All About Pixel Chix

The latest electronic craze for young girls (I'd estimate ages 6 to 12), Pixel Chix is actually a range of toys rather than a single gadget. In each, a computer-generated pixellated 'chick' (hence the name) can move around a transparent LCD, superimposed on a real (plastic) 3D background. Digital sound completes the illusion.

Here's the range as it stands today:

• Pixel Chix House
• Pixel Chix Cottage House
• Pixel Chix - 2 Story House - Cottage
• Pixel Chix - 2 Story House - Miami Loft
• Pixel Chix - Love to Shop Mall (Pets/Salon)
• Pixel Chix - Love to Shop Mall (Boutique/Food Court)
• Pixel Chix Road Trippin Car

Note that each comes in several colour schemes. Not that you'd want to collect all the variants (which would cost a fortune) but it's definitely worth in getting at least two of the range, since they all connect together, using the inline connectors shown below (different on each side so that you connect them in sensible order):

Once connected, the computers in each toy talk to each other and your 2D pixel chick can move between modules. For example, from the mall to the car and then to her home, where you can put her to bed after a hard day's working and shopping(!).

The system works very well and I have to say I've been very impressed by Pixel Chix so far because:

• The pixel graphics are much more detailed than in the likes of Tamagotchis and also backlit, and so you can actually see what's going on.
• The interface is deliberately kept fairly simple, with depth being provided by the digital sound, graphics and gameplay.
• Along similar lines, the manual is a simple sheet of A5 paper, which is a huge relief to anyone dreading reading numerous pages of tiny typefaced text in ten different languages!

See my Tips page, which is a hands-on resource for children and parents, my Where to Buy page, a Guestbook for your comments about Pixel Chix and my Gallery of images.

All text on this site (C) Steve Litchfield

Site updated March 2007