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Excellerations Miniature Waffle Blocks

Waffle blocks like this Excellerations miniature waffle blocks set are popular building toys. They are flat and have matching pegs on their sides. You can assemble these pieces in 2D and 3D shapes, and in different positions.
Pieces of this set have an unusually big number of pegs on them – far more than pieces of Gakken and Plus Plus. The pieces have openings in them, so you can connect the pegs to the edges or the centres of the pieces.

All the pieces in this set are exactly the same in shape in form, with the color being the only difference. You can build many things from these pieces, given all the opportunities this set has. On the other hand, this set doesn’t have arches and other similar pieces, which somewhat limits the building possibilities. The houses are the things waffle blocks make best, and, sadly, there are no options for, say, cars with moving wheels.
This particular set has pieces that are 1.5 inches wide, so they are safe for small children to play with. These pieces are easy to hold and too big to swallow, so the manufacturer recommends them for kids who are 3 years or older.

Excellerations Miniature Waffle Blocks
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Clics Ice Rink In The Evening

The same Clics ice rink in the darkness. We decorated it with some Christmas lights. Here is the daylight version.

ClicsToys is a Belgian company that was founded in 2001. They operate their own factory located in Kempen, where they manufacture the well-known Clics building blocks. These building sets consist of square pieces, all of which share the same form and shape. They easily connect at their edges, forming joints that can be moved.
Since the fundamental components of Clics are square, the basic forms you can build are typically cubic or brick-like. Nevertheless, thanks to the movable joints, you can connect them at various angles, resulting in diverse shapes. With careful assembly, it’s even possible to create triangular or sloping figures. However, the cubes remain the most robust and dependable structures this set can offer. Additionally, you can explore the option of crafting flat mosaics by combining pieces of different colors.
Using these plastic squares, you can construct flat surfaces and transform them into 3D shapes. Despite having relatively few extra pieces and accessories, Clics offer limitless creative possibilities. Some sets may include wheels and decorative panels, but these are the primary add-ons. On the plus side, Clics sets generally contain numerous pieces, enabling you to create complex structures with a single set.

Clics Ice Rink In The Evening
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Vintage Gakken-Like Set

An old, USSR-era Malysh set with some interesting pieces. Gakken sets have similar pieces nowadays. Photo from toy museum in Kyev, Ukraine.

Waffle blocks are very popular type of plastic building blocks. In these sets, each piece have pegs and square holes, and you can connect pieces in multiple ways to build both 2D and 3D crafts. The bricks connect to each other seamlessly, almost like in a jigsaw puzzle, so you can make endless combinations in any order you want. There are many brands of waffle building blocks, Gakken and Plus Plus are the most popular and well-known ones. This, however, is rarer Malysh set.

Blocks by different manufacturers may look different. In Plus Plus sets, for example, all blocks are exactly the same, the only difference is color. This old ex-USSR set, however, has pieces of differnet shapes, and some extras, like figurines or wheels. There are also a number of long, bar-like pieces that help connect waffle blocks together. You can stack many waffles on one bar, which helps to create thick and solid crafts.

The waffle blocks themselves are small, each side of a block has only one or two pegs. Some blocks has H-shape and no pegs at all on some sides. This is a downside, because you can’t connect anything on these sides. Sometimes, however, these pieces are very handy, because you can stuck them in small openings to support the craft around it. It all other regards, it is a typical waffle block building kit with small pieces.

Vintage Gakken-Like Set
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Unika Gear Beads

Alesya made these beads from the Unika gear set, and they hold up very well. She changed the yellow parts to orange and red ones from time to time.

These gears are a version of a popular type of building set. The gears in this one are not rotating on top of some structure – they are the basic building blocks of the set. The gears connect if you interlock the pins, or if you stack them. With these simple connections, you can build different shapes and mosaics.

All the gears have the same shape and size, the only difference is the color. However, there are still many possibilities to build, especially if you have many pieces. The gears can also interlock if you connect them at an angle. Sadly, the possibilities to build a moving toy are very limited, because the gears can’t really move once they connect. There are also no extra pieces or decorations, so the gears are the only things you have to work with.

The gears themselves are rather big, they are safe for the small children to play with. They also can hold together even in a very big craft without falling apart.

Unika Gear Beads
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Clics Ice Machine

It’s technical break on the Clics ice rink – the machine poures more ice in it.

ClicsToys is a Belgian company that was founded in 2001. They operate their own factory located in Kempen, where they manufacture the well-known Clics building blocks. These building sets consist of square pieces, all of which share the same form and shape. They easily connect at their edges, forming joints that can be moved.
Since the fundamental components of Clics are square, the basic forms you can build are typically cubic or brick-like. Nevertheless, thanks to the movable joints, you can connect them at various angles, resulting in diverse shapes. With careful assembly, it’s even possible to create triangular or sloping figures. However, the cubes remain the most robust and dependable structures this set can offer. Additionally, you can explore the option of crafting flat mosaics by combining pieces of different colors.
Using these plastic squares, you can construct flat surfaces and transform them into 3D shapes. Despite having relatively few extra pieces and accessories, Clics offer limitless creative possibilities. Some sets may include wheels and decorative panels, but these are the primary add-ons. On the plus side, Clics sets generally contain numerous pieces, enabling you to create complex structures with a single set.

Clics Ice Machine
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Panda Pals

Another very cute set of baby Knex. There are 21 items in total. It has these wonderful white face with a pink nose, small round ears and expressive eyes. Arishka collected the panda and didn’t let go of it for 2 weeks. As soon as we are allowed to disassemble her new friend, which I still doubt, we will definitely present you some crafts from this set.

Panda Pals
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Unika Gear Fortress

A fortress made from Ukrainian Unika gear set. A tree that looks more like a cactus grows in the courtyard of the fortress. And Alesya installed a traffic light on the big blue fortress.

These gears are a version of a popular type of building set. The gears in this one are not rotating on top of some structure – they are the basic building blocks of the set. The gears connect if you interlock the pins, or if you stack them. With these simple connections, you can build different shapes and mosaics.

All the gears have the same shape and size, the only difference is the color. However, there are still many possibilities to build, especially if you have many pieces. The gears can also interlock if you connect them at an angle. Sadly, the possibilities to build a moving toy are very limited, because the gears can’t really move once they connect. There are also no extra pieces or decorations, so the gears are the only things you have to work with.

The gears themselves are rather big, they are safe for the small children to play with. They also can hold together even in a very big craft without falling apart.

Unika Gear Fortress