Top 10 Spy Kids Gadgets We All Wanted

Not wanting to be overshadowed by the iconic gadgets of the original trilogy, “All the Time in the World” introduced a handful of sweet new gadgets to the world of Spy Kids, such as the Hammer Hands and Stompers. When Cecil and Rebecca are given the opportunity to keep some souvenirs from the abandoned Spy Kids division warehouse, Cecil is immediately drawn to these gadgets and we can’t blame him. According to Carmen, they use “electron fields to create superhuman impact force.” Basically, they give your hands and feet super strength. As if that weren’t cool enough, they also glow in the dark, letting you clobber enemies in style.

In “Spy Kids 3-D,” Juni has to enter and complete a virtual reality game titled “Game Over” in order to free his sister and save the world. To enter the game, Juni wears special VR glasses that transport his consciousness inside, and at the end of the movie, when the Toymaker’s giant robot runs amok in the real world, Juni and his family have to wear the glasses in order to see it. We all wanted these glasses so that we could also play “Game Over,” and since theaters gave out 3-D glasses that looked just like Juni’s, we got to feel like we were part of the adventure for just a little while.

Despite the demand certainly being there, scientists still haven't quite figured out how to make a consumer-ready jetpack, suitable for mass production. Juni and Carmen’s inventor uncle Machete however, figured it out, and all we can say is “we’ll take one, please.” Uncle Machete’s Buddy Packs made their way into a few “Spy Kids” movies and each time they’re totally awesome, reaching outrageous speeds and looking all kinds of epic. Everybody who grew up on “Spy Kids” remembers the jetpack chase scene from the first movie, and we’d be willing to bet that Uncle Machete’s Buddy Packs have had starring roles in more than a few peoples’ childhood fantasies.

Cecil’s Hammer Hands and Stompers are definitely cool, but the cream of the crop in terms of the new gadgets in the most recent “Spy Kids” has to be Rebecca’s Field Ambush Supplies. Essentially a secret agent backpack, the Ambush Supplies kit contains tons of tools that come in handy for spy work, like the powerful Electric Whip Rebecca uses to fight and the classic Electroshock Gumballs from the first “Spy Kids”. While Carmen explains that the Ambush Supplies kit is supposed to be for creating booby-traps on the move, she also mentions that it can be used for pranks, which definitely gives us some ideas that we’d like to try out.

“The Island of Lost Dreams” wastes no time in introducing new gadgets to the “Spy Kids” universe that made all of us kids green with envy. Right out of the gate, Juni and Carmen are given these wrist apparatuses that aid them in scaling an amusement park ride in order to save the president’s daughter. Watching Juni and Carmen climb up the ride like Spider-Man had us desperate to try out the gadget for ourselves. Though their mission is cut in on by Gary and Gerti with what they claim to be a superior means of climbing the ride, we still think that Juni and Carmen’s climbing gadgets are way cooler.

There’s quite a bit of modern technology that “Spy Kids” showcased back in the early 2000s before it was popularized in the mainstream: video calls, watches that could connect to the internet, and even the Google Glass. Introduced in the first “Spy Kids,” and popping up in other entries as well, Spy Glasses are an iconic staple of the series. These gadgets let the wearer visualize maps, store information, and access a large O.S.S. database. Of course, they’re also oozing early 2000s style. In “Spy Kids 2,” Juni uses a presumably updated model of the Spy Glasses as binoculars, and the way that the glasses zoom in on a target always had us going back to see it again.

Most of the gadgets on this list sadly don’t exist in real life, so when playing Spy Kids, we had to make do with our imaginations. The Machete Elastic Wonder however, can be found in pretty much any household’s kitchen, cupboards, or drawers. Yeah, it may just be a rubber band, but like Machete says, “it’s also the world’s greatest gadget.” In introducing the Elastic Wonder, and having it be the gadget that saves the day in “The Island of Lost Dreams,” Spy Kids gave all of us a tangible link to the world that we all wished we were a part of. With “999” uses that they have to figure out on their own, the Elastic Wonder inspired hours of fun.

Every kid wants a weird pet that’s unique to them. Better still if that pet is also the product of advanced, secret, robotic engineering. Juni’s spy bug R.A.L.P.H. definitely appeared on some kids’ wish lists after the release of “Spy Kids 2,” and fair enough! Juni can communicate with R.A.L.P.H. remotely and have it spy on people without them knowing, which gives Juni an incredible tactical edge in his spy work. But let’s be honest: we mostly like R.A.L.P.H. because of the way it jumps and swings through its environment and its incredibly toyetic design. R.A.L.P.H. is simply a way better pet than your average goldfish!

Even in this age of computers that can fit into our pockets, the novelty of Spy Watches still captures our imaginations. The Spy Watch appears in multiple “Spy Kids” movies and it’s easy to see why. The idea of having an incredibly powerful computerized tool strapped to your wrist is never not awesome, and with each “Spy Kids” movie, we got to see more and more of what these gadgets could do. Built-in satellite dishes, internet connectivity, cell phones, and so much more, these gadgets were iPhones before iPhones existed, and we’d still prefer the Spy Watch any day.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Acid Crayon
Ordinary, Everyday Coloring Tool Turned Steel-Melting Spy Necessity

Flying Pigtails
It’s Unclear What Device Gerti Has in Her Hair That Lets Her Fly the Way She Does, But We Want It

The World’s Smallest Camera
It’s the Size of a Pinprick. You Can’t See It, But It Sees You!

Carmen’s Glove
Even Though It’s Never Actually Used for Anything, It Just Looks So Cool

Machete Electroshock Gumballs
What Could Be Better Than Candy That’s Also a Weapon?

The microwave-like appliance from the first “Spy Kids” is probably the least realistic gadget on this list, so of course it’s the one we’re most desperate for. Stored in the Cortez safehouse, this rehydrator has the unique ability to turn popcorn-style bags - or color coded packets - into entire meals. True to the wish fulfillment of the “Spy Kids” series, it appears that most of the meals you can make are junk food. We’re not complaining though. Even as adults, when we see Carmen pull a full MacDonald’s happy meal out of the machine, we’re hopelessly wishing that we could install one in our kitchens. If only.