New Toy: Space!
Explore the wonders of life in outer space with one of our most expansive toys yet!
You asked and we answered…a Space toy has finally arrived in Pok Pok! Get ready to board your spacecraft and launch beyond earth’s atmosphere for an adventure that is truly out of this world.
Little ones can visit unique planets and cruise around with a variety of space vehicles, uncover hidden treasures, test out astronaut life in a space station, and so much more. This new toy invites players to follow their curiosity through exciting hands-on exploration that is full of possibilities.
To bring the most elaborate depiction of space that we could possibly fit into the app, we even worked with real astronauts to shape this toy!
Representation Matters: Women in Space
Did you know only 100 women have gone to space? As of December 2024, 86% of those who have left earth have been men.
At Pok Pok, we want to show kids both mirrors and windows to their worlds. We’re passionate about giving them opportunities to see themselves represented in their media. To inspire them to confidently follow their nose as they grow and find new interests.
This is why when we thought of which space researchers we could work with to inform this new toy, we knew they had to be women. We are so grateful to have partnered with astronauts Kellie Gerardi and Sirisha Bandla on this! Thanks to these two experts, we were able to bring scientific accuracy to Space and infuse it with the magic of their experiences.
Kellie is an astronaut, mom, and bioastronautics researcher, plus the Director of Human Spaceflight Ops at IIAS. In 2023, she flew on the Galactic 05/IIAS-01 mission with Virgin Galactic, running biomedical and fluids experiments in space. She’s also leading the IIAS-02 mission in 2026! Kellie is passionate about empowering the next generation of researchers to use space as a laboratory to benefit humanity.
Sirisha Bandla is the third Indian woman to go to space! She is an aerospace engineer working in the private spaceflight industry on advancing access to space for scientists and researchers. Previously, she was with the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, working on commercial spaceflight policies. Sirisha is active in organizations for emerging aerospace leaders such as Future Space Leaders Foundation and Brooke Owens Fellowship Program.
The Future Is Now
Working with Kellie and Sirisha helped us gain perspectives we don’t think about in our day to day. Like how much the world already relies on space industries—even when it feels “so far away” (physically and futuristically). An example of this was satellites and their invisible impact on our daily lives. We chose to integrate them more by showing the satellites communicating with the spaceships (expressed visually by lines going between them)!
Further refining how we visually capture outer space, Sirisha helped us clarify our representations of astral bodies by suggesting we focus on a single aspect of what makes them unique. This can also be used to spark conversation between parent and child. For example, “Mars is red” or “our moon is cratered”.
In speaking with the astronauts, we also realized how much of the future we imagined is happening now or will happen in our lifetime. Kellie reminded us how many people are working outside of Earth now, at this very moment. And about the increase of discoveries being made—even among high schoolers identifying exoplanets. It inspired us to allow for more moments of discovery for the kids playing in Space!
Both Kellie and Sirisha spoke of how in the next few decades, there will be more trips to the Moon and more infrastructure built there. Perhaps the beginnings will be largely utilitarian as we learn how to make it more livable, but it’s possible that people will live long-term on the moon.
With that, it’s more important than ever to show kids that they are capable of contributing to space research in their lifetime. The dream of “being an astronaut” from our childhoods has become more tangible than ever. Additionally, there are countless roles that allow space travel to happen like Aerospace Engineers, Technicians, Environmental Scientists, Computing Specialists, and so much more. (Represented in the bottom Earth section of Space!)
We hope that by making a digital experience like the Space toy so detailed yet accessible in its play, we can inspire more little ones—and especially girls— to take interest in STEM and chase their dreams like Kellie and Sirisha have!
What can you expect from Space?
- Endless Discovery: From hunting for treasures and space junk to perusing the rooms of activities at the stations, this toy offers so many avenues for kids to uncover surprises and become immersed in this world.
- Creative Autonomy: Kids can colorize ships and characters, customizing their fleet while engaging with ship functions like drilling, playing music, or transporting characters.
- Satisfying Physics: Like many of the toys in Pok Pok, we’ve fine-tuned the physics of moving pieces to feel rewarding in itself. For instance, kids may notice that gravity functions differently across planets! The more they play, the more they will learn the various types of physics that are used for ships, vehicles, characters, etc.
- Storytelling Fun: The detailed environments, diverse characters and captivating events of Space are sure to produce many a tale. Whether it’s a “day in the life of an astronaut at the station” or documenting a mysterious happening in the galaxy, there is no limit to the stories that can be dreamt up!
- Cause & Effect: Players will have a blast experimenting with the various reactions available. Asteroids, vehicles, and other objects can collide, creating chain reactions, encouraging kids to experiment and hone their understanding of cause & effect.
- Fine Motor Skills: This toy is vast with a multitude of ways to engage with the characters, technology, and environments. Little hands will have to harness the precision of their touch and movement to guide pieces where they want to go!
Spark More Learning
You can foster even more learning with these foundational topics. Here are some simple, age-appropriate ways to describe them!
Planets & Stars: Planets are big, round worlds that float in space and go around the Sun—just like Earth, where we live. They are different sizes, and they can be super hot, cold, or have cool features like rings or lots of moons!
Gravity: Gravity is what keeps us on the ground so we don’t float away. It’s like an invisible force that pulls everything down toward the Earth! (Drop an object and watch it fall together. Explain that without gravity, this would float.)
Astronauts: Astronauts go to space to learn more about the stars, planets, and how things work outside of earth. They train very hard before going, get their bodies healthy, learn a lot about their equipment, and even wear their spacesuits underwater to practice using them!
Pok Pok families have been suggesting that we create this toy for years and we are just thrilled to finally share it with you. We cannot wait for your little ones to explore Space and to see all the fun ways they play in this universe! You can use this link to prompt the update on your child’s device if the update has not happened automatically.
P.S. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for Space to expand even more! 😉
We’ve been so inspired by the unique approach of each child who plays with our toys and can’t wait to hear what families like yours think of this one. Receiving your feedback, videos and ideas for new updates is so important for the growth of Pok Pok so please say hello at hello@playpokpok.com or on social media @playpokpok.
