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We all want our kids' toys to be somewhat educational. However, there are so many buzz-worthy toys out there that ooze fun noises, pretty lights and shiny exteriors. Heck, some of those same toys catch my eye and attention span on occasion.
Thankfully, Worx Toys weaves all of those perks into its entire product line. The company has a lineup of super-cool toys, all of which combine fun with a little lesson about how the subjects actually work. (Shhh... the lesson part probably isn't all that obvious.)
Worx Toys was founded by three fathers back in 2010. Currently, the company has a total of five products. Each one combines some type of toy vehicle with a storybook into one interactive learning experience. In other words, the story isn't just about a space shuttle or a helicopter, but actually shows kids how that stuff works – in an age-appropriate manner, of course.
The toys are colorful, but also have sort of a transparent shell, which allows you to peek in at all sorts of goodies. Those come in the form of 20 light and sound code-activated features, which are designed to engage readers. Worx Toys was kind enough to send me two of their toys, the Speedster and the Torch.
The Speedster is the race car in the Worx Toys line. Inside the box, there's an awesome yellow car and a matching book titled, Howie's Get Ready, Get Set... Race Adventure.
Getting the toys out of each package was a bit of a nightmare. This type of packaging reminds me of childproof bottles, except even adults will have issues with them. It's fine, but my suggestion would be to open the package before you have a frothing 6-year-old sitting on the bed next to you, waiting for the car and the story.
Throughout the book, you (or your listener) will be prompted to enter codes on the car's keypad. Kids don't even need to know numbers, because each code is a series of four shapes. Those codes light up and sound off sections of the car to display the timing belt, the engine, the suspension, and several other areas.
Now, the first time we read the Speedster book, one of the car's doors popped off. It wasn't easy to get it back on, but we did it. Frankly, each model is built to take a little bit of abuse, which is great since it's such a hands-on experience.
The overall experience was pretty awesome. Sure, there are typos in the book and the dialogue could flow better. At times, it was hard to tell which character was talking. However, the book laid everything out about cars in an easy-to-understand manner and having the car match up to parts of the book made the whole thing a lot more interesting. I mean, it was really cool. My son occasionally had a hard time taking his eyes (and hands) off the car, but he followed along and could recite back the parts we were watching light up. Heck, I think I actually learned a few new things during this story.
Next up, we checked out the Torch, which comes with a firetruck, a remote control, and the book, Howie's Cook Out Adventure. Here is where things get even cooler. Instead of having to punch in those codes on the toy vehicle, you can do it remotely. Not every Worx model comes with a remote, but the remote will work with the other toys in the line. Just know that you can only program one toy per remote at a time, so if you want to use the remote with the Torch one day and the Speedster the next, you're going to need to punch in the respective code to program it. Also worth mentioning is that the Torch actually moves. That remote will get the ladder moving and even allow users to drive the truck (forwards and backwards) around the room. Again, Howie could use a proofreader, but my son was completely riveted and eager to discover all of the truck's features, lights and noises.
Now, it's important to note that my kid isn't really much of a car buff. People have been buying him cars and trucks in all shapes and sizes since birth. And, once in a while, he'll pick them up. However, we couldn't keep him from picking these up. In fact, he's been asking for the whole set.
So needless to say, both of the models we received were a big hit. My son said that he enjoyed the Speedster the most, but he seemed to play with the Torch model more. That's probably because it's the one that moves. It's also the one that's a little more expensive. In general, Worx Toys are pricier than typical toy cars of this size. With prices starting at $29.99, these are more on par with the Hess Truck line – but kids will absolutely get more out of the experience.
I don't mind spending a little more on a toy, if it's something that will get some use. After the weeks we had with these sets, I am thinking about expanding our collection. This was the first thing my son would go for in the morning. Before breakfast, his toothbrush and anything else, he wanted to play with his Worx Toys. When he got to the bus stop, he excitedly told friends, "I got Worx Toys!" It's also nice to show him that vehicles are so much more beyond an array of loud noises.
Besides the Speedster and the Torch, Worx Toys also makes the Throttle (a motorcycle), the Apex (a helicopter) and the Journey (a space shuttle).
Worx Toys provided me with these products for review.
