CONNETIX Magnetic Tiles: Rainbow, Pastel, Bright and Add-On Packs

What CONNETIX makes

CONNETIX makes magnetic tiles: flat plastic shapes with magnets sealed in the edges, so any side sticks to any other side. Squares become walls, triangles become roofs, and a box folds up from a flat cross of five squares.

In our data, every one of the 21 CONNETIX sets on Amazon US is a magnetic tile set. There are no bricks, blocks or games under the name. That makes this a page about one product type, sorted by color range and by what each pack is for.

The maker's FAQ describes CONNETIX as an Australian-designed brand and says the products are made in China. It also says the standard tiles are ultrasonically welded and riveted to keep the magnets enclosed. We quote that because it's the safety detail parents ask about first.

CONNETIX magnetic tiles by color range

The quickest way to read the CONNETIX lineup is by the word right after the brand name.

Rainbow

Five packs in our data carry the Rainbow name:

• Rainbow Ball Run Pack 92 Pieces
• Rainbow Motion Pack 24 Pieces
• Rainbow Rectangle Pack 18 Pieces
• Rainbow Car Pack
• Rainbow Blue & Green Base Plate Pack

Notice what's missing: a Rainbow starter pack in our current data. The Rainbow listings we track are mostly add-ons and themed packs. If you want CONNETIX Rainbow tiles, check the listing for a general building set, or start with a creative pack from another range and add Rainbow packs on top.

Pastel

Nine packs carry the Pastel name, the biggest group:

• Pastel Starter Pack 64 Pieces
• Pastel Creative Pack 120 Pieces
• Pastel Geometry Pack 40 Pieces
• Pastel Square Pack 40 Pieces
• Pastel Shape Expansion Pack 48 Pieces
• Pastel Mini Pack 32 Pieces
• Pastel Transport Pack 50 Pieces

Plus the Pastel Ball Run Expansion Pack 80 Pieces and the Pastel Portal Pack 48 Pieces. That's the only range in our data with both a starter and a creative pack, so it's the easiest range to build a collection from scratch.

Bright

Two packs: the Bright Creative Pack 104 Pieces and the Bright Mega Pack 202 Pieces. Both list 3+. The Mega Pack is the largest CONNETIX set in our data by the count in its name.

Themed and PRO packs

Five packs sit outside the three ranges:

• Roads Creative Pack 48 Pieces, 3+
• Glitter Unicorn Pack 56 Pieces, 3+
• Light Star Pack 28 Pieces, 3+
• Special Edition Christmas Tree Ball Run 71 Pieces, 3+
• PRO Magnetic Tiles Constructor Set 70 Pieces, 3+

The PRO set is worth a note. The CONNETIX FAQ says PRO tiles are friction-fitted and secured with industrial-grade adhesive, a different build from the welded and riveted standard tiles. Read the PRO listing for what else sets it apart.

Packs by job

Color is what you see first. The job a pack does is what decides whether it fits your house.

General building packs

The Starter Pack 64, the Creative Pack 120, the Bright Creative Pack 104 and the Bright Mega Pack 202. These are the first-set candidates. A creative pack has a spread of shapes for walls, floors and roofs.

Shape add-ons

The Square Pack 40, the Rectangle Pack 18, the Geometry Pack 40 and the Shape Expansion Pack 48. These top up shapes a builder already uses. A rectangle spans a gap squares can't. A big square makes a floor in one piece.

Here's my one opinion on this page: piece count is not value. With tiles, the shape mix decides what you can build. The Rainbow Rectangle Pack has 18 pieces and the Pastel Mini Pack has 32, and for a kid whose tower keeps falling because the floor won't span, those 18 rectangles may do more. A big number on a pack of one shape builds one kind of thing.

Marisol put it more plainly: "Eighteen rectangles isn't a set. It's a correction to the set you already own." She's right, and she says it as a compliment.

Ball runs

Three ball-run packs in our data: the Rainbow Ball Run Pack 92 Pieces, the Pastel Ball Run Expansion Pack 80 Pieces and the Special Edition Christmas Tree Ball Run 71 Pieces. Ball-run pieces add chutes and ramps so a ball can roll through a tile build.

The Pastel one is an expansion by name, so read its listing for what it's meant to join. Balls are small parts. They go back in the bin when the run comes down. If marble runs are the main interest, the marble runs page covers sets built only for that.

Cars, roads and motion

The Rainbow Car Pack, the Roads Creative Pack 48 Pieces, the Pastel Transport Pack 50 Pieces and the Rainbow Motion Pack 24 Pieces. By their names, these add wheels, road pieces or motion for kids who build in order to drive something through it.

A road pack has one quiet lesson built in: a tunnel has to be taller than the car. Most first tunnels aren't. The road pieces at least make it obvious where the car was supposed to go.

Base plates, portals and lights

The Rainbow Blue & Green Base Plate Pack gives a build a floor. The Pastel Portal Pack 48 Pieces and the Light Star Pack 28 Pieces are themed add-ons. The listings describe what's inside better than the names do, so open them before you assume.

Growing a CONNETIX collection in steps

Most tile collections grow one pack at a time, usually around birthdays. Here's an order that follows the packs in our data, not a rule from the maker.

Step one: a general pack. The Pastel Starter Pack 64 Pieces or one of the creative packs. That gives squares and triangles, which build almost everything a beginner tries: walls, boxes, roofs, towers.

Step two: the shape that ran out. After a few weeks on the floor you'll know. Towers that lean need a wider footing, which means more squares. Builds that can't span a gap need rectangles. Roofs that stop halfway need triangles. The Square Pack 40, the Rectangle Pack 18 and the Shape Expansion Pack 48 are the refills.

Step three: a job. A ball run, a road pack or a car pack. By now a kid has enough tiles to build the structure the job needs. A ball run with nothing to hold it up is just a ramp on the floor.

Step four: a floor. The base plate pack, once builds are big enough that a smooth rug or a slippery table gets in the way.

The order isn't strict. A kid who only ever wants to drive cars can skip step three's ball run and go straight to roads. The point is to let the builds tell you what's missing. It's cheaper than guessing, and the kid usually tells you before you ask.

CONNETIX vs Magna-Tiles

People often compare CONNETIX with Magna-Tiles, the other big name in tiles. Here's what we can say from data. Our tables don't have Magna-Tiles sets with checked specs yet, so we can't line the two up field by field. What we do have is CONNETIX's own compatibility statement: its FAQ says the tiles work with most leading magnetic tile brands, and that joins with other brands may feel weaker because CONNETIX magnets are stronger than most. If you already own another brand's tiles, that's the line to weigh. Then compare the things you can read on each listing: the stated age, the piece count, the shape mix, and how each maker says the magnets are held in.

How to pick a CONNETIX set

1. First set? A starter or creative pack. Pastel and Bright have them in our data.
2. Second set? Watch what runs out first, then buy that shape.
3. A builder who wants motion? A ball run or a car and road pack.
4. A collection that's outgrowing the floor? A base plate pack.
5. Mixing colors? Ranges are about color, not fit. The packs are all CONNETIX tiles.

For gifts, the pack names make it easy to repeat a purchase by accident. Write down the exact pack name the kid already owns. "The pastel one" isn't enough, because there are nine of them.

Where it lives matters too. Tiles stack flat, so a shallow bin with a lid holds a lot. Put the bin where a grown-up can see the lid from across the room. Tiles that live out of sight end up living under things.

Magnet and small-parts safety

Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3.

Swallowed magnets can cause serious internal injuries. The CPSC warns that two or more swallowed magnets can attract each other inside the body and may need surgery. Signs can include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Get medical care right away if you think a child swallowed one.

Keep loose or broken magnetic pieces away from young children. Look over tiles now and then. A crack, a split seam or a rattle means that tile comes out of the bin for good. The CONNETIX FAQ recommends supervision for younger children.

Who should skip CONNETIX

Skip it for a household where a child under 3 can reach the bin and you can't keep it up high.

Skip a shape add-on or an expansion pack as a first set. They top up a collection. They don't start one.

And skip tiles altogether for a kid who wants instructions and a finished model that looks like the picture. Tiles rarely come with one target build. A building block set fits that kid better. Other tile makers in our data, like PicassoTiles, Playmags, Tytan and Geomag, have their own pages if you want to compare more listings on the magnetic tiles page.

Buy the pack for the gap in the build, not the gap on the shelf.