The Crunchinator Review: Is Mark Rober's Crusher Toy Worth It?

Yes, for most 8 to 10-year-olds the Crunchinator is worth its $34.99, and it's the one kit in Mark Rober's new toy line I'd buy first. The reason is simple: nothing in the box gets used up. The other CrunchLabs retail kits run on ingredient sets or a single experiment, while this one runs again on whatever is in the recycling bin, which is the best predictor I know of whether a toy is still out in week three.

Two things would make me skip it. The crank takes real force, and one grandparent reports their "strong almost 10 yr old" found it hard. And the crushing chamber is small, so the big, satisfying objects from the YouTube videos won't fit.

How this review was put together: nobody has published a lab or durability test of the Crunchinator yet (it reached shelves in summer 2026). What follows is the maker's own spec, the retailer listings, and what buyers who own one have written, weighed the way I'd weigh them for my own kid. Where something is my inference rather than a finding, I say so.

Target's listing gives the most complete parts list of any retailer:

• 1 crunch toy (the press itself, with a hand crank)
• 3 interchangeable crunch plates
• 5 accessories and 2 googly eyes
• 1 wrench
• An instruction manual, with a QR code to Mark Rober's explainer video

It needs no batteries. The crank multiplies the force your child puts in, which Moose Toys puts at 30 times, and there's a built-in phone holder so they can film the crush and watch it back. Boxed, it's about 11 by 9.5 by 4.6 inches and ships at around 3.5 pounds, so it's a tabletop toy rather than a pocket one.

Cleanup is better than you'd guess. The mess stays inside the chamber, and Target's listing says the parts wash in the sink. That matters, because a crushed banana is the first thing most kids will try.

The box and the listings don't agree. Moose Toys' launch release and The Toy Insider list it at 8+. Target's listing says 6 and up, with the usual small-parts warning for under-3s.

My read is that the 8+ is about strength and judgment, not about understanding the science. A 6 or 7-year-old will love it, but expect to turn the crank with them on anything harder than a ping pong ball, and expect to be the one who says no to crushing a battery or a glass jar. For an 8 to 10-year-old, it's a toy they can run on their own. Buyers' reviews back this up at both ends: one parent says their kids "ages 7-13 are absolutely loving this product," while the grandparent above found the crank too stiff for a nearly-10-year-old. Some kids have the grip for it and some don't yet.

If you're buying for a 7-year-old and want something on the label, the Slime Prank Lab is the 6+ kit in the same line.

Target shows about 4.3 out of 5 from 33 ratings as of early November 2026, and it flags that some of those reviews were collected through a promotion, so read the score as friendly. The written reviews are more useful than the number:

• It gets used. "We've crunched so many different objects around our house: bouncy balls, pop cans, clips, erasers," says one family. That's exactly the repeat play the toy is built for.
• "Safe and easy to use and keeps my kids entertained forever," says another.
• The crank is hard work for some kids, as above.
• Packing mistakes happen. One buyer received two bottom jagged plates and no top one. Check the plates when you open it, while the return is easy.
• Stability. One reviewer wished "the bottom had a wider base," and a Canadian buyer wished it were a little bigger to fit larger items.
• One one-star review calls it a "waste of money," without saying why.

What nobody has reported yet is how the plastic housing holds up after months of 30x crushing. That's the open question with any new toy in its first season, and it's the main reason I'd keep the receipt.

The maker's own examples are soda cans, bananas and ping pong balls. Buyers add bouncy balls, erasers and paper clips. Anything that changes shape in an interesting way is fair game, and the fun is in guessing first: will the can fold or split, will the ball pop or squash?

What I'd keep out, as house rules rather than anything printed on the box: batteries of any kind, glass, aerosol cans or anything pressurised, and anything sharp. Put a tray or an old towel under it, and treat it as a kitchen-table toy rather than a bedroom one.

Mark Rober's retail line with Moose Toys has eight products. I've ranked the five main kits for a 7 to 10-year-old, and the Crunchinator came out on top for one structural reason: the others are consumed. Elephant Toothpaste Blast gives you six eruptions at $24.99, and the Egg Drop Challenge is one experiment you repeat. The Crunchinator costs more up front and less per play.

If your child has outgrown kits and wants to build the machine rather than use it, that's what the CrunchLabs Build Box subscription is for (ages 8 to 13). It's a monthly commitment rather than a gift, which is why I'd start with a retail kit.

Buy it for an 8 to 10-year-old who watches Mark Rober and repeats things they enjoy. Of everything in his toy line, it's the one most likely to still be on the table in January.

Buy it with a caveat for a 6 or 7-year-old: you'll be turning the crank on the harder objects for a while.

Skip it if your child is easily frustrated by stiff mechanisms, if you want something they can carry around, or if the thought of crushed banana on the kitchen table settles it.