Find out why every Star Wars fan, young and adult, needs a littleBits Droid Inventor Kit in their life! Build your own droid with the kit that’s sure to be a hot holiday gift this year with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
Trying Out the littleBits Droid Inventor Kit
When I was in LA for the Thor: Ragnarok Event last month, in addition to walking the Thor: Ragnarok red carpet, we had the chance to meet part of the littleBits team and to learn more about their amazing littleBits Droid Inventor Kit! And when I say amazing, it’s not just because I met the team involved – this thing really is amazing and perfect for any Star Wars fan, no matter their age. And for non-Star Wars fans, they have plenty of other awesome kits as well. But really you don’t even have to be a Star Wars fan to like the droid one, it’s that cool.
I had the chance to build a littleBits R2D2 droid with my preschooler as well once we got home from the trip. Totally different experience from building them with 25 other bloggers! While the product is targeted to 8-12 year olds who can do it all on their own, together the two of us were able to have R2D2 completing missions in no time, and my son did most of the work himself!
Once we got to the part where you add the stickers, he decided he cared more about playing with his droid than he did about it looking like R2D2. Sounding like R2D2 was good enough for him I guess. Too bad we didn’t have R2D2 to go with us when he dressed up as Poe Damron for Halloween!
Why Every Star Wars Fan Needs a littleBits Droid Kit
After having the chance to try the littleBits Droid Inventor Kit out by myself and then again with my son, here’s my take on why I think this makes a perfect gift for any Star Wars fan – young or old!
#1 – You get to build your own R2D2
Honestly, I could stop there. You get to build your own droid. That enough makes it a cool gift for anyone who likes Star Wars. Make it look like R2D2 or use the stickers to customize however you want.
#2 – You control it with the Droid Inventor App that feels very Star Wars themed
You know all of those scenes in Star Wars where the characters are monitoring things, adjusting things, and well pretty much doing everything using screens and tech. Well, yeah, you get to do that too with the corresponding Droid Inventor App that comes included with your purchase.
Simply download the app, select a mission, and get started. The app is one of the coolest I’ve ever seen with step by step visuals, videos, and animation that walks you through the process of building the droid, customizing the droid, and disassembling when you’re done.
You also use the app to complete missions with either a joystick, tilt drive mode, and even voice recordings. It’s simple enough that even my 4-year-old could do it!
#3 – It sounds like R2D2
Not only do you get to build a droid that looks like R2D2, it also sounds like the Star Wars character. I mentioned it before but the droid inventor kit was actually created in partnership with Lucasfilm through the Disney Accelerator program so the sounds the droid makes are the real licensed ones, not some knock off versions. And there are over 20+ sounds in all that you can control in the app.
Each of the icons on the app correspond to a different sound – 20 in all!
#4 – The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit makes learning fun
The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit may not be the first STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) toy out there, but it’s in my opinion one of the best. It’s fun, interactive, and really gives kids and adults the chance to learn and innovate rather than just sticking with what they already know.
Once R2D2 has been built, you can then disassemble your droid to complete additional building missions that include creating things like an intruder alarm, a droid that can be controlled with “the force” and more. And on top of that, you can customize your droid using the bits to create anything you can imagine.
Kids and adults have already been reimagining new missions for their droids around the world. These are just a few examples! Click the image to see thousands of ways people are using their littleBits in creative ways!
#5 – You can move it with the force
Once you’ve used the handy droid inventor app to build and test out your droid, you’re ready for some more challenging missions. One of those missions is force mode where you literally can move your droid with just the power of the “the force.” So if you know a Star Wars fan who has ever wanted to use the actual force, well here you go!
In addition to force mode, there are 15 other missions available in the app including building the droid, styling your droid (i.e., adding stickers), and guiding him through an obstacle course. The first four missions all pertain to building your droid, and they get more challenging from there. Once you’ve completed all of the easier missions, more challenging missions such as force mode, head control, and self navigation are opened to droid users. This was my son’s version of the obstacle course challenge – a Thanksgiving twist with his new toy turkey.
#6 – You can invent your own droid using littleBits Droid Inventor Kit for a chance to win a trip to Lucasfilm and other prizes
This one is huge for Star Wars fans and pretty much everyone! Anyone who has purchased a littleBits Droid Inventor Kit can use the parts from the kit to create their very own droid to enter into this Droid Inventors Wanted littleBits competition between now and January 10, 2018! In fact, you can enter up to 10 different droids if you have more than one great idea!
There are two different categories – Padawan Learners (littleBits + craft supplies only) and one for Jedi Masters (littleBits + anything you can imagine). Three winners will be chosen from each category to receive epic prizes:
- 1st place – A VIP Tour of Lucasfilm in San Francisco for the winner and their family + $500 littleBits money
- 2nd place – A signed R2D2 replica + a littleBits code kit
- 3rd place – $200 Disney Store shopping spree + littleBits swag
It gets even cooler because the droid competition is being judged by none other than Daisy Ridley (Rey in Star Wars), Kathleen Kennedy (president of Lucasfilm), Ayah Bdeir (founder and CEO of littleBits), and Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico in The Last Jedi). Even if you don’t win, still amazing to think that Daisy Ridley and the rest of the judges might be looking at something you built!
One of the things I love most about the competition is that it’s not only encouraging kids to use their imaginations and brains to come up with something amazing, the littleBits competition website also has tons of resources to help kids learn how to present their droids. Tips like getting an action shot, introducing yourself, and introducing your droid. When we talked with the team, they emphasized the importance of helping learn this element of public speaking and presentation, and I love that it’s such a big part of the competition! Learn more about the competition here.
#7 – You can get the littleBits Droid Inventor Kit for 20% off
So this one has nothing at all to do with being a Star Wars fan but really who doesn’t love to save money? The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit will be on sale for 20% off from Thursday, November 23rd, 2017 – Monday, November 27th, 2017! You can find the discount on littleBits.cc, Walmart.com, Amazon.com, ShopDisney.com, and in Walmart and Disney stores nationwide! Happy Black Friday shopping!
If you’re going to get one, this weekend is the perfect time to do it! Or if you can’t wait, you can always buy it now and spend Thanksgiving playing with your own droid.
About the littleBits Droid Inventor Kit
The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit comes with everything you need to build your very own droid that looks just like R2D2 from Star Wars (or you can style it to look however you want)! With authentic sounds straight from the Star Wars films and 16+ missions including using the force to drive your droid, it’s a fun way to encourage creativity through fun and play. Perfect for any Star Wars fan!
What Comes with the littleBits Droid Inventor Kit
The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit retail price is $99.99 (see #7 in this post for Black Friday deals!!) and comes with the following:
- Six bits – control hub, motor, power bit, proximity sensor, servo bit, and wire bit – these bits can also link up to littleBits from other kits for further customizing
- 20 droid parts
- Customizable stickers in red, blue, and white
- Free droid inventor training app (see #2 below for more details)
- Droid Inventor stickers (perfect for cell phone backs!)
About littleBits
During our conversation with the littleBits team, they mentioned that the majority of jobs that our kids will have when they grow up have not even been invented yet. It makes total sense since my job, heck, the internet, wasn’t really even a thing when I was a kid. Who knows what will be invented between now and when my son is getting his first job. The point is that kids need to learn how to create, how to innovate, and how to imagine. LittleBits was designed with that exact mission in mind – to empower kids to be creators and inventors of technology, not just consumers of it. In addition to the mission of empowering kids to create, littleBits designed their company and products to be:
- Playful – using the power of play as an educational method.
- Gender Neutral – making STEM/STEAM products that are great for both boys and girls.
- Age-Agnostic – created to be used by everyone, regardless of age.
- Universal – useable not only in the United States but across the world.
- STEAM not STEM – Products that include not only STEM principles but also art.
- Open Source – Allowing everyone to collaborate, experiment, share, and adapt the code to their own needs.
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