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Growing up, my grandma always had little puzzles and brain teasers sitting out on the table at the holidays, so everyone could pick one up. The SHASHIBO Shape Shifting Box would have fit right in there. It was sent to me to try.
Mine is the Blue Planet colorway, a bright, sharp blue.
Quick Verdict
- Buy it if: you need a gift for the brain teaser lover in your family
- Skip it if: it’s for a little one, or for someone who gets frustrated fast
- My favorite feature: turning it with no shape in mind
- Would I buy again? Yes, as a gift
One little cube that turns into over 100 shapes
It starts as a cube that fits in your palm. Unfold it and the pieces turn into stars, points and all sorts of geometric shapes, held together by 36 rare earth magnets.
You can follow the shapes in the guide, or you can just turn it and see what you end up with.
SHASHIBO Shape Shifting Box, Blue Planet
A palm-size magnetic cube that folds into over 100 shapes, with cloud and water patterns hiding inside.
SHASHIBO Blue Planet size, magnets and age
- Shapes: over 100, per the maker
- Magnets: 36 rare earth magnets
- Size: about 2.4 inches on each side
- Made of: plastic with tear-resistant sticker art, plus magnets
- Opens on: two of its eight corners
- Connects: snaps onto other SHASHIBO cubes
- Age: 8 and up
- Power: none, no batteries
Who is the SHASHIBO a good gift for?
It’s a cute stocking stuffer for the puzzle lovers in your family, and a fun thing to leave on a coffee table when people come over. Somebody always picks it up, and it gives everyone something to talk about.
If you’re shopping for a whole list of people, the free holiday gift planner on Admin Arcade keeps who you’re buying for and your order-by dates on one page.
If your family does jigsaw puzzles together, the Bits and Pieces puzzle lounger gives a 1,500 piece puzzle its own legs so the coffee table stays free. And for someone who wants a real challenge, the QUOKKA Hotel Wildeluxe puzzle hides 321 objects in its art.
Opening the Blue Planet cube for the first time
The box came with a little pamphlet showing every color and theme, plus some of the shapes you can make.
Then I couldn’t get it open. The getting started note explains why. It only opens on two corners, so I wasn’t just bad at it. Once it gave, the inside surprised me. There are clouds on one set of panels and something like water on another, and a few turns later I had shapes that looked like icicles.
Why it stays fun after the first try
- No goal needed: even when I wasn’t trying to make anything, flipping it around felt almost like a fidget toy. You can play with it that way, or push yourself to make the shapes on purpose.
- Sturdy enough to twist hard: with all that flipping, it never felt like it was going to break.
Little things I liked
- That pamphlet makes it easy to pick out a second one in a different theme
- Nothing to charge or set up before you hand it over
What should you know before gifting a SHASHIBO?
- Getting it open takes patience. Give the person a heads up so they don’t think it’s stuck.
- Folding it back into a square is the hard part. I’m still working on that one.
- There are magnets inside. It’s meant for ages 8 and up, so keep it away from little kids.
SHASHIBO questions people ask
How do you open a SHASHIBO the first time?
Only two of its eight corners come apart, so work your way around until one gives. Pull it gently from there and the cube unfolds.
How many shapes can a SHASHIBO make?
The maker says one cube makes more than 100 shapes, and you get even more once you snap a few together. You can follow the shape guide or just keep turning it and see what you land on.
How big is a SHASHIBO?
About 2.4 inches on each side as a cube, according to the maker, so it sits in your palm. It spreads out and gets bigger as you unfold it.
Can you connect more than one SHASHIBO?
Yes. The magnets let cubes snap onto each other, so a few of them together can build bigger shapes.
Is the SHASHIBO only for kids?
No. It’s made for kids and adults alike, and it works as a quiet thing to fiddle with at a desk or during a meeting.
Other brain teasers and fidgets to compare
- Speks Odds Magnetic Balls: textured silicone balls with magnetic cores for stacking and fidgeting. They’re a quiet fidget with no shapes to solve, made for ages 13 and up.
- Rubik’s Cube The Original 3×3: the classic twist puzzle with one right answer, all six sides matched. The SHASHIBO has no single finish line.
- Tondiamo Spiky Sensory Finger Rings: little stainless steel coils you roll up and down a finger. I keep a pile by my desk for calls. They’re a fidget with nothing to build at all.
Where it ended up in my house
Mine is put away now, but I’d buy it again as a gift. It’s an easy one to hand to someone who likes a puzzle they can fiddle with.
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