Tytan Magnetic Tiles

What Tytan makes

Tytan magnetic tiles are flat plastic shapes with magnets in the edges. Put two edges near each other and they click together. Kids build flat pictures, then walls, then boxes, then houses with roofs.

In our data, Tytan makes one kind of toy: magnetic building sets. Twenty-four listings are tile sets. One, the Tytan Tiles 50-Piece Magnetic Cubes, is a set of magnetic cubes rather than flat tiles, so our data files it with STEM kits. It's still in the grid above with the rest.

The 25 listings split three ways:

• Plain building sets, named by piece count
• Themed playsets at 60 pieces (dinosaurs, pirates, trucks, a castle, a holiday set)
• Disney playsets (Frozen, Disney Princess, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Disney Junior Mickey Mouse)

All of the listings that state an age say 3+. That's the number to keep in mind for the whole brand.

Tytan magnetic tiles by line

Plain building sets

These are the boxes named only by size. In the grid you'll find two listings at 25 pieces (the Magnetic Tiles Starter Set 25-Piece and the Magnetic Tiles 25-Piece Building Set), and others at 60, 80, 100, 120 and 220 pieces. The 80- and 120-piece sizes each appear under two listing names. The biggest is the Tytan Tiles 220-Piece Supersized.

Plain sets are the core of any magnetic tile collection. They have no theme, so they never go out of season. They're also the sets that grow well. If you buy a plain set and later add a themed one, the tiles from both end up in the same bin anyway.

Who these suit: a family with more than one builder, or a kid who already likes tiles and keeps running out. Who should skip the big ones: a first-time builder who hasn't shown interest yet. A 25- or 60-piece box answers that question before you buy 220.

Themed 60-piece playsets

Five Tytan sets in our data share the 60-piece size and add a theme:

1. Tytan Tiles Dinosaurs 60-Piece
2. Tytan Tiles Princess Castle 60-Piece
3. Tytan Tiles Pirate Ship & Island 60-Piece
4. Tytan Tiles Construction Site & Trucks 60-Piece
5. Tytan Tiles 4th of July 60-Piece

The four with a stated age all say 3+. The 4th of July set states no age in its title or bullets.

Themed sets suit a builder who plays a story with the finished build. A castle needs someone to live in it. A construction site needs trucks. The theme gives a younger builder a reason to keep going after the walls are up.

Sam built a pirate ship once from plain tiles and a lot of imagination. He named the crew. It had nine people on a boat the size of a lunchbox. The themed sets just save you the naming.

Disney magnetic tile playsets

Ten listings in our data are Disney playsets, named as the listings name them:

• Disney Frozen Magnetic Tiles Princess Castle 68-Piece
• Disney Frozen Magnetic Tiles 21 Piece Playset S1 and 41 Piece Playset S1
• Disney Princess Magnetic Tile Castle 70-Piece, Disney Princess Castle Magnetic Tiles 70 Piece Playset S1, and Disney Princess Magnetic Tiles Castle Set 172-Piece
• Disney Princess Magnetic Character Tiles
• Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Magnetic Tile Set 37-Piece
• Disney Junior Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Magnetic Tile Set 22-Piece
• Disney Junior Mickey Mouse Jumbo Train Magnetic Tile Set 112-Piece

Where these state an age, it's 3+. Several Frozen and Princess listings state none.

The piece counts here run from 21 to 172. That's a wider spread than the themed 60-piece sets. If you're buying a Disney set as a first set, the smaller boxes are a lot of character and not many tiles. If you're adding to a bin of plain tiles, the smaller boxes make more sense.

Tytan Tiles 50-Piece Magnetic Cubes

The one outlier: 50 magnetic cubes instead of flat tiles, listed 3+. Cubes stack and stick in three directions from the start. Tiles start flat and become 3D when a kid figures out walls. If your builder is the kind who stacks everything, cubes skip a step. If they like to start with a flat shape and lift it into walls, tiles are the toy.

The age line works in both directions

My one opinion for this page: the age on the box works in both directions.

Every Tytan listing in our data that states an age says 3+. That 3 isn't a statement about how smart a 3-year-old is. The CPSC requires toys that are a choking hazard for children under 3 to carry an age label, and small parts are banned in toys meant for children under 3. So 3+ on a magnetic toy is mostly about small parts and magnets. It tells you who should not have the toy, not who will like it most.

The other direction matters too. The listings say 3 to 99, which means the maker doesn't put a top on it. A 10-year-old can still build a tall tower with the same tiles a 3-year-old uses to make a flat square. That's the case for buying plain sets: they last through several birthdays.

Marisol's take, looking at a tile house on the garage floor: "A square is a square. Check that the corners meet before you check the color." She then checked the corners. They met.

How to pick a Tytan set

Here's the order I'd go in:

1. Check the age. Every listed age is 3+. Under 3, wait.
2. Count the builders. One child: 60–80 pieces is plenty to start. Two or three at once: 100 pieces or more, or the sets run dry fast.
3. Pick plain or themed. Plain sets mix with everything later. Themed sets give a younger builder a story.
4. Decide on a character line, if any. A Disney set is a theme choice. Read its piece count, since some character boxes are small.
5. Plan the storage. None of the listings in our data say whether a storage bag or bin is included, so plan a lidded bin of your own.

Piece count is the number most people look at first. It belongs at step two, not step one. The age label and the number of hands in the bin matter more.

Tytan sets for a first-time builder

If you're buying a first set for a 3-year-old, a few things from the data narrow it down.

The 25-piece starter sets are the smallest plain boxes. They're a small first step to find out if tiles are the toy, but a 3-year-old can use 25 tiles in about one sitting. The 60- and 80-piece plain sets give room for a second idea.

The themed 60-piece sets are the same size as the 60-piece plain set, with a theme layered on. For a first set they're a good middle path. The child gets tiles and a story at once.

For siblings, the 120-piece and 220-piece plain sets are the ones to look at. Two kids and one 25-piece box is a negotiation that ends early.

One big set or two smaller ones

This question comes up with every tile brand, and the Tytan lineup gives you both options.

One big plain set, like the 120- or 220-piece box, gives you the most tiles in one theme-free bin. Every tile works with every other tile, and nothing in the box is tied to one story. That's the simplest path for a family with two or three builders.

Two smaller sets, like a plain 60-piece set plus a themed 60-piece set, give you a similar count with a theme on top. The themed set pulls a younger builder in. The plain set keeps the bin useful after the theme gets old.

A Disney set plus a plain set works the same way. The character tiles are the hook. The plain tiles do the heavy lifting.

What I'd avoid is a pile of the smallest boxes bought one at a time. Four 21- or 22-piece playsets is still under 100 tiles, spread across four themes. You get more boxes than building.

Tytan tiles as a gift

A few gift notes from the data:

• Every stated age is 3+, so a Tytan set fits a 3-year-old's birthday by the label, and still a fit at 8 or 9 by the open-ended range.
• The 4th of July set and a few Frozen listings don't state an age in the title or bullets. For a gift to a young child, read the box before you wrap it.
• If you don't know what the family already owns, a plain set is the safe bet. It joins any bin.
• If you know the child's favorite characters, a Disney set names them right on the box. Check the piece count, since some of those boxes are small.

Who should skip Tytan magnetic tiles

• A child under 3. The listed age starts at 3 on every listing that states one.
• A household where loose magnets can't be kept away from a crawling baby or a pet that chews.
• Anyone who needs a set to fit tiles from another brand. The listings in our data don't state compatibility.

For a broader look at magnetic tile sets from several makers, the magnetic tiles page has the full comparison table. The building toys section also covers bricks, marble runs and wooden blocks.

Magnets and small parts

Swallowed magnets can cause serious internal injuries. Keep loose or broken magnetic pieces away from young children. The CPSC says that when two or more magnets are swallowed, they can attract each other inside the body. If a tile cracks and a magnet comes loose, take that tile out of play at once. If you think a child has swallowed a magnet, get medical help right away.

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

Practical notes for the playroom

Tiles build best on a hard, flat surface. A thick rug makes tall walls lean. A plywood board or a kitchen floor works. Ours lives in a lidded bin on a high shelf in Bay One, which keeps the count honest and keeps the tiles away from Lucho's tools.

One habit worth copying: count the tiles back into the bin at cleanup. A tile under the couch is a tile with a magnet nobody is watching.

Count the squares, check the age line, then clear a spot on a hard floor.