From the world of Fred & Friends comes this cute invention aptly named Chopstick Kids.

You can choose from either a red boy or a pink girl as your ‘chopstick kid’. The figurine is used as a connector that joins the two chopsticks together. It is quite soft and flexible which allows the chopsticks to move. The chopsticks provided are a bit thin and hard to use (even for adults) so it is a good idea to throw them away and replace with some good wooden ones. This brings us to the best point about these Chopstick Kids – you can use them with any existing pair of chopsticks. The major bummer though, is its serious design flaw of having the chopstick kid’s legs angled too far apart. In the open stance you need to hold them very high up in order to be able to bring the chopsticks together. Apart from this, the kid’s pretty cute and gets a tick from us for kid appeal.

Overall this is a great invention from Fred & Friends. Most suited for older kids who have a good grasp of hand motor skills already.

No, it’s not the Volkswagon Combi van. Combi is a Japanese company that has been around for more than 40 years making original, safe, and quality baby products. Their range includes strollers, car seats, play pens, and of course feeding products. Among their range of feeding utensils, we can find the uniquely designed contraption that is the Combi Chopsticks Training Set.

My first impression of these chopsticks was they look quite cool and high tech. However, my 3 year old didn’t seem to have the same attraction to it. The lack of cutesy animals could have something to do with it. Nonetheless, these were intriguing enough for me to want to tackle and figure out how they worked. Unfortunately, even my seasoned chopsticks use did not prepare me for this. I had to get the sales person to show me how to hold the device. It will be equally as hard to describe in writing but I will give it a shot anyhow.

This is a three step system.

The first step for beginners is using the chopsticks, the hinge, and the orange supporting piece. The orange piece actually faces the back and towards your palm. It acts as a guide for correct placement of the fingers and thumb. With all three pieces of the set, using the chopsticks was actually a breeze and quite effortless.

The second step is to remove the orange silicon piece. The chopsticks are held together by the circular piece. As your child becomes familiar with the correct grip, losing the silicon piece helps them transition to be more independent and ready for the final step.

The third step is to remove the circular bridge. This means the chopsticks are now just separate sticks and if your child can use them properly like this, well that’s it. They’ve mastered the use of chopsticks.

My final impressions of this is that it seems like a car build by engineers without consultation with the sales & marketing team. Even though I couldn’t figure out how to use it at first, once explained, everything about it makes good sense. The only drawback is that the chopsticks seem a bit slippery. They should have used wooden sticks or perhaps ones with grooves so it is easy for kids to pick food up.

Alas, it is an A+ for effort but the lack of cute characters and safety tip means that this Combi falls short of the Edison Chopsticks.

Where to Buy Combi Chopsticks Training Sets?

US: Amazon.com

Edison Chopsticks are designed and manufacturered by a company called INP Co. Ltd in South Korea. INP hold a patent for a seemingly simple concept of using rings as guides for placing your fingers in the right positions.

There are two rings to fit the index finger and middle fingers through. A third ring for the thumb completes all the guides necessary for the fingers. The rest of the fingers naturally rest where they should. The hinge connecting the two chopsticks is also equally ingenious. After a few uses, I realised that it was cleverly designed to only let the top chopstick move – just as it should if you are using chopsticks correctly.

A few extra features for kids is the safety tip so that means the ends aren’t dangerously pointy. The plastic is kid safe ABS plastic and the rings are made of silicon. The result is a very good feel and solid construction. The cute colourful character on the top is the sealer for kids. The attractive design actually encourages kids to use them and can be a god send for parents having trouble getting kids to eat.

Adults get a more discreet look. Plain white with a green or orange top. The hinge and cutesy character is lost and replaced with a connecting bridge. There’s no thumb ring, just props instead to rest the thumb.

All in all, these chopsticks get the tick of approval. They are very well made with obviously a lot of thought into the construction, use, and design. From a few google searches and videos on youtube, it is obvious these chopsticks really do work.

Where to buy Edison Chopsticks?

United States | United Kingdom

Amongst their array of creative products is the one piece kids chopstick range of

zoo sticks

fish sticks

farm sticks

dino sticks

You’ve got to give it to Hog Wild for creativity. These sticks are colourful and attractive for kids. They look like the perfect accessory for kids parties. However, as far as training chopsticks go, they fall into the pretender class. Whilst the one piece design does indeed make them easy enough to use, they do not teach kids how to use chopsticks. In fact, their design will introduce bad chopsticks habits to beginners. Just have a look at these kids using the Hog Wild sticks…

Yep, you’ve got it, they’re both using it wrong. A+ for creativity, F- for educational value.

Where to buy?

US: Amazon.com