---
product_id: 280489301
title: "Candy Claw Machine"
brand: "thames & kosmos"
price: "€ 119.51"
currency: EUR
in_stock: null
reviews_count: 12
url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/280489301-candy-claw-machine
store_origin: AT
region: Austria
---

# Hydraulic levers power motion 3 claw types for precision grip 2-3 hour advanced STEM build Candy Claw Machine

**Brand:** thames & kosmos
**Price:** € 119.51
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

## Summary

> 🎯 Grab the future of STEM fun—build, play, and conquer the Candy Claw challenge!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Candy Claw Machine by thames & kosmos
- **How much does it cost?** € 119.51 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.at](https://www.desertcart.at/products/280489301-candy-claw-machine)

## Best For

- thames & kosmos enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted thames & kosmos brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Choose Your Claw:** Experiment with three distinct claw designs (pincher, scoop, three-pronged) to perfect your prize-grabbing strategy.
- • **Hydraulics in Action:** Explore real hydraulic lever systems—no batteries needed—to power up and control your claw with authentic mechanical advantage.
- • **Gamify Your Engineering:** Challenge your dexterity and motor skills with timed candy retrieval contests that turn learning into addictive fun.
- • **Master Mechanical Marvels:** Build and engineer a fully functional arcade-style claw machine using gears, belts, and linkages for hands-on STEM immersion.
- • **STEM Toy of the Year Finalist:** Join the elite community of young engineers with this award-nominated kit that blends education and excitement.

## Overview

The Thames & Kosmos Candy Claw Engineering STEM Experiment Maker Lab is an advanced, hands-on educational kit that lets users build a mechanical arcade-style claw machine powered by hydraulic levers and manual cranks. Designed for ages 8 and up (with adult help recommended), it teaches core engineering concepts like gears, levers, belts, and hydraulics without batteries. Featuring three claw types and including candy prizes, this 2-3 hour build offers a gamified learning experience and was recognized as a 2022 Toy of the Year finalist.

## Description

Step right up and try your luck! Do you have what it takes to grab a claw-full of candy with the Candy Claw Machine? Experiment to develop your motor skills and engineering chops to conquer this awesome STEM challenge. Build a working model of the classic claw machine — that enticing, sometimes frustrating, and always fun arcade game in which you try to grab prizes from inside the machine with a remote-controlled claw in a limited amount of time. Cranks, gears, and belts move the claw arm left and right, and forward and back. Hydraulic levers move the arm up and down, and open and close the claw. A spring-loaded trap door shoots the collected candy out at you if you manage to succeed. Time yourself or your friends and see if you can retrieve a specific object in a given amount of time. No batteries or electricity are required — it uses only the power of your hand and the mechanical advantage of the machines built into the device. Choose from three different claw shapes (cool nerdy roboticists call these “end effectors”) and find the one that works best to pick up a particular candy or prize. Learn how the gears, levers, belt, screws, hydraulics, linkages, cranks, and claws all work together to pick up, move, and drop prizes. Experiment with different gear ratios to speed up or power up your claw. Packed with 6 lollipops and decoys (fake candy boxes), you can also fill it with whatever small candies, toys, or other small objects you like. The game itself is great for honing dexterity skills and hand-eye coordination. An innovative take on a robotic arm with something really worth grabbing!

Review: Christmas present - Fun. Good value. My 14 year old struggled to complete it.
Review: Horrible for Children! - This product would be great for high schoolers or college students who are studying engineering and how to improve on children's toy designs. This is not easy to assemble. The age listed is 6-14, but really 6-10 year olds will need a LOT of help to put this together. More important, this really doesn't work. I would not consider this product as a functioning candy claw machine. It is instead a hydraulics building lesson, where the main point is how a poor design won't end up working. The hydraulics leak, to the point where you have to refill them after each use. And even when full they still don't work. The weight of the liquid (which is part of the claw assembly) makes it difficult for the claw to be raised high enough to drop the candy in the chute. I'm sure the design could be changed to function better, but as is you will likely be unable to get this to function at all, much less consistently, and much less well enough to where a child in the age range can use this and have fun. This review is not even considering the myriad other issues such as the wonky controls used to move the claw around before it drops. Ultimately this isn't a good present for anyone unless you really don't like the children or the parents.

## Features

- Build & engineer your own arcade-style claw machine!.Ideal for ages:6 years and up
- Experiment with three different types of claws (pincher, scoop, and three-pronged) to pick up lollipops and decoy candy boxes (both included!).
- A fun yet challenging, gamified approach to engineering lessons, you’ll learn about hydraulics, levers, gears, belts, linkages, end effectors, and more.
- No batteries or electricity required; it uses only the power of your hand and the mechanical advantage of the machines built into the device.
- Refill your machine with your own treats and prizes for long-lasting fun.
- For ages 8+ with help; 12+ "I got this!"
- IMPORTANT: This cute candy claw is a challenging build! Parents/adults will need to be active participants in the assembly and engineering of this product.
- IMPORTANT: Download and read the instruction before use. We recommend using the step-by-step assembly and troubleshooting videos available online.
- Build Time: Approximately 2-3 Hours
- The Toy Association's 2022 STEAM Toy of the Year finalist!

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B08V123KDQ |
| Best Sellers Rank | #225,814 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #2,197 in Educational Science Kits |
| Customer Reviews | 3.0 3.0 out of 5 stars (1,477) |
| Item Weight | 2.3 pounds |
| Item model number | 550103 |
| Manufacturer | Thames & Kosmos |
| Manufacturer recommended age | 6 - 14 years |
| Product Dimensions | 13 x 3.5 x 11.5 inches |
| Release date | September 22, 2021 |

## Images

![Candy Claw Machine - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81nMLFDa6EL.jpg)
![Candy Claw Machine - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81vyGDLAcqL.jpg)
![Candy Claw Machine - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71cqeSJep1L.jpg)
![Candy Claw Machine - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/719UdhAr+HL.jpg)
![Candy Claw Machine - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81+L0n8qTML.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Style** options.

## Questions & Answers

**Q: What size tubing is it ? My son cut the lines too short**
A: You can contact us at Support@thamesandkosmos.com for replacement options. The tube measures outside .1725" (4.98mm) x inside .1085" (2.76mm).

**Q: Do you have to choose one model to build or does one kit make all six models?**
A: You have to choose one model to build. The kit comes with enough parts for just one model time.

**Q: Webise or emila for troubleshooting?**
A: Thank you for your question. This article has our Step-by-Step Assembly Video and Troubleshooting for the Candy Claw Machine as well as a link to contact us for additional assistance. 

https://thamesandkosmos.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409456509075-Candy-Claw-Machine-Step-by-Step-Assembly-Video-and-Troubleshooting

**Q: Would this be too advanced for my 6 year old son who loves legos?**
A: Thank you for your question. The recommended age group for our Mechanical Engineering: Robotic Arms kit is 7 to 14 years of age, however, you may find it appropriate for your son, based on his experience level. You can view the manual by clicking on the following link to view what comes in the kit as well as to get a sense of the different experiments: https://www.thamesandkosmos.com/manuals/full/625415_ME_Robotic_Arms_Manual.pdf

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Christmas present
*by H***. on October 13, 2025*

Fun. Good value. My 14 year old struggled to complete it.

### ⭐ Horrible for Children!
*by M***L on January 16, 2023*

This product would be great for high schoolers or college students who are studying engineering and how to improve on children's toy designs. This is not easy to assemble. The age listed is 6-14, but really 6-10 year olds will need a LOT of help to put this together. More important, this really doesn't work. I would not consider this product as a functioning candy claw machine. It is instead a hydraulics building lesson, where the main point is how a poor design won't end up working. The hydraulics leak, to the point where you have to refill them after each use. And even when full they still don't work. The weight of the liquid (which is part of the claw assembly) makes it difficult for the claw to be raised high enough to drop the candy in the chute. I'm sure the design could be changed to function better, but as is you will likely be unable to get this to function at all, much less consistently, and much less well enough to where a child in the age range can use this and have fun. This review is not even considering the myriad other issues such as the wonky controls used to move the claw around before it drops. Ultimately this isn't a good present for anyone unless you really don't like the children or the parents.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This company REALLY believes in customer support!!
*by C***Y on December 14, 2021*

Got the Thanes and Kosmos Candy Claw Machine for my grandchildren, and they were so excited about it that they opened it and started to put it together without any help. Well, it is pretty complicated and they really needed an adult, so they just skipped steps they didn't understand and scattered parts all over the place. Ultimately, I got involved and discovered a couple of key parts were nowhere to be found. The Customer Service department at Thames and Kosmos cheerfully sent replacements, and insisted on paying for the parts and the shipping (in spite of my offer to pay). I'm a customer for life for any company that actually believes in customer service and has good products to sell!

## Frequently Bought Together

- Thames & Kosmos Candy Claw Engineering STEM Experiment Maker Lab | Build Your Own Claw Machine | Learn Hydraulics & Engineering | Includes Lollipops | Toy of The Year Finalist | Difficulty: Advanced
- Thames & Kosmos Pinball Machine Maker STEM Experiment Kit Toy of the Year Finalist - Build a Reconfigurable Pinball Machine, Explore Physics, Force, Motion, Gravity, Simple Machines, Gumballs Included

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*Product available on Desertcart Austria*
*Store origin: AT*
*Last updated: 2026-05-04*