Give your Duplo a boost with Hubelino
7.10.2023
Translation: machine translated
Hubelino has enabled my children to rediscover Duplo. The concept? Create marble circuits using the famous building bricks. A tailor-made programme for the autumn holidays.
The game hasn't just been released, but the craze for Duplo-compatible marble track bricks has long left us scratching our heads. Indeed, my two daughters, now aged four and seven, have never really been interested in marble circuits and are already too big for Duplo.
We nevertheless agreed to test a set of the basic version of Hubelino. A few weeks later, we got hold of the Maxi version.
First reaction: from rejection to enthusiasm
However, our daughters' initial reaction was mixed to say the least. "Duplo's? No thanks", they said in unison when I presented them with the multicoloured building bricks in the big green box. "They're not entirely wrong. "These aren't Duplo bricks," I explained. "They look like Duplo, but you can use them to build a marble track."
I also had to convince another member of the family: my husband. In principle, he's up for anything that resembles a game or entertainment. If, on top of that, the pleasure of playing is a hobby that stimulates creativity, you've got him in your pocket. And these characteristics certainly apply to the Hubelino bricks, straight from Germany. The pieces can be assembled and transformed into simple or sophisticated marble circuits; with a clamping force comparable to Duplo.
In the Basic set for children aged four and over, you'll find 123 pieces. Two base plates, various circuit elements such as curves or slides, traditional construction elements as well as four marbles.
The Basic set is designed for children aged four and over.
Source: Katja Fischer
Basic or Maxi? When in doubt, get the Maxi
The Basic version already allows you to build a few marble circuits, even without Duplo or other building brick alternatives. The instruction booklet features four different circuits. Other circuits can be downloaded online in PDF format. My girls are happy to be able to follow plans. It's especially the four-year-old who still lacks the imagination to create her own circuit. As well as instructions, she also still needs help from her big sister or us, her parents.
Source: Katja Fischer
My seven-year-old daughter, on the other hand, likes to build circuits on her own, without a guide. Or she incorporates a marble circuit into her Duplo construction: her house gets a marble circuit on the playground, for example. Or a slide leads from the top-floor bedroom to the garden.
Source: Katja Fischer
In any case, the imagination knows no bounds. But at some point, existing possibilities do. If your marble track ideas are too big or your Duplo collection too small, you'll soon run out of possibilities with the basic set. That's what happened to us. So we had to get a more complete set. The Maxi version now gives us all the possibilities we need for the circuits of our dreams. And if one day our ideas grow even bigger, we can always order extensions.
Conclusion: a sensible occupation for the autumn and winter months
It's true that as the summer wore on, our Hubelinos gathered a bit of dust. The girls mainly played outside. Now that the autumn holidays have arrived, the green box is back in action. It's still the cardboard box supplied at the time: with its handles, it's so sturdy and of such good quality that we've kept it as a storage box.
So in the coming weeks, Hubelino's colourful bricks will once again be in greater demand and combined with our Duplo bricks. Little hands like big ones: at least the four-year-old still needs a little help. The Hubelino are a creative occupation programme for the colder months. And what's more, it also makes a great present. Christmas is just 80 days away... Little tip: get the Maxi or Mega version under the tree without delay.
Headline photo: Katja Fischer
Katja Fischer
Senior Editor
Katja.Fischer@digitecgalaxus.chMom of Anna and Elsa, aperitif expert, group fitness fanatic, aspiring dancer and gossip lover. Often a multitasker and a person who wants it all, sometimes a chocolate chef and queen of the couch.
