Moon Sand looks and feels like sand yet it can be to molded into any shape, like dough. Once you create a masterpiece sculpture just bake the sand and it will keep its shape forever. When you feel inspired to do another masterpiece, warm it up again and crumble it back to sand. The sand never hardens and never dries out. If all these claims are true, Moon Sand is going to have a large fan base, young and old. Available some time in the Spring from Spinmaster. Price: $27 from Amazon
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Tags: kids, Toys
33 responses
Mar 7, 2006 at 2:20 am
When baking it the first time, wouldn’t it already crumble?
Dec 9, 2006 at 12:12 am
Man this stuff is hard to find in stock, I finally found it at deltaplaysand.com The sell it under a different name but when the box shows up it sure is the moon sand stuff from Sweden.
Oh and when I baked it the first time it stayed hard, the point is to let it cool, that is where it gets hard.
Feb 4, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I am very disappointed in moon sand.It is all over the house and sticks to the floors and bottom of your feet and shoes.Its worse than playdough.
Jun 14, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Isn’t “Moon Sand” a nanotechnology product?
Am I the only person uncomfortable with such a toy?
There is absolutely no regulation whatsoever regarding this technology. So the manufacturers and distributors can say whatever they like.
Apparently, SpinMaster claims the toy is an inert substance and thus non-toxic. But there are accounts on the web of dogs and cats finding it irresistible to eat — and at least one dog became extremely ill after eating it, requiring emergency surgery to save its life. That doesn’t sound “non-toxic” to me.
Jul 23, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Nanotechnology product! dogs and cats eating it? As far as I know it’s just sand, covered with wax or something. There’s nothing suspicious about it. My review:
We got this for our 7 year old’s birthday today and wow, this stuff is neat! (I thought it was ok, the kids loved it though) But I will say, it’s way better then Play-Doh (keeps drying out, you can use Moon Sand over and over because it doesn’t dry out).
Some people said it’s a big mess, and it is a bit, but I just told the kids to play with it outside, problem solved. One time they did use it indoors and some spilt on the carpet but it vacuumed up pretty easy. I think parents need to let their kids get messy- in one place of course- at the kitchen table or a designated place. Kids should be kids and explore with these “messy” tactile toys. It is good for little brains. And it’s all about fun- so sweep it up and be glad your children are happy.
Sep 20, 2007 at 11:57 pm
I am so NOT into this product. And it’s not because of nanotechnology or danger to animals - although I do worry about the dog a bit. Mostly it’s a mess and it doesn’t perform as advertised. The stuff sticks in the molds so you can’t tap it out like you could with wet sand at the beach. It’s frustrating. When I try to vacuum it up, it clumps together and won’t budge. We just opened it today and it took about 20 minutes to realize that it belongs outside. I wouldn’t buy this as a gift and I definitely won’t be replacing ours once it’s spread all about the yard. And I’m all for messy play! It’s mostly the frustration with the plastic molds that makes me not like it. Well, and the mess too. That said, my kids loved playing with it today. My 5 year old was occupied for a good hour, just smooshing it and building volcanoes and caves. So that was great. But in general I won’t be sad to see it go.
Sep 29, 2007 at 9:09 pm
My sister just got some of this. She stupidly added water to the stuff and now its all over the carpet. She’s know scrambling to clean it up before our mom sees and comes to beat her ass. This stuff isn’t worth shit, dont buy it.
Oct 5, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Just a tip, if you buy Moon Sand in the store you get just a pound of Sand, rip off I say. My 6 year old wasn’t able to even fill all the molds that came with the kit with that amount of sand.
Look online there are a bunch of places that sell Moon Sand in bulk, it is even cheaper, somehow.
I got a 5lb bag of Magenta Moon Sand from moonsandkits.com for only 15.95
Just my 2c people.
Nov 4, 2007 at 4:28 pm
This stuff IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ANY AGE UNLESS YOU’RE READY FOR A HUGE, HUGE MESS. My grandson got it yesterday as a 6 yr old b’day gift. It’s most definitely a REGIFT. He tried it on a rug, and the mat, and it still filtered everywhere. Now we’re trying a HUGE area of newspaper, and it’s STILL EVERYWHERE. That is was a toy of the year has got to be scam/spam.
It will be gone by the end of the day, because it will be all over the carpet, on the mats, and dug into the rugs, and the newspaper is too slippery.
I wouldn’t buy this toy for an enemy’s child!
Nov 12, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Moon sand is a waste of money. Doesn’t hold together.
What a rip off. Bought for my grandson; all I got was a crying and disappointed child.
Nov 23, 2007 at 1:49 am
I have to agree with the majority, I bought Moon sand for my daughter last night. I thought it would be a fun craft toy. Boy was I wrong, it was everywhere. Within five minutes I knew I had made a mistake. I have hidden it and will not be buying anymore. I much prefer play doe at least you can play with it without worring about your dog or getting it in your eyes. The box says 3+. My daughter is 7 , I would never get this for a 3 year old.
Dec 13, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I can`t believe the comments I am reading. I think that moon sand is the absolute greatest. I bought it two years ago, and my daughter just loves it. She plays with it all the time, I have all colours and not once did I have to clean up mess from it, I even brought in to work to show everybody how wonderful it is. I will never buy play dough ever again play dough is from the devil himself. As for cats eating the stuff, I have two cats and one dog and not once did this ever happen to me.
Dec 25, 2007 at 2:53 pm
I’m very concerned about long-term health hazards, not as much from ingestion (eating) but from inhalation and respiratory problems. It was almost impossible to determine the ingredients of this unique and new toy. At best I could find several references stating the “raw” materials are non-toxic. However, I was very curious why neither the toy’s distributor http://www.spinmaster.com (Aqua Dot Recall) nor the inventor of the Moon Sand (aka Delta Sand) http://www.deltaofsweden.com list the ingredients. I finally found out about the composition of this substance by searching a European Patent Database for the address of the inventor. The Moon Sand product is described here: http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2006101440&IA=WO2006101440&DISPLAY=DESC The patent describes the use of on the one hand, a particulate or granulate material and, on the other hand, a binder which is provided as a coating on the particles or grains of the material. Both the granulate material and the binder concern me. One granulate described is: microspheres of plastic, ceramics or glass which are hollow in order to achieve a lower weight in the material. I could find no study of long-term exposure to the human respiratory system for this type of new nano technology. The binding materials are of equal concern to me. The only health study I could find is linked here and does not mention the potential problems long-term related to inhaling the microspheres: http://www.moonsandkits.com/astm.pdf Until the inventor of Moon Sand or Delta Sand, the distributor or labs are more forthcoming with the ingredients and long-term health studies I will not allow my child to play with this and instead return this gunk for Play-Doh. The last thing I want to read in the future is that this material causes COPD or some other lung disease.
Dec 28, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Santa brought Moon Sand for Christmas… I wish he hadn’t! It is 3 days after Christmas, and our Moon Sand is headed for the sandbox outside. After a majority has been sucked up in the vacuum cleaner… Play Dough is what we will be buying in the future over Moon Sand any day… Yes, Play Dough will dry out, but it’s MUCH easier to clean up in the long run and a lot cheaper. VERY disappointed!
Dec 29, 2007 at 10:34 am
Am I the only one who noticed the strong chemical like smell this stuff has? I got this for my kids last christmas (2006) and I think I have allowed them to play with it twice. Yes it is a mess however I can deal with that, after all I have 2 boys. It was the chemical smell that bothered me, not knowing what my children were breathing or what was on there skin soaking into there bodies!!
Jan 3, 2008 at 7:41 pm
MOON sand is grat i have some i made all kinds of stuff with it
Jan 6, 2008 at 1:03 am
Uncle gave my twin 7 yr old boys moonsand. We have a 3 yr old girl in the house.
It was one of those things that I wouldn’t have bought, but I was secretly happy that the kids could get to try it, it did seem so cool.
Given christmas eve,
opened at home christmas morning,
vacuming, sweeping for 3 days.
Oh, and my daughter and I had a reaction, our hands burned and itched like we had touched fiberglass.
Takes a while to work the stickiness up, wish I had known that before we started.
kids saw comercials showing water being poored over it, had to show them that the instructions very clearly saw do not add water.
Instructions did not say how hot or long to bake it if you want to keep it.
Ours came from a store. PLENTY of sand, but it came in this stupid hinged case that was supposed to be the play area, of course all the sand falls throught the 3 or 4 inch gap between sides.
ARRG!
Daughter got some in eyes, eyes actually got scratched.
She was miserable, but still wanted to run back and stick her hands in it.
Might be suitible for an adult instead of one of those desktop zen gardens, if you can stand the itchy hands.
Never again…I won’t even open the 2nd set we were given.
I may never talk to that uncle again,
PLaydough may dry out, but that is also a good thing, it dries, you vacum, no big deal.
buy some more.
God I miss playdough!
people, do not buy this stuff!!!
Jan 10, 2008 at 9:28 pm
I am trying to find out the ingriedents of “Moon Sand” product of the company Spinmaster. (Aqua Dots). My dog recently and very quickly died, my family and I are devestated. The only thing that is “new” in the house is Moon Sand. The vet kept asking if he could have been poisoned. I have contacted Spinmaster asking the ingregreidents of Moon Sand and all I get is that it is Non Toxic and enert. Blah Blah Blah. No real ingredients. I have also been told that it is a type of Polymer (hello, that’s a chemical name for a mixture of ingredients) Still no answer. I truely think my loving dog, Scooby Doo died because he ate Moon Sand. It is like a mixture of pliable sand/play dough and it breaks apart, falls on the floor and any dog will sniff and lick/eat it. I noticed Scooby being sick Thursday night and he died Sunday morning. He had a clean bill of health, was never sick, up to date on his shots, 2 years and 8 months old and was a wonderful house dog. Please I beg you to help me find the answers and possibly help our loving pets from becoming VERY SICK and DYING!!! Thank you! Missy
Jan 13, 2008 at 1:00 am
Well I thought the Moon Sand seemed really cool. so my 4 year old daughter got some for christmas and here we sit all excited to play with it finally and about 5 minutes into play when we realized that you can’t make a ball with it but just do the molds my daughter says can I just play with play dough….so as for the moon sand we are going back to good ol’ play dough!!!
Feb 10, 2008 at 1:20 am
Has anyone had skin problems after playing with moon sand? We spent 5 hours in ER after my son put it on his face, Please email if anyone has a comment. My son has never had allergies or a rash on his face until now. Now I read something about a dog dying. I am very concerned. Thank you- Christin thomasandchristin@yahoo.com
Mar 6, 2008 at 4:51 pm
HI, My son’s hands are still peeling and feel like little spiders are crawling on them…( the allergy meds Dr. gave aren’t working) we feel it may be the moon sand since our daughter said she stopped playing with it when her hands turned red and started to itch….he kept on playing(was having tooo much fun). we got ours around Christmas and it was individual containers. And we added water but found later it said not to….(we were going by what the commercial said and that is not the same as what we bought) I’ve contacted the company and if you need a contact I have a ladies email to give you.
Please email me if you’ve had any problems. my email is sew2dragon@hotmail.com
Thank you Julie
Mar 28, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I bought the moon sand for my granddaughters for Easter. My five-year-old granddaughter was so excited she could hardly wait to play with it. She knew the commercial by heart. After she had played with the moon sand for about 10 minutes, she was so unhappy and was almost in tears. The sand would not stick together as it said in the commercial. It was such a big mess. She put it up and does not want to play with it again. My three-year-old granddaughter opened her sand, played for about 15 minutes, got it all over the carpet after she stepped in it (the carpet is now stained), and I tried to vacuum it up but finally had to sweep it up because it would not vacuum. I will NEVER buy this again and will tell others how bad it is and advise them NOT to waste their money on this scam.
May 18, 2008 at 6:37 pm
MOON SAND IS A RIP OFF i BOUGHT IT FOR MY SISTER’S BIRTHDAY AND WE HAD TO THROW MOST OF IT OUT BECAUSE IT GOT WET AND ONLY IN VERY TINY PRINT DOES IT SAY DON’T ADD WATER WHILE IN THE COMMERCIAL IT SHOWS THAT THE KIDS ARE ADDING WATER. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT IF YOU BUY IT YOU WILL NEVER WANT IT AGAIN AND YOUR MOM WILL BE MAD AT THE MESS.
Jun 7, 2008 at 3:59 pm
My 2 yr old ate some moon sand yesterday. Today he is having horrible stools with the sand in it, and screaming in pain. I don’t know what to do. He is my healthy child. Have I poisoned him?
Jun 8, 2008 at 12:25 am
Mary call poison control and see your Dr. RIGHT AWAY I’d also contact the company.
Jun 11, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Mary,
Is your son alright? I have tears just thinking about this!!!!! Please please please call the US consumer safety commision and report this. I have been trying to get this pulled since Jan 08, when my dog died. The USCSC launched an investigation and a chemist called me and explained that this product is polymere and it is self binding and becomes more and more binding the wetter it becomes and it can and will cause a blockage in the intestinal wall!!
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/contact.html
Aug 3, 2008 at 11:48 am
After playing with Moon Sand for about 20 minutes i started getting itchy and little white bumps on my hand, like you do with stinging nettles, it smells terrible, and isnt worth the money, its worrying about all of these things since dogs can easily lick and eat it, and the WILL get sick from it, same as humans and any other animal, this product is terrible and NOT WORTH BUYING!
Sure its fun for about 15 minutes but when the side effects kick in you really need to just throw it!
Im more worried about the children who use this’ Health more than anything, there is nothing more important than a childs health. this product should be taken down for the dangers that come with it.
Aug 15, 2008 at 9:24 pm
My 4 year old got a set of moon sand for her birthday in may…(my neighbor already had the stuff, so i knew already that it was an outside toy). She plays with the stuff almost daily….it has sat outside all summer long in the heat and the sun, and it hasn’t changed a bit in consistency. No allergic reactions by any of us 4 in the family nor the dog…I really like the stuff, it may not live up to it’s advertised promises, but you have to admit, the stuff is pretty cool…i sit there with my daughter squishing it right along with her…just a hint, if it gets stuck in the mold just squeeze the mold a bit…plops right out…i am sorry to hear that people have had allergic reactions, that’s a chance we all have to take…we don’t take the easy bake oven off the market because some people are allergic to the chocolate in the brownies, do we?
Aug 15, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Stacey, I am the mother of the boy the rubbed some on his face anda fewhours later he was in the Emergency Room and they thought he had menengitis, a fiber glass burn, that we abused him or that he had been bit by poisonous spider. They now think that the nano particles can cause fiber glass-like burns. It was so bad and so scary! I felt a little bad when you wrote the comment about easy bake oven and recalls. It is my baby that was crying and hurt and until that happens to you you don’t know what its like. It wasn’t just an allergy it was like a burn that all the sudden burst onto his whole face. He is a tough 6 year old boy that never cries and he was bawling and in alot of pain for days. And I have a lot of medical bills to cover because he had wierd rashes and pains in his body(I have no idea why) that we had to keep getting checked out. I am so happy to report he is all better now. It is a distant scary memory. But the moonsand is in our garage, I am keeping it in case of a lawsuit, and we won’t touch it with a ten foot pole. Christin
thomasandchristin@yahoo.com
Aug 16, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Our then-three-year-old son received some Moon sand as a gift last year. He loves the stuff! He has some allergies to other things, but he hasn’t reacted to Moon Sand. It is also one activity that even with his older cousins enjoy doing with him!
We do have him play with it at a table, either outside or over tile, since it does make a bit of a mess. Then again, we take the same precautions when he plays with Play-Doh or finger paints.
We also supervise his play and we have him put his Moon Sand away when he is done with it. That minimizes any risk of it being eaten by either children or animals. That’s just responsible parenting.
I feel bad for the children who may have had a reaction of some kind. That’s hard for a parent’s heart!
That said, I have nothing but disdain for those who look at Moon Sand with dollar signs in their eyes, contemplating the potential for a lawsuit. If George Washington Carver were still alive, vengeful souls and selfish money-grubbers would use peanut allergies as a pretext to sue him for demonstrating the many uses of peanuts.
Sep 2, 2008 at 3:41 am
The genesis of this product originates from both American (NASA) and European (ESA) space agency experiments in molecular nanotechnology wherein inorganic compounds are manufactured with specifically designed geometries the effects of which are difficult to ascertain over time and under innumerable non-controlled conditions and circumstances such as chemical interactions with and within myriad organic and inorganic systemic contexts. In other words, for example if certain “nanotech” compounds were to be introduced to the earth’s vastly variegated bioshpere, the near and long term effects on living systems for example would be largely indeterminate so as to reliably substantiate any claims of certainty as regards safety, toxicity, and the like. For the layman, this has severe implications that should not go unaddressed, certainly by the manufacturer of a consumer product directed at children who by most accounts do NOT have access to industrial vacuum chambers, fume hoods, environmental clean rooms, laboratories and so forth. The product in question is indeed a hollow, nanopolymerized spherical “droplet” formed in a vacuum chamber. While it may not be toxic per se, it is likely highly reactive within the body or other organic environment (ie ecosystem, soil, etc). Therefore there are potential safe storage, handling and disposal/reclamation/contaminant/pollutant issues. The structure of this droplet defies physical investigation by conventional means such as microscopy or x-rays or other computed tomography techniques. This would be due largely to the nature of the particle’s size and form. While I do not have the formulation for this specific product, I do know from my own research in the field as an astrobiologist of a similar molecule with similar characteristics in most respects not unlike a buckminsterfullerene carbon-60 molecule. The product in question is very much like this “soccer ball” shaped sphere with a hollow central region and convenient bonding sites for materials that can in effect “program” the particle to be made “sticky” for instance. Similarly, the same particle can be “programmed” with a shearing plane which explains how the “wet sand”-like conglomerations can suddenly give way and instantaneously collapse to a “dryer” dust-like state. It is this shape-shifting characteristic which should stimulate concern with respect to biological organisms and the environment at large. There is no telling exactly how such as structure might behave in a multitude of settings ie bloodstream, gastrointestinal, urinary or respiratory tracts to begin. Understanding that these particles can very readily interact with if not pass through tissues at cellular level, a whole host of uncertainties come into play with regard to somatic tissues and systems such as skin, muscle and nerve tissues. Perhaps even influencing/interacting/interfering with critical cell functions involving metabolism, mitochondrial function etc. In a number of cases, these particles have been observed and likened to dermal traumas and adverse reactions similar to those of fiberglass. Transdermally, intravenously or otherwise internally, nanopolymers can be virtually indestructable running amok within the body. Certain nano geometries can be worse than others. Carbon nanotubules for instance can form long strands of tremendous tensile strength approaching that of diamond. Now imagine if a network of such fibrous nanofilaments 100-1000th of a human hair got tangled in a lung or lesion somewhere in the body. Threads so strong that only a diamond could sever them. That being said, nanosystems may not metabolize and eliminate as other conventional foreign bodies do. Similarly, these particles may not simply “wash away” or be easily remediated. Contaminated water systems may have their filtration systems corrupted or simply bypassed by these exotic materials. This introduces a non-insignificant element of risk that does not appear to be communicated to the consumer given the growing concerns being voiced. This troubles me greatly as a scientist and parent myself. The incidents regarding pets (particularly mammalian) should not be considered much differently than reactions within humans. I would strongly advise against the use of this product until MUCH more is publicly disclosed in peer-reviewed literature about its safety. Seal the material in a strong clear plastic bag within a clear airtight jar taking care not to agitate and aerate the dry particulate dust state. Store in a safe and secure place away from children, pets or the curious until a safe and proper disposal protocol is issued.
Sep 2, 2008 at 3:48 am
Other common examples of nanopolymerized products appear on various consumer electronics devices such as cell phones etc that have a thin rubber-like or rubberized tactile texture. If scratched off, these nano coatings might similarly present potential problems.
Sep 21, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Xavier, your note is an impressive compendium of alarmist suppositions, speculation, and unsupported assertions. I’ll assume for the sake of discussion that it is a serious response rather than the comedic monologue that it appears to be.
Since you claim to be a scientist, you must have some notion of the importance of documentation, even if you don’t have much of a grasp of the importance of clear writing. As a starting point, I look forward to seeing documentation to support your assertions regarding the composition, manufacture, and characteristics of this product.
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