I have come to the conclusion that if I would have invested in shares of Target a few years ago I would have made an investment in myself. It seems I am there at least three times a week looking for deals, steals and bargains. Lately, it’s been like hog heaven – the sea of red clearance stickers in every department as well as the after holiday push to get rid of overstock.

Until recently, I never paid much attention to the stationary section. A majority of the stock in that section was limited to butterfly stationary sets, a mile of pens that all looked the same and shopping / packaging supplies. Someone must have gone overboard when ordering the art supplies because about 30% of the items that they recently started to carry are now “reduced to move”. Translation – get to Target before the good stuff’s gone!

The Crayola Tub of Fun was something that originally didn’t appeal to my or the boys. They already had a majority of the products that were advertised on the outer packing or visible through the lid. With a suggest retail price of $12.99 it might be a good deal for kids just getting into art, but if they have a few of these items already, it’s best to just buy them individually. So what made me change my mind? It was reduced to $7.99 then again to $4.99.

The Basics

As I said, if you have a child that is just getting into the wonderful word of art, this if a great introduction set. There are more than enough supplies to keep your budding artist busy for hours on end. Unlike some art sets, this is packaged in a fairly heavy plastic tote with a recessed lid so stacking them is not a problem. This is the same size as the Mega Sidewalk Chalk set minus the handle.

One thing you have to know up front about the Crayola Tub of Fun is that you may or may not get exactly the same thing from box to box. So if you have purchased this and didn’t get a few of the items I mention, this is the reason. This is considered a sort of ‘clearing house’ type item where the odds and ends generally end up. Discontinued items, not so hot sellers and promotional items are the general fodder for this particular product [in my opinion].

The Goods

Since I purchased several of these [8 to be exact] I busted open a few of them to see what little goodies I’d be blessed with. The first box contained an 8 pack of small colored pencils, 8 pack of crayons, 4 pack of washable markers, 4 pack of glitter crayons, 6 pack of white sidewalk chalk, 4 small tubs of paint [washable], three 6” stencils [animals, shapes and numbers], a small blank coloring booklet, 4 animal shaped paint sponges, 4 glitter pens [medium sized], a Crayola Gluestick, 3 paint brushes with assorted head sizes, a small pack of stickers [about 15 total] and a pair child safe scissors [blue].

The second box was almost the same except the colors of the glitter pens, paint tubs, glitter crayons and scissors [green] were slightly different. The stickers that were in the first box were not in the second box. Instead of white sidewalk chalk, this one had colored chalk. All other items were the same.

So, for over 50 pieces [the box says “Contains over 50 pieces”] this was a fantastic bargain. But even so, curiosity got the best of me. What is this was old stock? I tried the markers first and they were perfect. Bright colors and no dry ones. The glitter pens in both sets seems a little tacky and since I never used them before I am not sure if this is the way it is supposed to be.

Things To Know

When I checked the Crayola website, this was listed as a discontinued item. Target had about 50 of them stacked up in the stationary aisle and another 10 on the shelf, all marked with clearance stickers. Finding this might be a real chore in the near future so stock up now if this is something that strikes you fancy.

All of the products in this set are non-toxic. A majority of the items are also washable, but double check before you hand over the goods to smaller children. It’s just my take but a majority of the products are geared towards younger kids – the colored pencils are the ‘half sized” ones and the paint tubs are small [flip off lids design].

The box that this comes in is very sturdy. It can easily be stacked with other Crayola ‘tub of fun’ type products, the Mega Sidewalk Chalk container and older style Chubs wipe boxes [before they reduced them in size].

Since the only paper included with this set is the small blank coloring booklet, I suggest that you stock up on thick tablets, poster-board and general doodle paper so you won’t have to worry about scrambling for things to color on.

Who Would Love This

The suggested age is 4 and up, however, it’s never too early to let a child explore the world of art. With proper parental supervision, younger children could use almost all of the products in this set. My only concern would be the sponges. Maybe it’s just my brood, but they seemed to gravitate towards sponges when they were younger usually resulting in one of them sitting in absolute silence with a Blue’s Clue’s foam footprint dangling from their mouth. While that might sound amusing, if a child worked at it enough, he or she could bite off a nice size chunk. While this is dangerous, it will surely send the child into a panic stricken state which – most times – is worse than the actual event.

This is also a great way to build up an inventory of commonly used items. I wouldn’t go completely crazy and buy the entire inventory since some of the products might dry up [markers, glue stick, glitter glue]. Since all the items are packaged the same as those that can be purchased individually, you can use them as stocking stuffers, small gifts or donate the unused items to a local homeless shelter.

Where To Buy

As I mentioned earlier, when I checked the Crayola website to see what their suggested retail price was I found that this product is no longer available. Maybe this had something to do with the price drop, maybe not. The site suggests checking Staples, Wal-Mart and Target but cannot guarantee that these places will have them in stock. A quick check at Amazon.com showed that they did have then in stock and ship within 24 hours [$12.99 plus shipping]. I checked at EBay to see if there were any up for auction, no luck.

The Bottom Line

For the rock bottom price of $4.99 this is a steal. The items included are basic yet extremely practical. From the two boxes that I opened, all the products were in excellent condition with the exception of the glitter pens that seemed a little tacky. If this type of product appeals to your, Crayola offers other products along this line including theme based products such as Winnie the Pooh, Barbie and Bob The Builder. You can also get the Activity Pack that features a plastic knapsack like tote, art supplies and picture frames to color.

As always, thanks for the visit!

^V^ Freak ^V^

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Other Crayola product reviews …

• Big MiniStampers • Doodle Pad • Watercolor Pencils • Art & Craft Brushes – 8 Count • Create-A-Kid • Collecting Keepsakes • Halloween Treat Pack • Halloween Boo Bucket • Washable Water Colors – 8 Color • Pencil Pouch • Crayola Crayons – 24 Count • Metallic Crayons • Superfine Markers – 5 Count • Gel FX Washable Markers • Tub of Fun • Crayola Sketch Pad • Point Tip Scissors • Sidewalk Chalk – Chicks & Eggs • Art & Craft Brushes – 4 Count • Twistables – 16 Count • Stack-N-Store Art Tower • Washable Water Colors – 24 Color • Sidewalk Chalk – Animal Assortment • Crayola Lap Desk • Click ‘Em On Washable Markers • Washable Markers – 16 Count • Alphabet & Number Pad • Blunt Tip Scissors • Spinning Desk Top Organizer • Crayola Online Store •



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): $4.99 - sale
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Whole Family