PLUS PLUS Blocks: Mini and BIG Sets by Age

What PLUS PLUS makes

PLUS PLUS makes one building piece. It looks like two plus signs joined into one shape, and the pieces slot into each other. Every set is that one piece, in different colors and quantities. The maker's own US site says every PLUS PLUS set uses the exact same interlocking piece, so a new set always works with the ones you already have. The same site says the pieces are made in Denmark with 100% wind energy.

The piece comes in two sizes. BIG is the large size for toddlers. Mini is the original, smaller size for kids from 5 up. That split is the most important thing to know before you buy, because it decides the age.

In our data, PLUS PLUS sets fall under building toys: BIG sets as toddler blocks, mini sets as brick sets. The grid above shows all 33 listings live on Amazon US as of 2026-10-23. For PLUS PLUS next to other building systems, see the building blocks type page.

PLUS PLUS BIG: the toddler size

Almost every BIG set in our data lists ages 18 months and up. The maker's site goes further and says BIG suits ages 1 to 101. We go by the listing for each set, and on Amazon US that's 18 months.

BIG tubs

• Big 600 Piece Tub: 600 pieces, storage included
• Big 400 Piece Tub: 400 pieces, storage included
• Big 200 Piece Tub: 200 pieces
• BIG 200 Piece Tub w/ Baseplates: 200 pieces with baseplates
• Learn to Build Big, Activity Tub: 410 pieces, storage included, 2+

All 18 months and up except the Learn to Build Big tub, which says 2+. A tub is the plain way into BIG. Pick the size by how many kids share it.

Smaller BIG sets

• Big Basic Color Mix: 100 pieces
• Big Metal Suitcase, Basic: 70 pieces
• Learn to Build Big, Colorverse: 60 pieces
• Big Activity Set, Food: 40 pieces
• Big Basic Mix Tube: 15 pieces

All 18 months and up. A 15-piece tube is a taste. A 100-piece mix is enough for a toddler to build towers and simple shapes for a long while.

Big Picture Puzzles

Big Picture Puzzles lists 18 months and up, and our data files it as a STEM kit. By the name, it's puzzle play with BIG pieces. Read the listing for what's in the box.

PLUS PLUS mini: the original size

Mini sets in our data mostly list 5–12, a few say 5+, and a handful start at 7. These are the small pieces, and they're the reason the age label matters.

Tubs and big mixes

• Basic Color Mix Tub: 3,600 pieces, 5–12
• Basic, Neon & Glitter Mix Tub: 2,400 pieces, 7–12
• GO Educational Tub 2600 Pieces: 7–12
• Basic Mix (1200 pcs): 5–12
• Basic Mix (600 pcs): 5–12
• Metal Suitcase Basic Mix: 600 pieces, 5+

The 3,600 tub is the biggest box in our PLUS PLUS data. It holds fifteen times as many pieces as a 240-piece mix. That's a lot of one shape. It suits a family with more than one builder, or a kid who has already gone through a smaller set and wants to build bigger flat pictures and 3D models.

Two of the big tubs start at 7, not 5. Read the label before you buy for a 5- or 6-year-old.

Learn to Build sets

• Learn to Build Basic Mix: 400 pieces, 5–12
• Learn to Build Glow in the Dark Mix: 400 pieces, 5+
• Learn to Build Flags of the World: 500 pieces, 5–12
• Learn to Build Sports: 380 pieces, 5–12
• Learn to Build Pets: 275 pieces, 5–12
• Learn to Build Robots: 250 pieces, 5–12

Learn to Build sets have a theme in the name. They're a sensible first mini set, because a theme gives a new builder something specific to make. A kid who likes flags gets flags. A kid who likes pets gets pets. The 250- to 500-piece range is a manageable size for a 5-year-old.

Tubes, packs and travel cases

• Basic Mix (240 pcs): 5–12
• Basic Mix Tube & Baseplate: 240 pieces, 5–12
• Critters Fun Pack: 160 pieces, 5+
• Travel Case Basic Mix: 100 pieces, 5–12
• Basic Mix Tube: 5–12
• Airplane Tube: 5+
• Halloween Tube and Santa Claus Tube: 5–12
• GO Monster Trucks: 600 pieces, 7+
• Puzzle By Number Activity Pad, Transportation: 5–12

A tube is a small amount of pieces in a clear tube, often themed. Tubes are common small gifts and stocking stuffers for kids 5 and up. See stocking stuffers for kids for small gifts by age. The travel case is the mini set built for a car trip.

PLUS PLUS blocks by age: here's the table version

• 18 months to 4: BIG only. Start with a tub of 200 or a mix of 100.
• 5 to 6: Mini is open, apart from the sets that say 7. A Learn to Build set or a 240-piece mix is a sound first box.
• 7 to 12: Everything in mini, including the 2,400-piece neon and glitter tub, the GO Educational Tub and GO Monster Trucks.
• Older kids and grown-ups: The big tubs. Ours list 5–12 or 7–12 at the top end, but a 3,600-piece tub of one shape doesn't care who's building.

What you build with one shape

With only one piece, PLUS PLUS builds go two ways.

Flat. Pieces lie side by side and lock into a flat picture, like a mosaic. Flags, animals and faces made this way look like pixel art. Baseplates help here, because they hold a flat build steady while you add to it.

Standing. Pieces lock at angles and stack into 3D shapes: a tower, a rocket, a small animal that stands up. This takes more practice, and it's where older kids tend to end up.

The Learn to Build sets in our data lean on a theme so a new builder has a target. The basic mixes leave the target up to the kid. Neither is better. It depends on whether your kid likes a starting idea or likes to argue with one. If you don't know yet, a Learn to Build set is the safer first box. The theme gives a starting point, and the pieces are the same ones a basic mix would give you, so nothing is wasted when the kid ignores the theme by day three.

I described the one-piece idea to Marisol over coffee in Bay Two, and she had one line for it: "One part, repeated, is how a survey grid works. Every square is the same, so any mistake shows." She's right. With one shape, a wrong color is the only mistake you can make, and you can see it from across the room.

PLUS PLUS as a gift

For a toddler, a BIG tub or mix is a gift with a clear label: 18 months and up in our data. For a kid of 5 or older, a Learn to Build set or a tube is a common pick, and the tubes are small enough for a stocking. For a kid who already has PLUS PLUS, more pieces of the same size is the safe gift. Check which size they have before you buy. A mini tube for a family that only has BIG is a gift for a sibling they may not have yet.

BIG and mini don't mix in one bin

The maker says every set uses the same interlocking piece. We read that as the same shape, and we don't claim a BIG piece and a mini piece connect to each other. More to the point, they shouldn't share a bin in a house with a toddler. The mini pieces are small parts.

Small-parts safety

Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3. PLUS PLUS mini pieces list ages 5 and up in our data. If a toddler and an older sibling share a house, keep the mini pieces in a closed box and build them at a table the toddler can't reach. BIG pieces are the size the maker sells for little kids.

How to pick a PLUS PLUS set

1. Size first, by age. BIG under 5, mini from 5. Two big tubs and GO Monster Trucks start at 7.
2. Then how many builders. A 240-piece mix for one kid. A 1,200 or bigger for siblings.
3. Theme or no theme. Learn to Build and the themed tubes give a starting idea. Basic mixes leave it open.
4. Storage. Three BIG tubs come with storage. A metal suitcase and a travel case are their own storage, by their names. Small tubes are not a long-term home for a few hundred pieces.
5. Baseplates if they build flat. Two sets in our data include baseplates, the BIG 200 tub and the 240-piece mini tube. A baseplate keeps a flat picture flat.

Who should skip PLUS PLUS

Skip the mini sets for any child under 5. Every mini set in our data starts at 5 or later.

Skip the 7+ sets for a 5- or 6-year-old, even a careful one.

Skip PLUS PLUS if the kid wants a model that looks exactly like the picture on the box, with wheels and windows and special parts. Every piece here is the same shape, so builds look like mosaics and blocky sculptures. That's the charm for some kids and the deal-breaker for others.

And skip the giant tubs as a first set. A 3,600-piece tub is a big commitment for a kid who hasn't decided they like the shape.

What we don't cover

• PLUS PLUS Pokémon. People search for it, but no Pokémon PLUS PLUS set is among the live listings in our data as of 2026-10-23.
• Piece dimensions. No listing in our data gives the size of a mini or BIG piece.
• Separate baseplates. We track full sets, and two include baseplates. Standalone baseplates aren't in our data.

Pick the size by the age line. After that, it's one shape all the way down.