In the design shop of Popar Toys, makers of incredible augmented reality books, cards, puzzles and wall charts, if you build one of their seven themed jigsaw puzzles, a whole new interactive experience unveils itself to the delight of today’s iGeneration. Watch butterflies flap their wings at the Picnic 3D Interactive Puzzle Game, shoot hoops around the world in Basketball 3D and fashionistas design gowns in Princess 3D — all with the flick of their finger over a mobile phone or tablet screen hovering above the puzzle.
I am a huge fan of all things technology related but I also love the classics like board games and books made from paper where you can actually touch and play with them. Popar Toys takes the added step by putting those two things together to make really great toys!
Popar Toys offer seven styles, for ages 6 and up (they are 100 and 300 pieces):
- Basketball
- Football
- Soccer
- Construction
- Picnic
- Planets
- Princess
The Princess 3D Interactive Puzzle Game already won the Summer 2013 Tillywig Toy & Media Awards. Here’s what the judges said for why it won:
??Popar has just added a line of premium puzzles that utilize their special technology, giving this traditional play medium new life. Just download and open the free app and point your mobile device at the assembled puzzle. A princess springs to life before your eyes, waving, twirling, or dancing atop the puzzle surface according to directions chosen via an onscreen menu. The princess’s appearance is customizable. Choose from a variety of skin tones, eye colors, hair styles and colors, as well as dress patterns, styles, and prints. You can save and load your newly personalized princess to the play section of the app for round after round of fun and action. A variety of effects can also be activated, ranging from a 3D castle to snow, rain, and circle or diamond confetti swirling down over the princess and her tableau.?
The puzzle starts out as just that….a puzzle. You put it together like any other puzzle and even comes with a mini poster you can set out to help see the full picture better for putting it together.
You then download the app to your iPhone and once you bring the app up you just need to point it at your finished puzzle or at the puzzle box and then the action begins. We had to squish the bugs before they ate the food at our picnic! It is so interactive that you have to literally move around the puzzle so you can get the ants that are on the other side of the fruit.
Close up shot of ant squishing in action.
Next up for us was the princess puzzle. This is another of the 100 piece puzzles.
Here is a screen shot of my daughter playing with the princess. My daughter is obsessed with all things princess right now and she played with the app for about 30 minutes before we told her it was time for bed. She would have played all night had we let her.
There are two minor issues that I was not a fan of. One is that you have to download an app for each puzzle. I wish it was just one app to download and use with all puzzles. Another issue is I found that a lot of the puzzle pieces fit together that did not match up picture wise. I prefer a puzzle where the pieces only fit together when the picture lines up. Many might actually like this feature and find it more challenging that way.
If my daughter had been older I definitely would have selected the soccer one. It looks so cool to play after you have put the puzzle together! I can only imagine that the app is even more fun on an iPad since the screen would be bigger for easier play.
They are priced at $14.99 each which is around what you would pay for a regular puzzle but this one offers so much more extended play!
ABOUT POPAR TOYS
Popar Toys uses Augmented Reality (AR) technology to create an immersive reading experience that will allow the user to see incredible virtually real 3D objects and animations that will pop off the book or cards. Popar Toys are designed to change the way families interact and experience stories, adventures, and learning. Augmented Reality (AR) is a groundbreaking concept that uses a mobile/smart device and special patterns to make amazing 3D objects and animations appear in the real world that provide a high degree of engaging interaction that maintain interest in all of the Popar Toy series.
Connect:
You can connect with Popar on Facebook and @popartoys on twitter.
Buy It! You can purchase these puzzles for $14.99 each.
I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.
