I WONDER Why I Spent the Money
Written: Jun 26 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great concept, Crayola's good name and reputation
Cons: Too many to list- see the review. Among them- cost, colors, quirks :-D
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| italye's Full Review: Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Paper |
I recently suffered a bout of temporary insanity. With no regard to the logistics of the situation, I packed most of our belongings and our two children (ages 4 and 1) in the car and drove 12 hours north to visit friends in Ohio. Left the husband at home, since he couldn't get off of work for the trip. With more thought given to the subject, I am guessing he was probably bright enough to not ask for the time- 12 hours locked in a car with 2 preschoolers is probably not his idea of a relaxing vacation ;-).
But I digress...
While driving with two little people not used to being confined in carseats for long periods of time, Moms have to be very creative in picking diverting activities. They have to meet certain criteria though:
1. Small enough to fit in the "car goodie bag" on the front seat
2. Easy for the kids to play with without my intervention from the front
3. Inexpensive, since most car trip toys end up in total disarray and don't survive the trip
4. Not too many pieces to get lost, requiring emergency stops from 80mph interstates to find pieces to calm upset little people.
5. Actually entertaining enough for the kids to enjoy them, thereby diverting their attention from the fact they are confined in the carseats.
Among other finds, I thought I had struck paydirt with one of Crayola's newest products- the Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Paper. It was a little expensive at $6.99 for 6 "Magic" color markers in primary colors, a little mesh bag that attaches to the back of the paper pad, and the pad itself, with 30 sheets of "Color Wonder Paper". I thought that the promise of coloring fun with no potential of mess was wonderful, so I sprung for the big bucks and bought the kit.
See, this new system is supposed to be completely mess-free. The "magic" markers are designed to only place color on the "magic" paper. ( That was only slightly mocking, lol) If you try to color any other piece of paper, walls, skin, clothing, or car interiors NOTHING happens. It is completely invisible. But grab a piece of the special included paper, and colors appear seconds after running the marker over it.
Great concept- I have got to give Crayola credit for the idea. After repeatedly painting and cleaning behind my 4 year old (and anticipating more of the same from the 1- almost 2- year old) and his artistic attempts, I am all for markers that don't work anywhere but where they are supposed to. I just hope that Crayola improves on this first run of the product.
My issues with the Crayola Mess Free Color Wonder set:
1. Cost- at $6.99 for the original kit, then $4.99 for additional refill pads, this can run into big bucks quick. An hour of quality time drawing with the kids can wipe out a whole pad of paper easily.
2. The markers stink. I mean literally here, folks. The smell is pretty bad, and I am not entirely certain that I want my kids inhaling the fumes from these markers as they color. Plus, my smaller one is fond of putting pens and crayons and markers in her mouth, and I don't know if it is an entirely safe thing for her to do. While I don't encourage that activity, she seems to enjoy it even without my approval ;-D.
3. It is kinda odd to look at the marker tips that are totally without color, then see the colors appear on the paper. Ok, so that is just a quirky thing of mine, but one that just bugged me while we played.
4. Also along the "quirky complaint" line- It is REALLY odd to see colors appear seconds after you draw on the paper. See, you run the pen across the special paper, and the color slowly appears as the ink interacts with whatever chemical is in the paper. Takes a second or two, which just strikes me funny. Also makes it hard for my younger one to color in the lines- a skill she is in the very beginning stages of, and I don't want to sabotage :-D.
5. The colors just aren't bright. Crayola supplies 6 markers, all basically primary colors (black, purple, blue, red, green, yellow), and they all show up as dark, dull colors. Well, except for the yellow, which you can barely see at all on the paper. While black is supposed to be dark, I would like the other colors to show up bright and vibrant on the paper. My kids LOVE bright and vibrant :-D.
Ok, I think that wraps up my list of complaints about the marker set. Overall, I think the idea is good. Make markers that only work with special paper and don't ruin mom's new sofa. Fantastic! But.... until Crayola improves the overall product, I can't justify spending the $6.99 to buy the kit. Back to the paintbrushes and steamcleaners for this mom of well-meaning but very messy artists.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
italye
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Member: Janine
Location: North Carolina
Reviews written: 61
Trusted by: 102 members
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