Want to Keep Your Kids Busy This Summer? Check Out this Review of Blankz – and Don’t Miss the Giveaway!

Summer can be a blessing or a curse. Here in the Midwest, we’ve been going through a heat wave that’s unbelievable. Worse? Our first rain in 30 days wasn’t even close to enough to dampen all of the dry dust that has resulted from the heat. Because of this, we’ve been spending a lot of time inside. My son is 3 and LOVES the outdoors, so that means I have to find creative things for him to do to keep him occupied. I was elated to have the opportunity to review Blankz because it was just what I had been looking for. Not too complicated for a toddler and just as much fun for an adult!

My Review of Blankz “No Bully”

As a member of the Pitch List and in order to facilitate this review, I received a Blankz, courtesy of Always Been Creative, Inc. I have to admit, the concept is really cool. Blankz are washable stuffed animals that can be decorated with the accompanying washable markers. Whenever your child decides that his or her animal should have a different design, just pop it in the wash, dry and color again! The Blankz that I received was the “No Bully”, pictured below.

As you can see, “No Bully” is an adorable little bull. My son was at his G.G.’s house when it arrived, so I was able to put it up before he got home. Then we used it as leverage to get him to eat his veggies at dinner time. (Thank you, Blankz!) Yes, sometimes bribery does work and in this case it did. My little boy was so determined to get that little bull that he ate every bite! I chalk that up to the colorful box and clear display that allowed him to see what was inside.

So what comes with a Blankz? Here’s what you’ll get…

Now, like I said, my son was excited. He wanted me to take several pictures of him with his Blankz, which he was calling “Bully,” when I finally gave it to him. Just look at the excitement on his face!

These are the pictures that mommies love. Well, at least the ones that this mommy loves! It puts a huge smile on my face to see a huge smile on his. But that smile on his face was quickly trumped by the excitement that had built up inside of him. Almost as quickly as I snapped the picture he started having a cow because he wanted that box open so that he could play with “Bully!”

I tried to open the box as carefully as I could, but he started ripping at it as well and things started flying out of the box. Thank goodness the markers were double packaged! Who knows what he would have done if he thought he was missing a marker…lol! Seriously though, my son was in love. When we pulled the product out of the box, he gave it the biggest hug. And, yeah, I snapped a picture of that, too!

Yes, as you can see, he has the markers in one hand and the “No Bully” in the other. He was ready to go, but wanted to give Bully a welcome hug before we got started with the coloring. In all honesty, I’m not sure that my son really wanted to color Bully, but once I gave the little guy some eyes and a mouth, he was grabbing markers and going to town!

The markers were very easy to use and the color went on the Blankz quite easily with practically no effort. Bully was quickly covered in marker! My son and I both kind of went crazy with him and drew all kinds of cool designs, scribbles and just whatever we felt like drawing. My son thought it was cool because he normally gets in trouble for drawing on stuff, so this was like a dream come true!

What We LOVED about Blankz

We had a whole lot of fun with Blankz from the very beginning. I said it above, but I’ll say it again, my son loved it and I did, too! It was easy to color and held the color amazingly well. I was wondering if the color would seep into it and fade as it dried, but that wasn’t an issue at all. Three days later, it looked just like it did the night we colored it, only it was dry to the touch. I think this will be great for road trips, night time play and days that we just want to stay inside due to the weather.

The colors also wash right off with a quick run through the washing machine, so it’s a toy that can be decorated again and again! Blankz sell for $14.99 each, which I think is a great price for a product that your kids are likely to get a whole lot of use from. Want to check out the other Blankz? Check out the Series 1 Blankz here – you can purchase them if you wish.

The other thing about Blankz? It was amazingly soft. I didn’t expect that when I saw it in the box because the fabric looks so porous. I was pleasantly surprised and I think my son was as well!

What You Should Know About Blankz

Now, what I’m about to say is something that most of us moms already know. However, for the sake of thoroughness, I think it’s important to mention that when kids play with markers, the ink tends to get all over their hands. In this case, if you let your child hug the animal right after you’ve colored it, you should assume that it will get on their clothing, hands, face, etc. as well. The good news? The markers that come with Blankz are washable, which is really what makes this so much fun – because you can wash it whenever you want and draw on it all over again! Oh, and for ink that gets on the skin? I used Ivory soap on it and it came right off with no problem.

Our Blankz took a few days to dry as well, so I think my son might have colored a little hard with the markers or maybe I did…lol! Either way, if you are worried about the ink getting on clothing, my suggestion would be to make sure that your kids are wearing dark colors when they play with it. This eliminates a lot of the worry of potentially staining a cute outfit. I mean, the markers are washable, but I didn’t want to attempt to try them out on white or light colored clothing that my son has somehow managed not to stain!

My Overall Opinion of Blankz

I think Blankz are fabulous! Yes, some might find the ink messy or frustrating when it gets all over little hands, but I encourage creativity, so I don’t mind one bit. With a little soap and water, it comes right off of my son’s hands and mine as well. I feel that there is a good selection to choose from and that these would make a fabulous gift.  With similar products selling for up to $10 more in stores, I think that Blankz is a bargain and a toy that practically any child will love. And you know what? When the kids are happy and occupied, I’m happy!

Which Blankz is your favorite?