There are 118 blobs in Toca Lab: Elements, which means your kid is on a mission to unlock every single character on the real-world periodic table, from Hydrogen all the way to Oganesson.
TL;DR: Toca Lab: Elements features 118 collectable blob characters, each representing an element from the periodic table. Kids discover new elements by placing their current blob on five different laboratory tools—like the centrifuge or Bunsen burner—which triggers evolutionary branches on the lab's periodic table wall poster. If you want more low-stress discovery games that encourage curiosity, explore our best apps for kids list or see our digital guide for elementary school.
Every single character in Toca Lab: Elements maps to an actual scientific element. Toca Boca built the app as an interactive periodic table where elements act like quirky, living creatures with distinct personalities. Each blob has its own vocal sounds, physical reactions, and distinct design. Nitrogen squishes, Neon glows, Gold feels heavy, and Helium floats around with a high-pitched voice.
The roster breaks down like this:
- 118 total elements to discover and collect.
- 1 starting blob (usually Hydrogen or Phosphorus, depending on whether you start fresh or clear your lab history).
- 5 distinct lab tools used to transform elements into new adjacent elements.
It plays like a digital creature collector crossed with a sandbox science set. Instead of memorizing flashcards, kids learn element names, atomic symbols, and chemical families through trial-and-error discovery.
Kids do not unlock blobs at random. The game uses a branching tree system tied directly to the periodic table grid.
When your kid places a blob on a lab station, the machine acts on that element. If that specific tool combination unlocks a new element, the camera follows an energy line across the periodic table poster on the lab wall and reveals a brand new blob character.
Here is how the game mechanics work in practice:
- Branching paths: Each unlocked element can branch into two or three neighboring elements on the periodic table when subjected to different lab equipment.
- Trial and error: If an element does not react to the Bunsen burner, it might react to the centrifuge or the cooling bath instead.
- The wall poster: Kids can tap the periodic table on the lab wall at any point to see which atomic numbers they have found and where missing silhouette slots sit on the tree.
The alchemy model in the app is deliberate game design rather than strict nuclear physics. Heating Nitrogen on a Bunsen burner will not turn it into Oxygen in real life, but inside the app, it gives kids a tactile way to traverse the periodic grid.
To complete all 118 blobs, your kid needs to take their current inventory through all five lab stations located around the room:
- The Bunsen Burner: Heats up the blob until it boils, melts, or changes state to push elements up thermal branches.
- The Cooling Agent (Ice Station): Freezes the blob in a block of ice or drops its temperature, triggering cold-state transformations.
- The Centrifuge: Spins the blob around in a high-speed centrifuge capsule until it splits or evolves into an adjacent element.
- The Oscilloscope (Voltage/Magnet Station): Passes electrical current through the blob or applies a magnetic field to test its charge.
- The Test Tubes (Chemical Liquids): Drips green, purple, or yellow concoctions onto the blob to prompt chemical changes.
If your child gets stuck with 110 out of 118 blobs and cannot figure out how to find the rest, the quick fix is cycling back to the closest unlocked neighbor on the periodic table wall map and trying the stations they haven't used on that specific blob yet.
The loop in Toca Lab: Elements hits the exact same collection itch as creature-collecting games, but without timer gates, microtransactions, or high-pressure fail states.
Kids love the personality packed into each character. When you put Hydrogen over the flame, it squeaks and bounces. When you drop Lead into the liquid, it sinks like a rock with a satisfying clunk. That tactile feedback makes filling out the periodic table feel like an achievement rather than a science assignment.
It also introduces real scientific literacy quietly. After an afternoon in the app, a six-year-old comfortably recognizes that "Au" means Gold, "Fe" means Iron, and noble gases like Helium and Neon behave differently from heavy metals.
If your child is determined to hunt down all 118 blobs, you can turn that screen time into a great shared connection point:
- Look up real-world properties together: When your kid unlocks an interesting blob like Bismuth, Titanium, or Krypton, pull up a photo of the actual physical element. Showing them that Bismuth forms colorful rainbow crystal pyramids in real life bridges digital play to physical science.
- Track missing numbers on the wall map: Ask them which atomic numbers they are missing. If they are stuck on number 79 (Gold) or number 92 (Uranium), help them inspect the surrounding elements on their digital poster to trace back the branch.
- Explore open-ended sandbox games: Kids who love the stress-free experimentation of Toca games usually thrive in other low-stakes creative sandbox titles. Check out our guide to best cozy games for kids or build a custom list of creative sandbox games for your kid
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There are no third-party ads or pop-ups inside the app. Modern access often comes through the Toca Boca Jr app bundle under a single subscription, though legacy standalone versions still exist on some devices. The game has zero chat functions and zero social features, making it completely safe for solo offline play.
The one thing to keep in mind is that the game teaches element relationships through an imaginative game tree rather than real atomic physics. Treat it as a gateway app that builds comfort with scientific vocabulary, symbols, and lab tools rather than a formal chemistry textbook.
Q: How many blobs are in Toca Lab: Elements? There are 118 blobs in the game, representing all 118 elements on the periodic table from Hydrogen (atomic number 1) to Oganesson (atomic number 118).
Q: How do you unlock all the elements in Toca Lab: Elements? You unlock new elements by placing your current blob on different lab stations—the Bunsen burner, centrifuge, ice station, oscilloscope, or chemical test tubes. Each station can trigger an evolutionary branch on the periodic table poster.
Q: What is the starting element in Toca Lab? When starting a fresh game or resetting the lab, players typically begin with Hydrogen (H) or Phosphorus (P) and use lab tools to branch out across the rest of the table.
Q: Is Toca Lab: Elements safe for young kids? Yes, it is completely safe. It contains no text chat, no multiplayer features, no third-party ads, and no time limits or loss conditions, making it an ideal digital toy for ages 4 to 10.
Once your kid has successfully filled out all 118 slots on their periodic table poster, keep the momentum going with other high-quality sandbox and discovery apps:
- Explore our best apps for kids list for top-rated digital toys and learning tools.
- Read our full guide to Toca Lab: Elements for a breakdown of age ratings and learning value.
- Browse our best games for kids list for single-player games that encourage curiosity and problem-solving.