First, I’m going to give you some background info. I grew up on Crayola. All Crayola. Which has some amazing products, but since then other brands have created some spectacular products.
My partner and I met in art school, eons ago. We both have a weakness when shopping for art supplies, especially for our daughter. I love testing out new materials. I always convince myself that the creative outcome will exceed the cost. I’m not talking about selling artwork, but skills gained, especially for youth. (I’ll get more into that in a different blog post.)
My goal for reviews is to objectively inspect and test these products for you. That way you don’t waste you money on things that don’t work. (Especially true with kids supplies!)
OK SO…
I’ve been prepping this blog post for just over 8 months now, so we’re going to get into the nitty gritty details of these little cuties! Believe me, you might buy these highlighter/markers for the child in your life, but you’re going to be tempted to keep them for yourself. (I’m not just saying that. I have my own set now, in addition to my daughter’s.)
First, let’s cover looks of these wee lil guys. They’re so stinking cute! I really appreciate that they’re gender neutral and fluorescent. (You’ll learn quickly that I love neon.) Each one has a goofy face, with fun emotions that seem to match the color. Which is a detail I appreciate! They’re 3″ tall and their total case is 3″x3″, which brings me to their functionality.
The case. Their size. All are perfect for throwing it in your travel bag, car, etc, to keep your kids occupied. Each lil monster has their own bed to return to and they don’t fall out. We have a million markers and these are the ONLY ONES that have all their original members. They always remain in their complete set. I have a 3 year old, y’all. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve ever said that.
Take the caps off and they all have a different scent. Strawberry, orange, banana, melon, blueberry, and grape. Some are a dead ringer, some not so much. Does it keep my child from smelling them and walking around with green marker smeared below her nose? NOPE. Smells are fun, but I want to know that they actually work. The quick answer is yes, very very well.
My awesome sister-in-law purchased these for my daughter on Christmas of 2020. In February, one poor guy got neglected, walked the plank, and lost his head. The next afternoon, I found the cap on the floor. It was green too, Ladybug’s favorite color. Bracing myself for the endless grief she would go through from losing her favorite green monster, I tested it out. HOLY GRAIL OF KIDS MARKERS, it still worked! (The cap had been off for 24+ hours.) Since then they travel just about everywhere with us. They’re perfect to fit inside the cupholder of her carseat and they’re still going strong to this day. (Unlike our Crayola ones.) We usually snap together a sketchbook, grab the monsters, and we’re off! (I’ll have to do our simple sketchbook tutorial later.)
There’s a bonus; I just noticed this too. On the bottom there’s a little ring where you could put a string through to create a little monster necklace! (It’s not the cap-side where they would fall off, but on the end of the body of the marker.) A travel necklace is kind of brilliant. I guess I know what I’m doing later this week!
Wait, double bonus, I didn’t even talk about price yet. They’re $4.50! Less than five bucks. When I figured out how awesome these were I ordered some for the Parcel Arts Shop, along with some other fun OOLY products. Stay tuned for more reviews! Until then, stay creative folks!
