Buying new

A good toy store may carry the new Spirograph sets made by Kahootz. You can also find them on Amazon. There are many different sets available now, so decide what you want.

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The most complete set is the Super Spirograph.

There’s also the regular (non-super) Spirograph deluxe set:

Some of the new sets have come with artwork borrowed by the old sets from the 1970s. Don’t be fooled; these are newly manufactured.

Kahootz also uses words like “Original Spirograph” to describe its product. This isn’t wrong at all, as the design is more or less the same as those made in the 1970s. The pieces are compatible, and the sets are mostly the same.

But the new sets are newly manufactured in China, and the injection moulding processes and materials used are not quite as good as they were back in the day. The pieces bend a bit and they are built with less precision in hole placement. The old ones were made in the UK, Canada, the US and perhaps elsewhere (if you know, please tell me in the comments).

There are even cheaper knockoff versions findable online, often pared down to a small number of components. I have not tried any of these sets.

Buying vintage

Real vintage Spirograph sets are better quality. You can look for them on eBay and Etsy. They often have a few pieces missing.

If you don’t live in the US, use eBay for your country or a country near you and search for “vintage spirograph”. For example, if you live in Portugal, try eBay.es (the Spanish version). Today when I search Spanish eBay.es for “vintage spirograph”, I see several sets available, mostly from the UK, but a few from France or Germany. There are also spare parts available if you’re missing a few pieces.

Do not worry about the pens! The old pens will have dried out anyway, and they really weren’t very good. There are so many great pens available now that work much better than the old pens and come in more and better colours.

Do not worry about the pins or the pieces of corrugated cardboard that came with the old sets. They aren’t necessary. If you do want to use pins, you can cut up an old cardboard box, or even better, use a cork bulletin board. But you don’t have to use pins. You can get poster putty, which is exactly the same as the “Spiro Putty” sold with the new sets, for a dollar or two at any office supply store. Blu Tack works too.

If you really want to buy the right pins, look for “map pins“. They are short and stubby, and will hold the ring to the paper properly.

Do not worry about the paper! You can use any paper. I usually use cheap photocopy paper for playing around. But when I want to make something nice, I use fancy paper, card stock, or even watercolour paper that I’ve sponge-painted.

Buying Wild Gears

Wild Gears is a different product. I’ve written a lot about it on this website. It is not compatible with Spirograph. It is much more expensive too, as it is not mass produced. But it’s fantastic. To purchase, go to WildGears.com.