The story of The Three Little Pigs has never been so much fun.

Thanks to Get Qurious, the classic story got a revamp in its Maker Box, which combines physical pieces with an interactive digital world. Augmented reality (AR) apps started to trend last year when Pokémon Go took the world by storm, which let players use the mobile app to catch the classic pocket monsters IRL. The Get Qurious Maker Box introduces young kids to AR technology, while offering various activities to keep them busy.

The box comes with four different hands-on activities for kids to get started, including story cards, two masks, a sticker book, and a puzzle. All parents need to do is help download the free companion app, and then kids all set to travel to the story.

The 12 story cards feature the key scenes from The Three Little Pigs. Kids can go into story mode on the app to scan the cards, which will activate the story that features animations and will read out loud. Kids will also be able to follow along, which is crucial for early readers. Thankfully each card is numbered on the back, so they won’t get lost in case they get shuffled. This also teaches them numbers!

Then, kids can put on their masks to act out the story. They can put on one of the masks, scan it with the app, and watch as the mask animates in front of them. They’ll also be able to record themselves with a microphone.

With inspiration straight from The Three Little Pigs, kids can build a house of their own with the included puzzle—and hopefully nobody will huff, puff, and blow it all down! The puzzle itself is not too terribly hard to put together, so older kids might be done with it in a flash. However, they’ll keep busy as each of the double-sided pieces are black and white for kids to color. Once they’re done, they can scan them into the app animate it in 3-D.

Lastly, my favorite activity is the sticker book, where kids get to read a whole new story in The Three Little Pigs universe. Without too many spoilers, The Wandering Wolf truly humanizes the wolf as he gets lost in a town. It’s the redemption story I the whole world deserves. Similar to the story cards, kids will scan each page as they go along, but then add stickers to different scenes. Each sticker has one of three options—that the app will recognize no matter which option is chosen—so kids can truly make it their own.

I’m always worried about apps that scan companion objects, but I am happy to report that I was able to scan the physical items seamlessly every time. The Maker Box also offers various repeat play opportunities, such as kids making up their own stories with the story cards, making their own plays with the masks, and downloading new puzzle sheets to customize their puzzles over and over again.

While the Get Qurious Maker Box incorporates some high-tech elements, the play itself is low tech, and encourages kids to use their imaginations (that’s a win in my book!). Kids will be busy for hours playing with this kit, and the value is great for the price.

About the author

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik was the Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book from 2020-2022. She was also a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider.

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