My 1st interaction with Evolvems was nearly a year ago, at the 2009 NYC Toy Fair. There, in that cavernous space, creator Avram Kaufman had a small booth filled with just a couple prototypes of his visionary scientastic toys and some brochures. Like many inventors/entrepreneurs downstairs at the Javitz center during that exhilarating (and tiring) week, there was legitimate doubt about whether the evolution-themed stuffed animals would ever see the light of day. But, this is a good news story ’cause Evolvems are here and they’re as much fun as they are interesting.
In owning an Evolvem, you have much more than just a plush with a zipper, you’ve got the world of evolutionary science at your fingertips. One of the goals of the brand is that you and your child will access a plethora of online content, games, comics and more on the Evolvems site and blog, thus enhancing the educational aspect of this ingenious toy.
Watch as the Coelacanth becomes a Ichthyostega:
My girls took to playing with the funny named creatures straightaway. Even though my children are rather young, we’ve discussed evolution with them numerous times while touring natural history museums in D.C. and NYC, so for them to personally be the catalyst for evolution is pretty damn cool. So far, they’ve had the most fun making half-evolved animals. This is in large part because it’s hard for their little (er, weak) hands to complete the transition and rezip the animals. Adults and older kids will not struggle with this, but my 5 and 2-year old have little chance to do it alone. The result is pretty hilarious though, with unimaginably odd looking creatures sporting 2 heads and legs on their backs and bellies.
The mastadon in the room here is that there’s a large swatch of American families that will never allow Evolvems into their home. That sucks. But, if you and your gang accept that animals and the natural world have adapted and changed over time in order to survive, then you’ll be hard pressed to find a cooler, more unique toy than Evolvems. Thanks to They Might Be Giants, science hasn’t been this cool since Mr. Wizard’s World, so maybe Evolvems have come along at just the right time.
Buy the entire Series One Collection and save a few bucks (as compared to buying them individually).
*All 4 of the Series One Evolvems were provided to OWTK for review. The opinions expressed above are unbiased and true – no arm twisting took place in the review process.
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