Xia Xia Review (& Giveaway Ends 1/4)

Cepia LLC./ Ages 4 and up

Xia Xia are a top holiday pick this season from Chris Byrne The Toy Guy ® from Time to Play.

ABOUT:

What It Is

Bizu is an interactive bead activity that lets kids build bracelets, and then, with a few quick twists, transform those bracelets into adorable, collectible animals. The Bizu Style Studio lets kids store the beads, select the ones they want to use, and style their creations. Each Bizu bracelet is made up of the following beads: a head, two front legs, an accessory, a body, two rear legs, and a tail. Turn and twist the four levels of the Style Studio until you get the beads you want, and then dispense the pieces. Take the Bizu beading tool, attach the elastic cord, and thread the beads on to make your creation. The Bizu Style Studio comes with 40 beads, four elastic toggle clasps, a beading tool, two clips, four character template cards, and an instruction guide.

Why It’s Fun

The colorful pieces and dispensing action, and the finished results, give a new twist on a classic play pattern. With Bizu, girls can get creative and express themselves through unique beaded jewelry. There are more than 50 Bizu characters to collect, and the pieces can be mixed and matched to create more than 15,000 variations. Girls will like collecting, creating, wearing, and sharing them, and it’s easy to take the bracelets apart and start again.

Who It’s For

The Bizu Style Studio is for ages 6 and up.

What to Be Aware of

The first time we made a bracelet, it was kind of tricky. Lining up the beads and getting the right amount of stretch on the cord to accommodate all the beads took a few tries, so kids should be encouraged to try again if it doesn’t work the first time. Once you get the hang of it, making the jewelry with Bizu is easy. Girls on the younger end of the spectrum still might need help from mom or dad, with the stringing of the beads as they learn to manipulate the bracelet into an animal.

It’s important to put the beads on in the correct order for the transformation to work. That’s one of the reasons the Style Studio is a great item. It handles the organization and ordering function easily.

Chris Byrne The Toy Guy ®, is the director of content for Time to Play and has 29 years of industry experience in the toy industry. He has appeared on Live! With Regis and Kelly, Oprah, LIVE, Today, Good Morning America, and more.

In case you aren’t familiar with Time to Play, TimetoPlayMag.com is a playful destination website which provides adults with information, entertainment, and services on what’s fun for children and their families. The website is powered by aNb Media and a team of leading, well-known toy, family entertainment, and parenting experts.

MY THOUGHTS:

Since Xia Xia toys are made by the same makers as Zhu Zhu pets and DaGeDar, I knew they would be fun. What is need is that they are toy hermit crabs that you can mix up with different shells and playsets. While there are some girly ones, there are also some that could be for boys. The sets do not come with a Xia Xia pet so you definitely need to make sure you pick up some pets if you buy a playset, but even without the playset the Xia Xia pets are fun! My son thinks the crab is silly and funny. The Confetti Cottage playset was easy to set up and get going!

BUY IT: Check out the Xia Xia for $12.99 wherever toys are sold.

WIN IT: (1) US winner will receive a Xia Xia (style may vary)