Earlier this week, toy executives, buyers, marketers, members of the press and many other professionals descended on New York City for Toy Fair 2011. Put on by the Toy Industry Association, Toy Fair was expected to attract over 25,000 attendees viewed over 100,000 products. We are taking a look this week at some of the more popular offerings.
Whenever I'm shopping for a gift for a kid and I'm not sure what to get, I usually wind up in the Crayola aisle of my local store. I find their products to be a good value and welcome by both the gift recipient and their parent. That's why I was so excited to hear about the line's latest products for 2011.
They include:
- Glow Explosion Sand Art Sculptures -- kids can make glow-in-the-dark sand art with bright, glowing colors. Ages 6 and up; about $9.99.
- Washable Glow Chalk -- color at night thanks to glowing chalk you make yourself. Ages 6 and up; about $9.99.
- Washable Colored Bubble Launcher -- a really cool outdoor toy that launches bubbles in different colors. Ages 4 and up; about $14.99.
- Crayola Story Studio Comic Maker: Spiderman, Crayola Story Studio Fairy Tale Maker: Disney Princess and Crayola Story Studio Adventure Maker: Disney-Pixar Cars 2 -- a web-based application that lets kids change their photos into cartoon characters that they can then put into a comic book. Ages 5 and up; about $9.99 each.
- The newest offering from Crayola ColorStudio HD (created with partner Griffin Technology) is a digital stylus called the iMarker that lets kids turn an iPad into an interactive coloring book, complete with images and music. Kids can "draw" with a crayon, "paint" with a brush or "write" with a colored pencil and access hundreds of pieces of themed art. Ages 3 and up; about $29.99.
- Mess Free Color Wonder Metallic Paper -- the mess-free marker and paper system in new bright color. Ages 3 and up; about $9.99.
- 3D Dry-Erase Activity Set -- a dry-erase surface that allows kids to make 3D art without glasses. Ages 5 and up; about $12,99.
Crayola Glow Explosion Sand Art Sculptures, Washable Glow Chalk, Mess Free Color Wonder Metallic Paper, Washable Colored Bubbles and the 3D Dry-Erase Activity Set will be on-shelf at major retailers nationwide beginning in February. The Crayola ColorStudio HD and iMarker will be available in April, and the Crayola Story Studio series of activity kits will be in stores beginning Aug. 1.
What is your favorite color crayon?