The award winning toy company Ozobot recently struck a deal with Marvel for some new tie-in products. This review is specific to the Spider-Man & Venom Ozobot Bit pack, but later we will also talk about the other cool Marvel Ozobot products that can help kids use STEM brain teasers in their everyday play time. Are your spidey senses tingling yet?
Opening up the box, we immediately find our tiny clear Ozobot, two skins (one obviously Spider-Man, the other a dark blue) and a pack of four markers (red, green, blue, black). Beneath the markers is a tiny charging cable (USB to micro USB) and beneath the plastic that holds it all together is an envelope containing a quick-start guide, training and demo cards, stickers to add faces to the skins, stickers to add code to paper, and punch-out obstacles to navigate your Ozobot Bit through.
With the starter cards, some of them are complete so you can quickly send your Ozobot Bit through some obstacles, others require you to either color in the blank spaces or use the provided stickers. Ozobot is programed to follow any color line and will automatically stop at the end. However, there are color sequences and when placed on the path in rapid succession, they will cause Ozobot to perform a specific task, such as turning around, going off the grid in a specific direction, or doing something fun, like the “Tornado.” Kids can use any markers, but the instructions suggest thicker lines so be sure to look for markers with wide tips if using more colors. The light inside Ozobot can even change to match the color it is driving over.
Like most electronic toys these days, Ozobot also has an app that can turn any tablet’s screen into a space where Ozobot can play. There are more “cards” that can be completed digitally, a free draw function, and also party games.
There are tons of possibilities and ways to play with Ozobot and the Spider-Man skins and items make this fun for any young Marvel fans. A separate Ozobot Bit set features a Guardians of the Galaxy theme instead, with skins for Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Ozobot Bits are recommended for ages 6 and up, but older kids looking for more of a challenge will prefer Ozobot Evo, which can do everything an Ozobot Bit can plus it has remote control functions, more programming options, crash detection, and more. Marvel has superhero skins for Ozobot Evos including starter packs with Captain America and Iron-Man, plus additional skins available for Hulk, Black Widow, and Ultron.
Kids today are growing up in a world where computer programming is going to be a vital part of their future. You can help give them a head start with STEM toys like Ozobot and with the new Marvel themed Ozobot Bits and Evos, there’s a world of puzzle solving fun to be had. The Spider-Man and Venom Ozobot Bit set retails for $59.99 (same price for the Rocket Raccoon & Groot set) while the Captain America or Iron-Man Ozobot Evo sets are priced higher at $109.99 due to the extra functionality.