A system with light-weight drinking cups that use small ball magnets embedded in the cup rim and in the bottom cup center. In a preferred embodiment, there can be four magnets at four locations around the rim and a magnet in the center of the bottom of the cup. This arrangement allows cups to be stacked easily even by very young children in a large variety of ways and configurations. The ball magnets align in an attraction mode. Hence, any two cups can be stuck together simply by bringing two of the magnets into proximity. The toy can yield large stacks with connections in many different configurations.

A building element for a modular device includes a male connector comprising M first magnets, a first ground terminal, a first detection terminal, a first power terminal, and a first signal terminal; and a female connector comprising M second magnets that are magnetically attractable to the first magnets, N second ground terminals, O second detection terminals, P second power terminals, and a second signal terminal. When the male connector of one building element is mechanically connected to the female connector of another building element, the first ground terminal, the first detection terminal, the first power terminal and the first signal terminal of the male connector of the one of two building elements respectively come into contact with one of the second ground terminals, one of the second detection terminals, one of the second power terminals, and the second signal terminal of the other one of the two building elements.

A building block includes a main body comprising a plug module and a socket module. The plug module includes a plug body, a plug protruding from one side of the plug body and defining a first chamber, a number of first magnets arranged within the first chamber, and an insulating protrusion formed on a bottom of the first chamber. The socket module includes a socket body defining a second chamber, a number of second magnets arranged within the second chamber, and an insulating recess defined in a bottom of the second chamber. The first magnets and the second magnets are arranged in such a way that the first magnets of one of two building blocks are able to be magnetically connected to the second magnets of the other one of two building blocks.

A globe can include a plurality of pieces structured to inter-attach to form a surface of the globe, and an attachment system. Each piece can be substantially rigid, and can have an outer major surface shaped to form a portion of the surface of the globe. The plurality of pieces can include a first quantity of substantially identically-shaped polygonal pieces. The attachment system can be configured to attach at least some adjacent edges of the pieces, and can attach at least one edge of each of the pieces to an adjacent edge of another of the pieces. The attachment system can be configured such that the globe has sufficient structural integrity to substantially maintain a globular shape under its own weight. Each of a majority of the pieces can include a printed image on its outer major surface that is different than any printed image of any other piece.

Connector element includes an enclosure made of a generally non-magnetic material having an open face; an insulating plate with a plate aperture; a permanent magnet placed inside the enclosure, the magnet dimensions preventing egress from the enclosure through the plate aperture; a washer made of a conductive soft ferromagnetic material with a washer aperture being larger than dimensions of said permanent magnet, placed inside the enclosure. Also disclosed are transformable electronic devices, optionally including displays, toys and educational kits built using the self-actuating connector elements.

An electronic building block includes a first side and a second side, a first magnet fixed to the first side and including a number of first magnet segments, a second magnet fixed to the second side and including a number of second magnet segments, a first power contact, a second power contact and a first communication contact arranged on the first side; and a third power contact, a fourth power contact and a second communication contact arranged on the second side and respectively coming into contact with the first power contact, the second power contact, and the first communication contact when the first magnet segments of one of two electronic building blocks is connected to the second magnet segments of the other of two electronic building blocks.

Circuit blocks are provided. A circuit block may include a substrate and at least one electrical component mounted on the substrate. The circuit block may also include a non-conductive frame coupled to the substrate, and at least one post coupled to the substrate and extending from the substrate and through at least a portion of the frame in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the major surface of the substrate. Moreover, the circuit block may include a contact coupled to a second, opposite surface of the substrate and including a corner section projecting outwardly from the frame and extending in at least two directions substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the at least one post. The block may also include at least one magnet positioned proximate the flexible corner section of the contact and configured to magnetically attract at least one other circuit block.

A base member configured for use with a windowed magnetic tile, the base member including a tile portion having three or more outer edges configured with respective protrusions for fitting engagement with respective notches on corresponding three or more inner edges of the windowed magnetic tile; a first projection extending outwardly from a first surface of the tile portion formed by the three or more outer edges; and a first opening disposed on the first projection.

A mix or match toy set is disclosed wherein four units having a common theme have at least two or three sections. These two or three sections can be interchanged with one another. In one embodiment the units are different transportation vehicles. The units are held together by using magnets in male and female connectors.

A geometric art toy (10) comprises a plurality of first toy members (312A) and a plurality of second toy members (312B). Each first toy member (312A) includes a plurality of first magnets (314A) that are oriented to exhibit a first polarity. Each second toy member (312B) includes a plurality of second magnets (314B) that are oriented to exhibit a second polarity that is substantially opposite to the first polarity. Each first toy member (312A) is movably coupled to another first toy member (312A) and one of the plurality of second toy members (312B). Each of the first toy members (312A) and the second toy members (312B) are formed in a shape of a tetrahedron. The first magnets (314A) and the second magnets (314B) enable the geometric art toy (10) to be alternatively and stably positioned in a first configuration and a second configuration that is different than the first configuration.