Gifts & Souvenirs
🟡 Playable ART Ball at Tucson Gallery
A rainbow string of wooden balls that moonlights as a stress ball, sculpture, and tiny phone stand.
Available in-store at Tucson Gallery in downtown Tucson. Call 520-606-5440 to check current stock.
The Playable ART Ball is what happens when a classic stress ball grows up, discovers color, and moves into an art gallery. At Tucson Gallery, this strand of twenty rainbow wooden spheres is constantly being twisted into circles, waves, stands, and creatures dreamed up by little kids and big kids at heart. It’s part fidget toy, part modern sculpture, and part “I can’t believe this is my new favorite souvenir from Tucson.”
✨ So… what is the Playable ART Ball?
The Playable ART Ball is a strand of 20 wooden spheres joined together so you can twist, loop, stack, and squish them into all kinds of shapes. One minute it’s a neat circle. The next, it’s a wave. Then it’s suddenly holding your phone, propping up a note, or becoming some wild abstract creature invented by a 4-year-old.
We love it because it doesn’t tell you what it wants to be. It just quietly waits for little hands (or very bored grown-up hands) to pick it up and start experimenting.
👀 At A Glance
- Ages: 3 to 99
- What you get: 20 interconnected wooden balls in 10 bright colors
- Ball size: 1.38″ diameter – easy for little hands to grab
- Package size: 8 x 8 x 1.75 inches – nice and flat for packing in a suitcase
- Materials:
- FSC-certified beech wood (Italy)
- Non-toxic, water-based color dyes (Germany)
- Phthalate-free, durable POM plastic connectors (Taiwan)
- Made in: Designed in Germany, manufactured in Taiwan
- Safety: Conforms to CPSIA, EN-71 & ASTM F963 safety standards
- Warning: Choking hazard – contains small parts, not for children under 3
It’s sturdy, bright, and built to survive years of twisting, fidgeting, and “Look what I made!” moments.
❤️ Why You’ll Love the Playable ART Ball
This is one of those objects people pick up “just to see what it feels like,” and suddenly it’s ten minutes later.
- It’s a stress ball with an upgrade.
Instead of squeezing a sad foam blob, you’re handling smooth, weighty wood with satisfying clicks and curves. Your nervous energy gets an art degree. - Little kids turn it into everything.
Snake, bracelet, bridge, animal, nest, crown… give a 3-year-old the Playable ART Ball and you’ll find out what it really wants to be. - Grown-ups turn it into a desk buddy.
On a workday, it becomes a phone stand, a pen rest, or a little splash of color curled around your keyboard. - It invites mini design experiments.
Curve it, stack it, spiral it, make it hug the corner of a book. Every shape is a tiny design challenge you solved with your hands. - Zero batteries, zero instructions.
It doesn’t light up, beep, or talk. It just quietly encourages imaginative play—and that’s kind of refreshing.
🪵 Thoughtful Design & Quality Materials
The Playable ART Ball is made to feel good in your hands and look good on your desk.
- FSC-certified beech wood gives each ball a sturdy, smooth feel.
- Big, rounded spheres are easy for younger kids to grasp and safe for supervised play (ages 3+).
- Non-toxic, water-based dyes make the colors pop without harsh chemicals.
- Durable connectors are engineered to twist again and again without giving up.
This is the sort of thing you’ll still have around in a few years, not something that gets lost in the bottom of a toy bin the same week you buy it.
Watch the Playable ART Cube in action and see how it transforms from a tiny cube into endless shapes.
🎲 How to Play
There isn’t one “correct” way to use the Playable ART Ball, which is the whole point. But here are a few ideas to get started:
- The Classic Circle
Bend the strand into a perfect ring. It sounds simple, but getting the curve just right is strangely satisfying. - The Wave
Make a fluid zig-zag and see how tall or long you can make your wave before it tips over. - The Stand
Wrap and tuck the balls until they hold a pen, your phone, or a small note with a reminder like “Call Tucson Gallery.” - The Creature
Ask a kid to make an animal. You’ll probably get a dragon, dinosaur, or “octopus but with too many legs,” and it’ll be awesome. - The Mash-Up
Combine it with another Playable ART Ball, the Playable ART Cube, or other connector pieces to create strangely wonderful mega-sculptures.
And when you’re done? Just scrunch it back into a compact shape and plop it back on the shelf—ready for the next idea.
🎁 The Perfect Gift for…
Think of the Playable ART Ball as a “one-size-fits-many” kind of present:
- Little kids (3+) who love anything colorful and touchable.
- Parents & grandparents who want toys that encourage open-ended play instead of more screen time.
- Tucson visitors looking for a souvenir that’s small in size but big in creativity.
- Teachers & therapists who use tactile tools to help kids focus or self-regulate.
- Office humans who live on Zoom and need something better than clicking a pen.
- Design lovers who appreciate objects that are both playful and aesthetically pleasing.
- The person who already has fidget toys and doesn’t need another plastic spinner.
Wrap it, gift it, or “accidentally” keep it for yourself. We won’t tell.
🏜️ Why We Love It at Tucson Gallery
We’re a fine art gallery that also has a soft spot for things you can’t stop touching—and the Playable ART Ball hits that sweet spot perfectly.
It’s bright and sculptural enough to look at home next to contemporary art, but it begs to be picked up and rearranged. We’ve watched kids, teens, and full-grown adults lean over a shelf “just to try it,” and then build three or four shapes before they even realize they’re hooked.
It also pairs beautifully with our other playable pieces, like the Playable ART Cube. One is all about crisp angles and cubes; this one is all curves and circles. Together, they turn a coffee table into a tiny, ever-changing gallery.
Visit Tucson Gallery
These creative Gifts & Souvenirs (and so much more) are available exclusively in-store. Stop by, explore, and find your favorite piece of Tucson to take home.
📍 Tucson Gallery
245 E Congress St Suite 101
Tucson, AZ 85701
📞 520-606-5440
🕒 Hours:
Monday – Closed
Tuesday – 10 – 8
Wednesday – 10 – 8
Thursday – 10 – 8
Friday – 10 – 8
Saturday – 10 – 8
Sunday – 10 – 5