Toy Review: Groovy Scrapbook Kit by Alex

 

Confession: I’m on board with the retro look that has made its comeback. (Fashion is SUCH a what-goes-around-comes-around industry. Bag up your old clothes because they’ll inevitably be hip again in a few years.) Give me some glitter, flared jeans, and an UglyDoll, and I’m good to go. In the spirit of this trend, award-winning toy manufacturer Alex came out with the Groovy Scrapbook Kit, which was exclusive to Learning Express for the 2009 holiday season. (Check out my previous post about exclusive product development.)

If you’ll ever be in the market for a girl’s birthday gift (and let’s face it, who won’t be?), you’ll want to stick around for this one. Here’s the lowdown, according to the Toy Talker’s three Fs of toy quality:

Form

The Groovy Scrapbook definitely has a tween vibe, but it’s designed for any girl over the age of 6 who enjoys arts and crafts. The packaging is colorful and appealing, and the box measures 12" x 12", which will look great when it’s wrapped up.

The kit includes the following:

- 10" x 10" 48-page hardbound spiral scrapbook with a psychedelic cover design
- 10 papers (4 patterned, 6 solid color)
- 333 stickers, including frames and borders
- 5 buttons
- Multi-colored sequins
- 2 ribbons
- A fabric flower
- A stencil
- Zig zag scissors
- A marker
- A gluestick
- Easy instructions (in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese)

All the paper is acid-free so photos will be properly preserved. I had to get up to get a pencil, some straight scissors, and some additional marker colors, but otherwise everything was included. (Obviously, you need to collect any photos or memorabilia you want to scrapbook.)

Function

The scrapbook itself is good quality and feels like it’ll hold up through the years, even when it’s loaded down with stuff glued to every page. The scissors were sharp enough to make a nice, clean scalloped cut, but not sharp enough to be dangerous. The glue stick worked. (This may seem minor, but if you’ve ever gotten a non-sticky glue stick you’ll sympathize.) The stencil didn’t bleed, and the marker lived up to expectation. (Note: It’s purple, which looks great on some colors of paper, but not so great on others. You’ll want more color choices any way to get that far-out look.) My favorite items (other than the sequins) were the miniature photo frames. Super cute and just big enough for a snapshot of a smiling face.

Fun

Opening up the kit and going through all the bits and pieces was delightful. Any girl who likes to create will enjoy sitting down with this and designing the pages. My favorite thing about the Groovy Scrapbook is that it leaves room for so much creativity. Everything in the box can be used multiple ways, and it’s a project you can come back to again and again as you build, “Peace, Love & Memories.”

Happy shopping!

- Toy Talker

The Groovy Scrapbook is available for purchase at many of our Learning Express locations. Find one near you.