3D Printed Articulated Octopus – Green & Purple Sensory Fidget Toy

Wonderfully Fluid Articulation

Reviewed 28 November by Ivy

I'm an adult woman with Asperger's, bought this octopus for myself because it looked awesome, and I was right. I think it's important to note it's not a stress toy; if you treat it too harshly the arms could snap off where they meet the body. That's not due to poor quality, it's just the nature of plastic links; they will crack if under too much force. Mine arrived with an arm snapped off (no-ones fault, just a casualty of transit I think), but honestly It's a blessing in disguise. A single octopus arm is pocket sized and can be hidden in my hand, so a good stealth fidget toy for when I'm in public. Love the colour; the iridescent green and purple really works for me. I like watching how the light glints off the moving parts. The bulbed head of the octopus is easy to hold, it's about the size of a golf ball, if you squashed it down to an oval. There is quite a lot of detail in the sculpting. There is a bumpy texture to the surface without being rough, and the underside of the arms have suckers (still hard plastic though, it won't stick to surfaces). Underneath the body is a hollow section, handy for sitting the octopus on your finger and spinning it like a carousel. The length of a arm is 11cm, there are 8 of them (in true octopus style), and they are made of linked segments. There is enough movement between links to allow motion both up and down, and side to side, giving lovely snakey shapes in all kinds of ways. I find it calm and soothing making shapes with the arms and watching the silky smooth movement as they run over my fingers or the edge of a table. It does make a sound when the links rub against each other, but it's fairly quiet, and the sound feels gentle, a bit like a muffled rainmaker stick. It doesn't smell. If you need to clean it I'd use a damp cloth, or if it needs a full bath, just soapy water. I'd be worried anything stronger might strip the paint.