CREATIVE WHACK COMPANY Roger von Oech's Big Ball of Whacks, Red

UPDATE: we have now had this for several months and grown ups and kids alike still love it. Friends of all ages come over and are taken in by it. Haven't lost a piece yet. I think the single-color one is better to start with--much more soothing. I will definitely be getting the X and Y balls for holiday gifts for our family. It's not just fun--kids really do get a sense for spatial relationships and geometry. Worth every penny.We've only had it for 24 hours, so who knows if the love will last, but so far grown ups and kids in our house are really enjoying the big ball of whacks. glad i got the big one. i imagine it is much more satisfying to work with than the small one. Kids are 10 and 7 and fighting for turns all day. making cool shapes and noticing patterns. Magnetic construction materials are very engaging for kids and adults and this one certainly is. Was a bit of a splurge, but already I can see it is going to be worth it.

This thing is cool, and not hard to understand. The extra pieces are just halfs of the other pieces, and you just attach them all together to make the thing. You can create realy cool stuff out of this, and reading the booklet that comes with it is really interesting. Overall a 10/10 toy.

This thing is fun to play with, but not a great fidget toy. It's REALLY large. bigger than can fit in the palm of my hand. And the pieces make a lot of noise when they click together (so if I'm on the phone, I'm not likely to use it because it would be distracting to the caller). It is easy to put back together into it's sphere shape though.

Cool idea that makes for a fun toy to keep around. Nice quality materials and overall design. Can get a bit boring after 20-30 mins, but great for short bursts of creative play.

The reason I got this is exactly why the headline says what it says. I am a therapist working with kids and this is perfect. It requires focus which allows the kids to relax their guard and talk as they work. It also can be very frustrating to build the shapes suggested on and in the package, which is great for developing patience and frustration tolerance in kids and adults.

Excellent, educational "toy." My nephews play with it just about every day, figuring out many different solutions and configurations. I ordered two of the "ball of whacks" simply because I knew they would have so much fun and interest in it. They (cousins) each have their own and have made timed competitions out of putting the balls back together.

This is a quality product that is very fun to use. My 14 year old son enjoyed the book that came with the product. I highly recommend it!

I used to have the original ball of whacks and I LOVED it (it was stolen because it is so awesome). So I thought the BIG ball would be a great replacement. Unfortunately, the added pieces are awkward and difficult to put back together. I have it as a desk toy (I'm a counselor working with high school students), and the BIG version frustrates students. The regular ball of whacks was a perfect fidget toy, but the bigger ball is just annoying to put back together. The new triangular piece is the worst because it isn't symmetrical, so it only fits in ONE way. I wish I would have returned it, and just bought the original again.