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If you're shopping for a couch for your kids and they're still little, as in between ages 2 and 10, you'd be smart to consider a play couch.
The foam cushions that make up these couches can be separated to also function as giant building blocks. They're amazing for a playroom, family room or living room where kids might sometimes sit and read, rest or game, and other times, are looking to goof around and build a fort.
Two of the most popular play couch options are the Nugget Couch and the Foamnasium Blocksy. They both come in nice variations, which we'll go over toward the bottom of this article. But first, to help you compare the two brands, we'll start with the basics of what you get for the price.
The Nugget Play Couch vs. Foamnasium Blocksy: Price and materials
The basic versions of The Nugget and The Foamnasium Blocksy are the same price. And they look alike, too. Both are four-piece sets: base that can fold in half, seat that can fold in half and two top cushions or wedges.
The Nugget is covered in a soft, machine-washable microsuede, while the Foamnasium Blocksy is covered in a smooth, wipeable vinyl. In both cases, the covers zip off. The Nugget is a few inches deeper, so it sticks out from a wall a little more, and the Blocksy is a few inches longer, so it stretches a few inches further along a wall.
Both companies are based in America. Nugget couches are assembled and packed in North Carolina; the foam comes from North Carolina, too, but the fabric is sourced from overseas. All pieces of the Foamnasium Blocksy are made in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, including the vinyl covers.
The Nugget is $249 for the standard microsuede version and the brand has it age-graded for 1 year+. The interior of the Nugget is open-cell polyurethane foam, which is both Greenguard-Gold certified and CertiPUR-US certified which means it's been screened by third parties for potentially harmful chemicals. The microsuede is a synthetic performance fabric that has also been Greenguard-Gold certified, and the covers easily unzip and can be machine washed with cold water. Hang them to dry to prevent any shrinking.
Pros
- Soft microsuede covers
- Fabric zips off to go in the wash
- Ready to go out of the box
- Foam is firm and easy to build with
Cons
- Brand sells extra covers but not extra pieces
| Dimensions | 66" wide, 33" deep, 8.75" floor to seat |
|---|---|
| Weight | 27 lbs |
| Ages | 1 year+ |
Foamnasium Blocksy is $249 for the standard vinyl version on the brand's website, $250 on Amazon, and the brand has it age-graded for 6 months+. It, too, uses thoughtful components including polyurethane foam that's been both Greenguard-Gold certified and CertiPUR-US certified. The vinyl covers are made without lead and phthalates, and are flame retardant without the use of extra chemicals, and are third-party tested for all of those attributes. Foamnasium recommends using a dishsoap-and-water solution for wiping off simple stains.
Pros
- Wipeable vinyl cushion covers
- Softer foam is comfy for snuggling
- Few pounds lighter so easier to move
- Easy to buy extra components
Cons
- Slippery covers and soft foam make builds tougher
| Dimensions | 70” wide, 25” deep, 8" floor to seat |
|---|---|
| Weight | 25 lbs |
| Ages | 6 months+ |
The Nugget vs. Foamnasium Blocksy: The unboxing experience
Expect a tall box, packed with compressed-foam pieces, to arrive through the mail. You can order the Nugget from the company's website and they promise it will ship in one to three days. It's harder to find the order time on the Foamnasium site, but their Blocksy is available via Amazon Prime for delivery within about three days to a week.
The Nugget and the Foamnasium Blocksy each arrive in the same way, which is to say, not yet in couch shape. You'll want to unpack the box pretty quickly. Foamnasium urges you to let their foam pieces out within 48 hours of receiving the box; the Nugget's one-year product warranty will be void if you don't unpack it within 15 days from delivery. So if this is a gift, you might not want to gift-wrap the box and leave it sitting around.
Open the box and dump out the pieces. It's a good idea to pull the plastic off of the foam cushions with your hands versus trying to cut it off with scissors, since you don't want to accidentally cut into the foam. Then you'll want to give the cushions a chance to start expanding.
The Nugget foam pieces could take a full two weeks to completely expand. That said, your children can start playing with The Nugget immediately. The blocks are fabric-covered and ready to go. Parents, meanwhile, can read the care instructions packed inside the box.
The Foamnasium Blocksy does not come with the foam already inserted inside the covers. You'll need to take a minute (or 20) to put the vinyl covers on your Blocksy cushions. "It took two adults working together to put each cover on the four pieces, while two excited kids stood waiting," one tester said. "The instructions were a QR code to a YouTube video tutorial."
Our advice: Open and assemble a Blocksy before your child sees it so they're not waiting in anticipation (unless they're old enough and cheerful enough to help).
The Nugget vs. Foamnasium Blocksy: Playtime
All our testers agreed that the vinyl covers and soft foam of the Blocksy made the pieces more slippery when it came time to build. "The Blocksy foam is very squishy and softer than The Nugget so that makes it not ideal for forts, climbing or slides of any sort," a mom told us. "The angled pieces collapse easily so they are almost too squishy."
Rachel Rothman, the Good Housekeeping Institute's chief technologist and a mother of three kids ages 6 and younger, agreed. "From a construction quality perspective, the Blocksy vinyl is a bit more slippery for builds. The foam base is longer but also just a bit thinner. That said, my son has really enjoyed both."
Reading online reviews of the Nugget, it's easy to find many families that bought two couches so their kids had more cushions to work with. Our own testers, since they were trying both brands, combined all the pieces for some epic forts.
"The Nugget is closer to a square shape and the Foamnasium Blocksy is a little more rectangular," said our tester in Virginia. "Since the foam is not as thick on the Blocksy, it is a little easier to store and move around, for both me and the kids." But while the thin Foamnasium foam is nice and snuggly for small people, it is not as comfy for adults to sit on, just FYI.
The Nugget vs. Foamnasium Blocksy: Care and cleaning
A main selling point of the Foamnasium Blocksy is the wipeable vinyl. But our real-world testing showed that The Nugget was actually easier to keep clean. Throwing those cushion covers in the wash was no problem. (Aesthetically, we also preferred the high-end look of The Nugget microsuede.)
"Unfortunately, despite the Blocksy fabric being vinyl, a few stains from markers and dirty hands are not coming off for me, and I've tried multiple cleaning methods," one of our testers said. "The covers ultimately feel more flimsy on the Blocksy and we struggle to zip them on or off without ripping the material or breaking the zipper."
The Nugget vs. Foamnasium Blocksy: Extra options
If you're ready to step up, the Blocksy does offer more pieces and variations. There is a version of the Foamnasium Blocksy in a faux-suede performance fabric, and with two extra half-moon-shaped wedges. Note that you are still advised to wipe the fabric covers clean versus putting them in the washing machine. This Blocksy+ is a partnership with Pottery Barn Kids and costs $150 more than the regular version, but we like the fabric on this better than the original vinyl. The dimensions and softness of the foam remains the same as the original Foamnasium Blocksy.
Pros
- Faux suede fabric upgrade
- Extra cushions
Cons
- Premium price
The Nugget also comes in a $269 version that features double-brushed microsuede (so it is extra soft) available in about a half-dozen neutral colors, and this $279 version that is a brown corduroy. All other aspects of the couch are the same.
Pros
- Plush corduroy fabric
- Same design and foam interior
Cons
- Costs a little more
A big point of difference: Foamnasium sells extra pieces. Rothman tried out the Nestled Bridges, which cost $249 on the Foamnasium site, basically the same price as the play couch. On Amazon, you can buy this $200 Foamnasium Gymnasium four-piece climber set.
Pros
- Fun extra play pieces
- Can be combined with a couch or played with on their own
Cons
- These just lean on each other, so they can slip out of place
Come to think of it, if you really need to save money and space, you could consider skipping the couch altogether and just buy these blocks for the playroom.
The Bottom Line
If we could somehow Frankenstein the two play couches together, we'd combine the best attributes of each:
• The firm, sturdy foam of the Nugget that is so great for building
• The soft microsuede or performance suede that comes with either the Nugget or the Pottery Barn Kids Foamnasium Blocksy+
• The ready-to-go unboxing experience of the Nugget
• The ability to buy extra pieces that Foamnasium provides
All told, the Nugget has an edge over the Foamnasium Blocksy for us. One tester summed it up nicely: "If you want something that is easy to move and very soft, perhaps if you have toddlers, the Foamnasium is a good option. The bonus of being able to purchase additional pieces is a huge benefit but also expensive. If you want something that kids can use to build a great fort, plus a firm sitting spot that everyone from toddlers to Grandma will enjoy, I think the Nugget is the best choice. You'll get more use and longevity from The Nugget over the Foamnasium, in my opinion."
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
The Good Housekeeping Institute has been testing consumer products for more than a century, not just in Labs but in home environments where we gather real-use feedback.
This side-by-side comparison of the Nugget and Foamnasium Blocksy was overseen by both Lexie Sachs, our Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab executive director who holds a degree in fiber science from Cornell University and is a mom of two, as well as Rachel Rothman, our chief technologist and executive technical director who has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania and is a mom of three.
This article was written by contributing writer Jessica Hartshorn who graduated with a journalism degree from Pennsylvania State University. Hartshorn is the former entertainment editor at Parents magazine, where she covered the toy- and baby-gear markets, and a mom of two.
Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.
Rachel Rothman was the chief technologist and executive technical director of the Good Housekeeping Institute for over 15 years, overseeing testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also managed GH's research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems.
