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Product Details
- Binding: Toy
- EAN: 0850682002003
- Feature: A maze game where players must maneuver a small marble around challenging barriers inside a transparent sphere Provides a three dimensional experience Shift, flip, and twist the sphere to guide the marble Entertaining, educational, and great for fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination No set-up, clean-up or batteries
- Label: PlaSmart, Inc.
- Publisher: PlaSmart, Inc.
- Studio: PlaSmart, Inc.
Editorial Reviews
The 3-D puzzle maze you can't put down! -- It may look like a transparent sphere amusement park for marbles, but this self-contained puzzle ball is a challenging maze for all ages. -- Flip, twist, and spin the Perplexus, attempting to move a ball along the numbered paths, while you work with and against the forces of gravity. -- There's 100 barriers for you to conquer with this game that's easy to play, but hard to master! If your ball falls off the track, just try again. -- Recommended Ages 6-106.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Updates about Perplexus construction - Dec 2009 by Dr. M.
First off, my whole family loves Perplexus!
I won't drag on with a description of the product, as other reviews have done this. But I will offer some updates regarding some of the previous reviewers' concerns about the construction of the toy.
1: The "watermark" stamp seems to have been changed. There still is one, which now reads "Perplexus," but it is not frosted; it is clear like the rest of the ball. Granted, there is some distortion looking through this from some angles, but it does not seem to impeed play.
2: The swing arm on ours works fine.
3: The hemispheres are screwed together tightly and look as though they will hold up to abuse. (But I will admit here that we have only had this toy for 2 days. If it breaks, I'll post a revised review).
4: The numbers along the track are still very difficult to see without very bright light, and even then you may have to tip the toy in a direction you don't want to in order to see the numbers. However, most of the pathways are easy to follow without the numbers, and once you've followed a path, it's unlikely you'll forget the way, so you really only need the numbers once.
Overall: my whole family (including the 5 year old) is in LOVE with this toy. We've had to set up rules about how long anybody gets to play with it, just to make sure the rest of us get our turn. I'm buying several as Christmas presents.
Pefect!!! by L. Larson "Larson"
This toy is great for all ages! My 3 year old is surprisingly VERY interested in it and it's so fun to watch him concentrate! He can easily get all the way past #25 and is getting better every time he plays with it. My husband will sit down with it for easily an hour (unusual for him) to try and conquer the maze. My favorite things about it: 1-when the kids are playing it they are concentrating SO hard that they are quiet and engaged for a LONG time. 2-no batteries required. 3-no annoying noises. 4-anybody can play. It's PERFECT for Doctor visits (who likes to wait at the dr's office with nothing to do?), trips in the car, and just hanging out at home! We keep one in the car (for trips AND when we are somewhere like an event that not everyone is interested in watching) and one at home.
Anytime ANYONE is over at our house and this toy is out, they are completely drawn to it. Adults and kids will pick it up and before too long are so engaged with it that they can't hold a conversation because they are concentrating so much. It is WONDERFUL to see children so focused on something other than a video game!!! Almost everyone who has played with it at my house has purchased one shortly after.
I would DEFINITELY recommend this toy to ANYONE! I'm buying 20 of them--family Christmas gifts and friend's birthday gifts for the upcoming year. I have NO problem with any part of this toy and am 110% satisfied with the durability and quality of this product!!! Whoever came up with such a toy is genius! The price is very low for the enjoyment and fun everyone will get out of this product!!!
Perplexus compared to Superplexus and Magic Intellect Ball by K. Howard "Kurt"
Perplexus is sphere in which you guide a small silver ball around an obstacle course. This is an almost identical copy of the Superplexus. The Perplexus and Superplexus are both 23 inches around. The only differences between they two are that the Superplexus has a completely clear globe, digital timer, more solid construction and is a bit heaver. The magic Intellect Ball or Magic Intennect Ball are also similar toys which are 95% the same as the Perplexus. The differences being that the Magic Balls have a completely clear globes, two different turns in the course and are only 20 inches around.
Perplexus positives:
The part of the course that is constructed correctly is fun. (All but one part of the course works in mine.)
Nice Colors.
Perplexus negatives:
The swing arm part in the middle of the second section is poorly constructed. In order to make it swing, the screw is too loose which means that the ball can NOT drop into the right place. So, there is no way to complete section Two.
Instead of having a clear sphere, like Superplexus, Magic Intellect Ball and Magic Intennect Ball, Perplexus has a 3 inch across watermark/stamp that says "Buksi" in the plastic on the top and bottom of the ball. When looking through this watermark/stamp the track the ball follows is fuzzy. Worse than that having to look back and forth over and over between the clear and cloudy plastic stamp as I do the maze give me a bad headache!!!!!
What a shame they put that annoying "Buksi" stamp there. If only the globe was completely clear and the swing arm worked it would be a 5 star toy. Best I can give it is 3 stars and I recommend you buy the Superplexus or Magic Intellect ball instead because that have all the best parts of Perplexus with a completely Clear Globe.
Really Great! by Jorge F. Reynolds
The 5Star reviews cover it well.
It seems a new version came out around Dec09, correcting some earlier problems. The only thing they couldn't fix [cost?] was the anoying reflections off the surface of the sphere.
It was brilliant of the designers to include a set of 3 "Starting Points" on this single but long path; this means that if, say, a youngster gets to the half-way point when the ball slips off the path, he doesn't have to go all the way back to the beginning but can pick up his path a 3rd of the way in.
It's the perfect childrens' toy because they themselves are training themselves in patience, persiverance and are increasing their own attention span while practicing manual dexterity and developing spatial awareness.
Maria Montessori would have turned green with envy!
Brilliant idea, mediocre execution by Patrick Gavin "Wease
This Perplexus ball is a well thought out toy for the most part. It is a three dimensional obstacle course encased within a clear plastic bubble. One must manipulate the thing to move a small metal ball along a mostly singular path. The plane of motion shifts frequently and dramatically which makes the act of moving the ball along very gratifying. It appears that the designer made some last minute changes to the overall scheme by putting a barrier in front of an obvious path instead of eliminating any indications of a path. The difficulty of obstacles tends to increase as you go on, but there is one section in the middle that is particularly difficult compared with later obstacles.
The path is labeled with numbers from 1 to 100, but these numbers are extremely difficult to see because they are very shallow embossings on the plastic. The path is further subdivided into three subsections, and it is easy to pick up at the beginning of any subsection.
Build quality leaves something to be desired. Some of the injection molded parts have cosmetic issues, and the ball as a whole feels like it is going to fall apart at any moment.
Despite these problems, it's still good toy. My three year old is fascinated with it. He can't do the whole thing, but he still tries.
Zero customer service by Katje L. Sabin "It's
When we received one for a Christmas gift, we loved it... until we discovered a broken piece inside the ball. It was put together wrong, and if we could get inside it, it would be easy to fix. We couldn't figure out how to get inside, though, and all our emails and calls to the company that made it were ignored.
So... great toy, but crappy customer service. We can't ever use it the way it was intended due to our disposable culture, and it makes me sad. I think we'll eventually have to throw it away, and that's just wrong.
Amazing, but for a short time... Breaks easily by RileyMD
This is a great "quiet" toy... No batteries needed and it held my 6 year-year old's attention for a long time. However a part inside broke in less than 2 weeks even though I'm pretty sure the toy had not been dropped. This could be an amazing toy to have and to give as birthday gifts if the quality of it was better. Seeing similar comments from other reviewers makes me hesitant to buy a replacement. I may give it one more chance, but if the replacement breaks I will avoid this company in the future.
lost alignment by J.C. "Jewel"
It's an interesting toy and time-killer for adults. My 4 year old is also fascinated by it. However in one of the steps where the ball should drop into a "basket", it just stopped working. I guess the few slight bangs from the children knocked it out of alignment. It became frustrating when one step just doesn't work.
Amazing Engineering by K. Groh
This is an amazing feat in engineering! It is easy at times and very difficult at others. There are multiple starting points so that you don't have to start at #1 and keep making the same mistakes over and over. Turning the maze while your little ball is precariously balanced takes practice and patience.
It is a lot of fun and is not a toy that is "done with" in an hour. My kids will go back to it over and over. After completing the maze you can race to beat a time or see if you can get through with no falls, etc.
We took this to a family holiday party and it was the hit of both children and adults.
It seems to be well made but since I haven't been able to get through the whole maze yet, I'm not sure if there are any hiccups in the process.
One of the best toys we own! by Zedada "zedadaj"
This was a 9th birthday present for my son. Our whole family loves it -- his 5 year old sister. We have bought it for every 9 and 10 year old birthday present since. He brought it to sleepover camp and everybody wanted to play with it. It withstood sleepover camp with only one big dent. It is challenging but fun -- it is like the old labyrinth game but in a ball (so you can't lose the ball.) Expensive but worth it. Enjoy.
Only lasted a few times by Callene
Unfortunately we were only able to play with this maze a few times over the last two months as the bucket for #66 came off and falls around the ball as you move it. So now our game is unusable and it is past the time that we can return it per amazon.
glad i bought several by J. Capone
I bought 4. I'm glad. Three are for gifts. One is for us. My kids don't know that they will get one for Christmas. But they have been playing with the ones I got for the cousins for 2 days now. My daughters are 15, 13, 10. They have neglected homework and chores. This thing is addicting. I can't put it down either.
Not very exciting! by Amazon Shopper
Santa brought this to my kids last year, ages 5 and 7. It has been played with for about 10 minutes in the last 11 months. We are game players, but this was not for us.
Joyless for all ages by flatlander
I purchased this toy as a gift for a five year old after reading such glowing reviews. I'm suspect. This toy is a dud. It is trying, but not in a fun way. Some things give pleasure in the mastering; this sits on a top shelf after little use. Everyone who picked it up was bored, from five to fifty.
Over-Hyped, Don't fall for It. by QT Moth
I previously wrote a one-star review but removed it after receiving lengthy comments that personally attacked me. No wonder all the reviews are positive! Yet here I go again - someone needs to tell the truth.
This is an uninspired maze toy that has very little replayability. It's not fun, not educational, boring really. I find all the reviews that gush about how entire families play for hours, how addictive the toy is, suspicious. I now don't put much stock in amazon reviews.
This has to be one of the worst toys on the market. Please don't rely on all the glowing, almost salivating, 5-star reviews and find a demo in a store and see for yourself. (that is, if these boondoggles are even sold in stores) I couldn't in good conscience even give this thing away - it went straight into the trash.
This was by far the worst purchase I ever made on Amazon. I don't rely on reviews as much anymore, especially when they are overwhemingly positive and sound the same.
Entertainment for Everyone by Amy S.
We bought this toy for our 6 year old and he loves it. It is hard enough for all who try it, but easy enough to start over when you mess up. We brought this toy with us to our extended family Thanksgiving dinner and you could see all the cousins giving it a go, as well as aunts and uncles; we weren't even pushing it on them. Having no parts to lose is a super huge plus. It is a toy that you can't misplace. One note of caution--you may need to make sure that kids don't try to throw it or kick it. Some may automatically do that. Also, we have needed to set the timer at home for the siblings that want to try it. Since we have 5 children, each gets 5 minutes per turn. Tonight I could hear my 13 year old daughter trying to figure it out after bedtime. They all love it, and for the price, it is a great toy!
Fun for both adults and kids! by Jess
We all love puzzle games, so I knew this would be a hit.
My 7 year old cousin sat on the couch for about 3 hours playing with this.
Not at all entertaining for the 5 year old though. Too frustrating. (not that I expected a 5 year old to be able to play this)
I honestly think the adults have had more fun with it. It is a great game.
A little expensive. But I would say it has been worth it.
Perplexus by Christine A. Wilkins
Our whole family loves this toy. It is almost impossible to put down! I would recommend it for all ages; our 9-year old loves it as do my husband and I, and it's durable enough that my 9-month old hasn't damaged it at all. I do wonder if the ball has become a bit magnetized, as it's moving oddly (and it didn't at first), but apart from that, this toy is fun fun fun fun fun!
The Best Toy ever! by K. Budair
I played with this ball for an hour and a half the other night.
(I am 33 years old) It is so much fun!
There are 100 points where you have to maneuver the ball through to win the puzzle. So far I have made it past 52 points. Points 29-36 were the most challenging. Those points require very delicate movements and are also not labeled clearly, so it took me a while to fiqure out which way to send the ball.
I can't wait to play with the puzzle again. Once it is complete, you can race yourself or others to see how quickly you can complete the puzzle.
Two people have commented on the stamps on top of the ball and on the numbers which can be hard to read. I hope that these issues will be fixed in future productions.
One thing that I really like is that the designers have allowed for 3 start places, so that if your ball falls off the track at point 42, you don't have to go all the way back to 1: you can start at 39 if you choose. There is a third start point at 59.
I also have no trouble with the swing arm.
I declare this ball a great toy and therefore an excellent value. The 9 year-old who is doing this ball as well as I loves it and is stuck at 29 (evil laugh).
The package shows that there are other puzzle balls to purchase as well, so I hope that they are distributed soon because I would like to try those also.
:) :) :) :) :)
Three generations are currently vying for turns on the Perplexus by aerlys "aerlys"
Great multi-generational toy. It is fun and challenging, but oddly not frustrating like most mazes. Or at least not AS frustrating. The younger kids approach it differently than adults, but everybody still has fun. I can't speak to the longevity as we haven't had it very long. And I agree that some of the manufacturing issues (embossed numbers that are hard to read, colors) aren't all they should be. But that really doesn't detract from the fun of the game. There is an article in MAKE magazine that has a story in the inventor of this game. Try looking it up online, it is very interesting! We might have to buy some more Perpluxes (Perplexi?) so that fights won't break out when we are all together at Christmas.
Fun for adults and kids by Jaka Talbot
We first saw this in with other educational toys for kindergarteners, and I bought a copy for ourselves the same day. My 5-going-on-6 year old loved it and played with it nearly every day for a month, even when it got frustrating. Us adults played with it almost as often, and it took me a good month before I could finish the whole puzzle. Even now that I'm pretty good at it, it's still fun for me.
HOWEVER, I have to warn you that it is frustrating for younger kids, and it can get easy for adults. So this is a great toy for the whole family, but if you are targeting this toy for one particular person, you might want to look at the Rookie or the Epic. My husband is still challenged by his Epic (which we bought soon after buying this one), and the Rookie is much friendlier for younger kids.
Also, don't shake the ball or throw it across the room when you get frustrated. My son did that and the little ball flying around inside knocked off a piece of track. Since we had only owned it for less than a week we were able to get a replacement easily, but still, they're delicate. Since we started the "no shaking or throwing the ball" rule, we have had no further problems with either of our balls.
The ball doesn't teach kids math or spelling, but it does teach problem solving abilities, patience, hand-eye coordination, and intuitive physics. It also makes an intriguing art object for the living room!
Not as Fun as I thought it would be by Christine
I bought this for myself (I am 26 years old) because it looked fun, received fab reviews, and I wanted to increase my concentration skills. I played with it for several days and I found it enthralling to get the metal ball through the obstacles. But, there are so many times you can go down the same path. Since I mastered it upon days, I became easily bored with it. I haven't used it in months and I will save it in case I have children. For me, it was just not as challenging.
Numbers are hard to see by sushishrink
Well, it didn't hold the interest of my 11 year old boy like I'd hoped from the reviews. My 6 year old girl would have liked it except the numbers are hard to see. They are the same colors as the track so you have to be in the right light to see them. Why they didn't make the numbers black I'll never know. Not as great as I had hoped.
Egads, this is hard! by luckydice6
I have yet to solve even one of the three paths. But I can't seem to stop trying! My 11-year-old daughter can't do it yet either and she seems to have lost interest. I guess this is more a toy for me.
So Much Fun by D. Snipes "D_Rock"
Perplexus is super fun. My wife and I are currently obsessed with it. We have a friendly competition going on to see who can get the farthest. Even our six year old son has fun with it. It's an amazing little puzzle where you try to navigate a steel ball bering through a 3D maze which is contained in a spherical plastic bubble. Think of it as an updated version of the old wooden labyrinth game. There are all kinds of cool obstacles and tricks to work through. It's hard to set it down and walk away, but eventually you have to.
I got this for my wife for Christmas this year. She is a puzzle freak, so this may be not be normal experiences, but she finished it in about 30 minutes. I had read reviews about this at several stores and I seemed to think it would be a tough experience for her, but it wasn't. However, younger kids(10-13) are having a blast with it and have not solved it yet.
A challenge at any age by Angela Streiff "Tea
This is a great gift for kids since there aren't a lot of parts to it that can be misplaced. I bought one of these for a 7 year old as a birthday gift and it was one of the few gifts at the party that could be unboxed and played with by all the kids because pieces wouldn't go missing.
I also bought one for my kids, and after we all played with it for some time, found that it's definitely a challenge for both kids and adults.
The whole toy is about the size of a small volleyball. It's not huge, but not so small you can't see it to play it either. Brightly colored and well made, it definitely looks as fun as it is to play.
Yeah, what the others say...but... by >
I agree with the other reviews on this toy so I'm not going to add anything on that.
However, I thought it might be worth mentioning that this toy is a cold or flu in the making. You pick it up, play with it and put it down. Next person - repeat, next person - repeat...and so on and so on. Now take a minute and think of all the germs that are getting passed on. We got this for Christmas and everyone who played with it got sick.
We love this toy and keep it out on the coffee table for all to enjoy. However, we now keep a container of hand wipes right next to it.
This is a wonderful toy, if I can call it a toy. It is so much more than that.I have four sons ranging in age from 7 to 20. It was the 7 year old that beat it first. He is lover of all mazes and puzzles. It has been dropped, kicked and rolled every which way and it is very sturdy. Our entire family has used it several times for over a year now and we have decided to purchase the other Perplexus mazes as well. The "Epic" for the 7 year old and the "Rookie" for the rest of us!
Couldn't Put It Down by B. C. Murray "Murray
I purchased this as a b'day gift. I played with it as much as I could without removing it from the box. At the birthday party, after it was opened, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it again. Lots of fun.
Great toy! by C. Chartier "ltcwife
I bought this for my 11 year old son. I thought something different than a video game would be good for him. He LOVES it! In fact he stated that it WAS more fun than a video game! It gets a bit frustrating to keep trying and when he finally gets through the maze he is SOO happy. I am glad I made the purchase.
Biggest Hit at our Christmas Party by christysusan
I got this toy for my 6 year old son for Christmas - and it ended up being the biggest hit of the day. All the adults were passing it around... it is completely addicting and fun for all ages! I can't wait for the next additions. Great Toy!
Perplexing by cucs "cucaracha"
This toy is fun and very challenging, and can be enjoyed by someone of any age. We don't play it all the time, but when we do play it, we get hooked for a little while and enjoy it. One thing, the numbers are hard to read, so it takes a little time to find the next step sometimes but that is a minor issue given the overall unique and inventive quality of the game.
Toy by Wendy "Wendy"
This toy was suggested for autistic kids, my autistic niece was not interested in it at all, but I thought it was fun. Seems rather cheaply made though!
This is a fun toy and got my kids attention. It also broke within 1 week. The outside shell became loose.
Fun and challenging even for adults by Kelli Hughes
My 6 year old got this for his birthday and LOVES it. It is basically just a maze or obstacle course that you try to maneuver a small ball through by tilting and turning the large clear ball it is within. When you fall off, you go back to one of the 3 "starting gates" which start at different points within the maze so you don't have to keep going back to the very beginning. So, you can work one portion of the puzzle for a while and master that, then go back to the beginning and try the whole thing. Each step is numbered 1-100. My son hasn't been able to get the ball all the way through, but he keeps trying. We gave it to a 6 year old girl for her birthday, and she was just as stuck to it as my son, trying to get a little farther each time. Her mom said she would not put it down. Both of them get frustrated at times (as do I!), but they never give up. I have yet to get to the end myself (I've gotten to 95 out of 100!!). It takes patience and a little finesse. This toy teaches spacial reasoning and requires the user to think about how gravity and other obstacles will affect the direction of the ball. We have had no problems with it except that some of the numbers are hard to read, but you usually don't need to see them. My son sometimes goes the wrong way, but when I show him the correct direction, he doesn't forget. I feel like this toy is a great value for the amount of time a child will spend playing with it and how much it exercises their brain. It is a relatively quiet game that requires no adult supervision. Ours has already taken a beating having been dropped down the stairs onto the hardwood floor at the bottom. I expect not every child would enjoy this game, though. If your child is curious, patient, has a long attention span, likes challenges, and is driven by rewards or just completing something, then it is likely he/she will enjoy it. If your child becomes easily frustrated, this may not be the toy for him/her. I think this toy might be a good toy for some children with special needs in particular. It does require lots of concentration. I think the youngest age for this toy is probably 5 or 6 years old, but even adults will enjoy playing!
Lives up to my expectations by TravellingSunny
Although the product has been out for quite some time now, I had not heard of it until I was "window" shopping for a gift for my 9 year old son. Based on the reviews here, I took a chance and purchased the original rather than epic.
SO ADDICTIVE!
Haven't even pulled it out of the packaging yet, and we're already playing with the side of the ball we can see! My husband and I hesitate to wrap it because we want to keep messing around with it. Showed it to my 12 year old niece, who is begging me to buy her one for Christmas!
Very challenging to keep the dang ball on the ramp - which is part of the fun. The ball seems to have been built very well.
Fun for all ages by A. Duarte "T. Duarte
Bought this for my 8 year old niece - who loved it and played with it a lot at the beginning. Now that she's pretty much mastered the puzzle, she doesn't pick it up as much - my dad plays with it more :)
It's a good toy that requires some thinking and coordination. Like all toys ... kids get bored after a while. Just ordered two more as xmas gifts.
Great toy for the holidays by Denise D. Rasbid
I got this toy for my 12 yr old son for his birthday and he loved it. he wouldn't put it down and ended up competeing it in a few days. this is a great rainy day game!!!
Little Disappointed. by Vivek Vijayaraghavan
I bought this for my 9 year old, but not too thrilled about it. There is a part of the maze that is so tricky and difficult that after sometime you kind of lose interest in the game. Its now lying in a closet, forgotten !
