Unleash your creativity with blocks that light up, move, and make sounds! "SparkBlocks" lands in Japan. No smartphone or PC required, intuitively understand electronic circuits by assembling!

Kibidango Inc. (Headquarters: Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Ryota Matsuzaki) will launch a crowdfunding project for "SparkBlocks", a next-generation STEM educational toy from Canada, on its platform "Kibidango".

SparkBlocks are blocks that allow you to add electronic gimmicks such as movement, light, and sound to your creations simply by snapping the blocks together. No wiring, no apps, and certainly no soldering are required. With a design that allows you to combine them with blocks you already have at home, it adds the new excitement of technology to the familiar block play. A new proposal that allows everyone from children to adults to enjoy surprises and the experience of invention, coming into contact with real engineering without even realizing it while playing.

The appeal of SparkBlocks is that it adds a new layer of play—"electronic parts"—to the classic fun of block building. Your creations light up, make sounds, rotate, and start moving. The excitement of technology is overlaid on block play, making it an irresistible experience not only for children who love blocks but also for adults who have always yearned for electronic toys.

Moreover, SparkBlocks parts feature circuit diagram symbols used by professional engineers. Even without realizing they are studying, users naturally come into contact with basic electrical concepts such as polarity, current, resistance, series connection, and parallel connection as they build, test, and move their creations. Letting go of smartphones and focusing solely on the toy in front of them with their own hands through trial and error is another unique value of SparkBlocks.

This product is also a proposal to add new expressions such as "light," "movement," "sound," and "circuits" to the creative play of LEGO® blocks, which have fascinated the world. By breathing life into the cities, vehicles, robots, and devices you build through electronic gimmicks, doors to play and inventions you never thought of before are opened. The developers are two fathers who have poured their passion into manufacturing in Canada. Both are huge LEGO® block fans, and they created this product out of respect for that wonderful play. It is a product that we also want people who love LEGO® blocks to experience.

■ 5 Points of SparkBlocks and the Background of Development

● No other wiring or apps required at all: Complete the circuit just by connecting the blocks together! No difficult code input, troublesome wiring, or soldering needed. You can play focusing solely on the product's set contents.

● Touch authentic engineering: Understand the mechanisms of electricity while playing through the circuit diagram symbols printed on the blocks.

● Safe design: Adopts a lithium-ion battery with a built-in protection circuit (BMS) compatible with USB-C charging. You can play safely for a long time.

● Design compatible with LEGO® blocks and others: You can add new expressions called electronic gimmicks to familiar block play!

● World-class "Playability" verified by US STEM.org: Cleared the strict screening of the global educational evaluation organization "STEM.org" and won the highest rank "Best in STEM" 2025 Award, given only to the top 5% of all reviewed products.

■ Comments from an expert who experienced this product

Shimpei Takahashi

Representative Director of Usagi Inc. / Toy Creator

[Comments]

First of all, what left an impression was that when I showed it to my daughter, a 3rd grader who loves playing with blocks, she was overjoyed and immediately started playing. Talking about miniature light bulbs and batteries she learned about in school, she said, "It's like adding science to blocks!" and was making original robots, vehicles, houses, roulette toys, etc. with sparkling eyes. My daughter has long dreamed of becoming an architect and takes modeling classes, so she might have been particularly hooked, but this product seemed to heighten her yearning for creation even more.

As a toy developer who graduated from an engineering faculty myself, I naturally feel a sense of excitement for this kind of play. But connecting blocks that act as conductors while visualizing the wiring, and designing them into a cool appearance—I felt the real thrill of design and development in this play. The perspective of design is indispensable for product development, and I thought it's an interesting toy that can cultivate that sensibility and design ideas at the same time!

[Profile of Mr. Shimpei Takahashi]

After being in charge of planning and development for hit products such as "Mugen (Infinite) Puchi Puchi" at Bandai Co., Ltd. for about 10 years, he became independent in 2014. He has been involved in the development of over 150 toys and games to date. His speech on idea generation techniques delivered at TEDxTokyo in 2013 was distributed worldwide and became a hot topic. In recent years, he has also been actively conducting corporate training and workshops utilizing play. Author of books such as "Introduction to Board Game Making" (Iwanami Shoten). On the audio platform Voicy's program "1 Idea a Day", he has broadcasted over 1600 times in total since 2021.

Product Overview

Product Name: SparkBlocks

Reward Lineup:

[Super Early Bird Price] Starter Kit: 25,000 yen (Limited to 50 sets)

[Special Price] Starter Kit: 26,400 yen

[Super Early Bird Price] Advanced Set: 49,700 yen (Limited to 50 sets)

[Special Price] Advanced Set: 52,400 yen

[Main Unit Backers Only] Ant Robot: 11,000 yen

[Main Unit Backers Only] Police Car: 9,980 yen

[Main Unit Backers Only] Fire Engine: 12,420 yen

[Main Unit Backers Only] Mechanical Build: 19,980 yen

[Main Unit Backers Only] Ultimate Pack: 49,500 yen

Features: Electronic gimmicks that light up, sound, and move / No wiring required / No app required / Uses authentic circuit diagram symbols / Comes with a learning guide

Country of Development: Canada

Country of Manufacture: China

Crowdfunding Period: March 26, 2026 – May 21, 2026

Project URL: https://kibidango.com/projects/2890

Expected Delivery: Upon successful funding, delivery is scheduled sequentially around October 2026.

Warranty Period: Electronic parts & cables: 1 year / Other parts & blocks: 7 days for initial defects only

Notes Regarding the Representation of LEGO Blocks [Caution]

SparkBlocks is not affiliated with the LEGO Group of companies, nor is it endorsed or sponsored by the Group. LEGO® is a registered trademark of the LEGO Group.

In this release, we promote the point that SparkBlocks has a design compatible with LEGO® blocks, but this expression is based on our deep respect for the creative play of LEGO® blocks. Please understand that this is a product proposing new ways of playing and expressing, rather than replacing the value of the LEGO® blocks themselves.

■ About Kibidango Inc.

Based on the concept of "delivering a future half a step ahead", we discover and introduce unique products from Japan and abroad, and operate the crowdfunding-based EC platform "Kibidango". We provide comprehensive support from project launch to sales, promotion, and general sales.

Company Name: Kibidango Inc.

Representative: Representative Director Ryota Matsuzaki

Location: Ohashi Kaikan Room 207, 3-7-11 Higashiyama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0043

Established: February 22, 2013

Business Operations: Crowdfunding-based EC business

URL: https://kibidango.com/

■ Inquiries regarding this matter

Kibidango PR Secretariat

Contact: Iwasaki

E-mail: pr@kibidango.com