Background
Chuppi is “illuminated customisable fun”...a “customisable art toy and a wireless, colour changing light”. Designed by Mathmos, in collaboration with designers TADO (Mike and Katie), the Chuppi is one of the few designer toys that can legitimately be used as a nightlight.
Place Chuppi on his home to charge him up. Take him off his base and either set him on a single colour or let him to cycle through the spectrum. He will either fade off automatically after half an hour or set him to stay lit for up to 6 hours. Customise Chuppi with reusable stickers for 18 different characters.
The Facts
Chuppi
Manufacturer: Mathmos
Artist: TADO
Material: Spun ABS Plastic
Dimensions: 5" tall (around 6" on base)
Points of Articulation: Zero
Designs: Stickers allow you to create 18 TADO characters
Accessories: Two sheets of numbered stickers, Charging base
Pricing: £30.00 (around $46)
Packaging
The solid cardboard box features a photo of one large Chuppi, surrounded by Chuppis in various colors and with many different sticker combinations. The sides of the box show off instructions as well as 10 of the possible characters you could create using the included stickers.
Our Opinion
I was surprised to realize that I have a toy that's very close to the Chuppi. Actually, it's the Kinderglo night light that my two year old son uses. It's made of similar material, with a similar base, and a similar light pattern. However, his night light doesn't feature the artwork of TADO. And his is also very buggy with randomly turning off and dimming issues.
The Chuppi is an interesting little device. There is a small button on the bottom of the toy. Pressing it allows you to cycle through different light modes: Color Changing (a cycling of the colors of the rainbow); Blue Light; Red Light; Green Light; Off. You can also decide whether you want to set a timer, which will turn the Chuppi off in 30 minutes, or allow it to stay lit continuously.
You have the option of attaching one of the eighteen pre-made TADO character stickers, mixing those stickers up to create your own character, or pulling out a marker and customizing it yourself. We were lucky enough to get one of the handful of Chuppis that was hand-customized by TADO, so I won't be covering that artwork up with stickers.
The actual figure is made of “spun ABS plastic”. It's rotocast to allow the LED unit to be inside of the Chuppi's head, giving that area the majority of the light. The figure is sculpted in a seated position, with its arms wrapped around its knees. There is no paint work on the piece (the one we're showing has obviously been customized).
The Chuppi comes with a display base that doubles as a charging station. The unit I received was missing a US adaptor. This could have just been misplaced, since the packaging was opened to customize. The LED light-up function works both on the base and wirelessly.
You'll probably be surprised by the amount of light you can get from the Chuppi. I can see why it also doubles as a child's nightlight. You can definitely go that route, but with an exchange rate that pushes the price in the US to around $46...you might want to keep it for yourself.
You can purchase one at the following:
Mathmos: £30.00 (around $46)
