Wanna make your own toy, do ya? The littleBits kit brings LEGO-like simplicity to creating electronic toys. Each littleBit component has a single, preset function -- light responsiveness, dimming, proximity sensing, swtiching -- and tinkerers can circuit them together to facilitate any task they choose. One demo, for instance, loaded a proximity sensor, battery and bulb into a piggybank; when you insert a coin, the pig's face lit up. The boards magnetically lock together to create custom circuits. The starter kit comes with 11 pieces, and additional components are available for around $10. Eventually, the company plans to release a wireless (Bluetooth or WiFI) chip, as well as boards that will allow inventors to extend their creations in any direction -- components currently only connect side-to-side. ** $80

available now**

Corinne Iozzio