What happens when you take a beloved classic like the frisbee and infuse it with lighter, safer, and more aerodynamic materials? You get the Beamo 16-inch Flying Hoop, a great addition to any family’s cache of airborne toys. Let’s unpack what makes the Beamo soar.
First, what is the Beamo – and what is a ‘flying hoop’? I’m assuming that Frisbee is a trademark and not able to be used to describe this toy. I would very much call it a lightweight, lower-stakes version of the humble and classic toy we’ve all tossed around at some point in our lives.
The Beamo is a soft hoop covered in a lightweight spandex fabric. It’s bright, lightweight, and flies much like a plastic frisbee — except longer.
The Beamo’s bright colors immediately stood out on the shelves. It was clear picking it up that the lightness of the hoop would make it safe for our 3, 5 and 8 year boys to play together in a game of catch. Heavier frisbees can be easily thrown, but catching them can hurt little hands (and faces on the occasional misplaced catch).
The Beamo advertises itself as being easy to throw and catch. Playing catch with my 5-year-old son, it was clear that this was a fun and safe flying toy. I never worried about the hoop escaping his grasp and bopping him on the nose. To be clear, he had a few missed catches. However, the soft foam material meant that there was nothing to worry about.
On the other hand, the Beamo isn’t any easier to aim than a frisbee. The fence worked overtime to keep my wayward throws inside our yard. In contrast, my 5-year-old faired better than I did. He was able to launch the Beamo with surprising distance and accuracy. It was clear that good form powers the Beamo through the air, which can be an equalizer between kids of different ages.
Design, Materials, and Dimensions
The Beamo is 16” in diameter and about 1” tall. The structure of the hoop comes from a loop of soft foam joined in a circle. It appears that the foam is covering a hard but lightweight structure. This helps the Beamo keep its shape. A spandex fabric stretched tight around the hoop makes it easy to see in the air, and helps the Beamo achieve lift.
Beamo Play
Flight test
The Beamo soars. Seriously. The design of the Beamo is aerodynamic. The lightness of the body means that little arms can keep the Beamo stable while also delivering the form necessary to make it well across the yard. Compared to a frisbee, it’s (in my opinion) easier to throw and achieve in-flight stability.
Catching
The Beamo is truly easy to catch. Plastic frisbees can hurt small hands — even my adult hand can sting when catching a weighted frisbee. The Beamo’s flat design and flexible spandex creates a surface that’s easy to catch. And, the consequences of a bungled catch are low. A Beamo to the face might be a surprise, but it doesn’t hurt. That’s thanks to the feathery weight and soft foam core.
Crush test
Given the presence of a toddler in our household, we need toys that can stand up to some stress. The Beamo features a rigid underpinning to the foam core that helps keep it flight-worthy. A determined toddler might be able to bend this toy, rendering it unusable — but it’s clear the Beamo can more than stand up to sustained use, hard landings, and life in a toy box.
Bonk test
It’s clear on squeezing the foam core of the Beamo that this toy passes the bonk test. It’s soft and forgiving.
Wind test
The light weight of the Beamo doesn’t help in winds. Where a weighted frisbee might keep a truer course in wind, the Beamo’s travel was visibly impacted by gusts. However, in windy conditions, it might be time to retire the Beamo and break out a kite instead.
Pros
A safe, lightweight launchable flying hoop that’s easy to catch
We loved the Beamo for it’s lift (little arms can easily put some distance on a throw), lightweight architecture, and soft design.
While throwing requires gross motor skills that are available to even our 3-year-old, the fine motor skills required by catching make heavier thrown objects more dicey for young kids. I love that this is a toy that all of our kids can play with, without being worried about injury to the receiver.
I also appreciated the overall durability of the foam hoop. The crush of a toy box or being stepped on didn’t impact the shape of the Beamo.
Cons
A perfect chew toy that might fly too far for smaller yards
- Dogs and toddlers might make short work of the lighter design (as compared to a plastic frisbee. This is typically the price you pay for having pets and toddlers, but this is one you may want to keep out of easy toddler reach.
- The aerodynamic design means that even small humans can launch this thing. If you are trying to have a backyard session, depending on your yard size and fence height, you might find that the Beamo soars over barriers with some ease. Unless you don’t mind knocking on a neighbor’s door to retrieve the Beamo, a park or beach is probably a more ideal setting for play.
Conclusion
The Beamo is a fun, safe and durable ‘flying hoop’ that will help kids ditch those pesky screens and get outside. It’s long flight time and soft design are ideal for groups of kids with mixed ages (IE a cousins’ get-together). It’s helpful too that the Beamo actually helps kids catch it compared to a frisbee. I’d recommend adding to your stable of outdoor and kinetic toys. Shop on Amazon.
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