert. But Yoto

uploads new content daily that

kids can access without the need

for a card. They can also create

their own for customized tunes,

and the Player triples as a clock

and night-light.

B E S T 3 D P R I N T I N G T O Y

3Doodler Start+ Essentials Pen Set $50

A good toy for would-be 3D printing enthusiasts, this pen set uses colored plastic rods as a sort of ink, which

kids can then color over 2D images on paper or around 3D objects to create their own accessories. Our kid

testers loved it and repeatedly came back to play with the Start+, but operation was not seamless; the pens

had a tendency to jam up if they weren’t cleaned regularly.

BEST SCIENCE TOY

Educational Insights

G eoSafa ri J r.

Kidscope $40

The Kidscope wins for its ease of

use and the amount of content

that comes with it. The 15 slides

show 60 photos of a variety of

plants and animals, with hun-

dreds of facts to accompany

them. That led our parent and kid

testers to give this microscope

for the burgeoning young scien-

tist positive reviews. Just know

that the construction quality

could be better.

BEST VIDEO TOY

Little Tikes Tobi 2

Director’s Camera $75

Let them learn the ins and outs

of Adobe Premiere later; the

Tobi 2 teaches your kids basic

filming and editing on a 2.4-inch

screen nested on the camera. It

also comes with a number of fun

effects and is splash-proof, in

case their filming should involve

any water stunts.

BEST VR TOY

Abacus Brands Professor Maxwell’s VR Atlas $65

Like the Professor Maxwell science lab kit that took home a 2020

Game and Toy Award, this atlas provides an immersive app, which

you download to your or your kid’s phone and then attach that to the

included VR headset. If you’ve got the storage to accommodate the

app—and it takes up quite a lot—it expands the features, locations, and

monuments within the 138-page book.

GAME AND TOY AWARDS

TREVOR RAAB (3DOODLER); COURTESY EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS (KIDSCOPE); COURTESY YOTO (PLAYER); COURTESY ABACUS BRANDS (VR ATLAS); COURTESY LITTLE TIKES (TOBI 2)