Shashibo – a magnetic cube that folds into more than 100 shapes
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Everybody has a desk thing. A pen they click, a paperclip they bend into a sad little sculpture, a stress ball that has seen things. Give your hands nothing to do in a meeting and your phone will do it for them.
The Shashibo is a better desk thing. It’s a palm-sized cube full of magnets that you can fold, flip and twist into more than 100 shapes. Half fidget toy, half puzzle, and it looks like a piece of modern art while you’re doing it.
What is the Shashibo?
The Shashibo comes from Fun In Motion Toys, a company that also makes juggling balls and light-up poi. Amazon now sells it as the Shashibo DODECA, but it’s the same original cube that made the brand famous. The maker says it has sold more than 5 million of them and that it has been a Toy of the Year finalist three times.
It’s a 2.4-inch cube made of injection-molded plastic, with 36 rare earth magnets inside. The outside has one design, and three more designs are hidden inside. You only see those when you unfold it. The one in the photo is called Spaced Out. Fun In Motion recommends it for ages 8 and up.
How does the Shashibo work?
The cube is made of smaller geometric pieces that stay connected while the magnets hold them in place. Pull it open and it snaps into new shapes, like a star, a pyramid or a sort of gem. Fold it back and you have a cube again. If you get lost (you will), Fun In Motion has a free shape guide on its website.
Got more than one? The magnets connect cubes to each other, so two or more Shashibos make bigger sculptures. That’s the sneaky part. One is never enough.
The family has grown too. The smaller OCTA has 28 magnets and folds into 30-plus shapes, and the bigger ICOSA promises more than 210 configurations. Both connect to the original. I’d still start with the classic.
The good and the not-so-good
Fun In Motion pitches it as a silent fidget, so you can play with it in a meeting without anyone noticing. Well, until you turn it into a star. It’s screen-free and doesn’t need batteries. And it’s popular: over 83,000 Amazon ratings at 4.6 out of 5, and it was the number 1 seller in Fidget Blocks when I checked.
The downsides. “100+ shapes” sounds like a lot, but I suspect most people will need the shape guide and some patience to find more than a handful. Those are strong magnets, so keep it away from small kids who put things in their mouth (that’s why the box says 8+). And there are so many designs and collabs, from Hello Kitty to Star Trek, that picking one takes longer than learning to fold it.
Who is the Shashibo for?
People who fidget. Puzzle fans who like a challenge they can hold in one hand. Teachers looking for a quiet classroom toy. Kids 8 and up who are tired of the same old fidget spinner. It’s also a great stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift because it works for almost any age.
Want something softer and squishier? Our list of stress relief toys has NeeDohs, Tangles and more. For a proper brain-burner, try our gifts for puzzle lovers.
Where can I buy the Shashibo?
Amazon sells it through the official Shashibo store, for about 19 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026) in the Spaced Out design. Other designs cost about the same. Fun In Motion also sells it on its own website.
Take my money. Then fold it into a star.