Perler Beads are Back!

Perler Beads are back, but were they ever gone?  A few months ago, our boys came home from, let's call her, Mrs. Amazing's house (a.k.a. our amazing childcare provider) with their Perler Bead creations.  Nostalgia kicking in, I was happy these beads were still around.  For those of you who do not know what Perler Beads are, they are small plastic beads arranged and melted on a pegboard.  They teach creativity, dexterity, counting, and patience.

Everett made his own phone that has Minecraft and Candy Crush.

Pierce made a dragon.

When I was a tween (before "tweens" were actually a thing), I loved creating hearts, flowers, smiley faces, peace signs, and whatever else was pictured on the Perler Bead box.  There was something about seeing my hard work melting together into a piece of plastic that had no use other than a mini Frisbee or coaster.  Regardless of its uselessness, Perler Beads ranked one of my top ten favorite crafts as a child (trailing closely behind my Spirograph and Fashion Plates). 

These days, there are no limits to the creativity of these magical beads.  Perler has an iPad app where you can create your own designs.  Graph paper and colored pencils would work fine too.  Not too creative? No biggie - just type "Perler Bead Patterns" on your favorite search engine and choose your favorite OR just type "Perler Beads" into Pinterest. 

Donatello pattern found HERE.

My boys' favorite searches were:

• Perler Bead Pattern Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Perler Bead Pattern Spiderman
• Perler Bead Pattern Batman
• Perler Bead Pattern Power Rangers
• Perler Bead Pattern Unicorn (Yes, my sweet boys are very thoughtful.)
• Perler Bead Pattern _________ (Doctor Who, Sherlock, Princess Bride, Ghostbusters, Goonies, Donkey Kong, etc.  Yup, can find just about anything.)

My boys and I picked up our own Perler Beads at the craft store the other day.  Regular Perler Beads are a bit difficult for my 3-year-old son, Pierce.  However, there are Biggie Beads for smaller fingers.  My boys needed a bit of guidance, since they are a bit young, but they had a wonderful time creating whatever it was that they were creating (they're abstract artists).

This is mass concentration - especially for a 5-year old boy.

Tweezers definitely helped with Spiderman.

Spiderman pattern found HERE.

The more I search for patterns online, the more I realize that these beads never left.  There is some sort of underground Perler Bead movement that is keeping this craft hip and fun.  So, head out to the craft store (or IKEA, apparently) and pick up some Perler Beads for your next rainy or hot day.  You'll enjoy a little blast from the past and your kids will instantly fall in love.

What is your favorite Perler Bead pattern (either created or found)?  Do share...