HanzMoto

By Hanz Toys
Price $39.95
Age 8+

Two seemingly opposing principles - simplicity and complexity - are at work in HanzMoto, a building set that enables you to build a wild variety of highly original vehicles and other designs. The simplicity refers to the sameness of the parts - 8 identical wheel assemblies and 140 identically sized and shaped (though they vary in color) blocks. The complexity stems from the versatility with which these uniquely shaped blocks fit together. This makes trial and error a particularly fruitful approach to creating something new and exciting, with intuition and happenstance leading you down unexpected paths. There's no getting bogged down in preconceived notions. Your mind is free to explore. A methodical approach also works exceedingly well. The two approaches - the planner vs. the intuitive - are not mutually exclusive, and therein lies much of the brilliance of HanzMoto and Genius Blocks. They enhance your ability to morph from fluid to concrete thinking and back again, triggering inspirations large and small all along the way.