Kids watch a #Boneless skater catch air off the Big Air Mega Ramp | Source: NSI International

Skateboarding is as popular a pastime as ever, even making its debut as an Olympic sport last year. And while trying new tricks at a real-life half-pipe is an epic way to spend a day, younger kids can also bring the fun of skateboarding home with the #Boneless toy line from NSI International.

Designed for kids ages 6 and up, this collection offers electric toy skateboards, each with a highly poseable rider. The name “boneless” is an apt one: Not only are the skateboarder figures super-bendable for a variety of posing options, but boneless is also the name of a skateboarding trick!

There are a variety of skater characters to choose from (including both male and female skaters), each with a different name and style. In what feels like a nice, intentional touch, these skaters look like young teens instead of professional skaters.

The skaters are sold separately and each comes with a motorized skateboard, a charger for the skateboard, and a swappable skate deck design. The premise of using the Boneless skaters is pretty straightforward: First, bend the skater into the desired pose and put them on the skateboard using the foot pegs. Then, put the board on the charger and press down for about 10-15 seconds to charge it up. Once kids remove the board, the wheels automatically start spinning — and these skaters go FAST! Once kids place the skateboard down and let go, it will zoom off in a straight line. When it encounters an obstacle, the board will bounce off and start going in a new direction (as long as the skater doesn’t tip over).

While sending the skater across floors and furniture can be plenty of fun, the #Boneless line also offers playsets designed to make the skaters perform tricks. The Super Street Skatepark set creates a fenced-in area (which helps keep the skaters in one location!), an all-way ramp for the center, and a Warp Rider Vert ramp along the fence. There is also a Big Air Mega Ramp set, which really lives up to its name. Once built, the ramp is about 3 feet long and creates an impressive drop for the skater figures to descend. (Note: The playsets do not include any skaters.)

The playsets offer a lot of customization options, as each comes with a large sticker sheet that kids can use to put their own personal touch on their miniature skate park. They can also adjust the end of the mega ramp to dictate the trajectory of the skater’s jump.

The full collection of #Boneless skaters showing some of the posing potential | Source: NSI International

Overall, playing with these toys encourages a lot of creativity and problem-solving. Positioning the skaters in different ways, for example, can influence whether they land upright after doing a flip or taking on a ramp. Kids also may need to try over and over to figure out exactly what angle the skateboard needs to approach the vert ramp from to successfully scale it. Just as in real skateboarding, getting a trick right can take a lot of practice and persistence, but the payoff of landing it feels so sweet.

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While the set is mostly intuitive, there are a few things worth noting. First, definitely encourage kids to look at the instructions for helpful tips, including the best poses for different trick types. Also, be sure to find a play space that makes the most sense for these toys — because they continuously run until they are out of juice, you’ll want to make sure that kids use them in a well-defined room, not somewhere with nooks and crannies where the boarders will get stuck. It’s also definitely not a toy you’ll want to take outside or send down the driveway. On a related note, the skaters and playsets are most effective on a smooth, flat surface.

Whether kids get one character to send zipping across floors and tables or construct a full-blown skatepark in the kitchen, the #Boneless toys are sure to be a hit with any skateboarding enthusiast!

About the author

Madeleine Buckley

Madeleine Buckley

Madeleine Buckley was a Senior Editor at The Pop Insider, The Toy Insider, and The Toy Book. She covered all things toys and fandom, and has appeared on Cheddar and a variety of regional news networks to talk about the latest trends in both. She is a movie score enthusiast, mediocre knitter, proud Syracuse alumna, and Marvel lover. You can usually find her at the movies or hanging out at home with her super-pup, Parker.

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