When I was a kid, my mom taught me how to blow bubbles with a bar of soap and a wooden spool. But as technology moves forward and toy companies race to come up with the next great product, our bubble options have greatly expanded. In February, after two decades of research, Crayola released a new bubble solution that makes brightly colored bubbles. But is it too good to be true?
According to the Wall Street Journal, Crayola's new Washable Colored Bubbles are causing many parents to see red. The problem? When the bubbles pop on various surfaces, the color is, according to some, not so washable after all. And many parents say that the pigments don't wash off of skin very easily either.
The response on the Crayola website is to specify exactly how and where the bubbles should be used. The new guidelines include instructions like "Saturday sweats, not Sunday best" regarding what clothes to wear while playing, advice to only play in the grass, and tips about how to wash clothes and outdoor surfaces.
The photo above? Read about that mom's hands-on experience with these colored bubbles at Cafe Mom.
We're curious what our readers think. Has anyone had experience with the colored bubbles? Do you mind stubborn spots on the driveway or a temporarily Smurf blue child? Let us know in the comments!
(Top image: Crayola Store bottom image: cafemom)
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Seriously, what was wrong with the old uncolored bubbles ? I never even thought about BUYING a kit for bubbles... A little soap, water, a wooden stick and a string = hours of fun for nothing !
While Crayola has made some great products that are 100% washable - there are those times they make crazy stuff that is just a nightmare to clean. We got those little scribblers paints for toddlers to hold in their hands - and they got paint EVERYWHERE and stained my son's hands for days.
Sometimes I wonder if the need for 'something new' outranks the 'but is it USABLE' thought.
Thank you for the heads up though - if we do end up getting some of these, we'll know ahead of time to do it outside, in crappy clothes and to hose the kids down after!
I agree with Wallstreet Journal. We have tried those and they popped on us splattering paint on our clothes and faces- everywhere on us, but the grass. I could not wash them off. We tried everything. It was hard to get it out of the skin even.
Luckily, we were at the beach and wearing bathing suits when we tried these out. Another part of the problem is the "spill-resistant" bottle, which makes it difficult to remove the wand. You end up using too much force to get it out, then flinging the colored liquid everywhere. And yes, my son's body was purple for a while...
my neice has 3D bubbles...amazing!
OMG...I literally just saw these for the first time while at Toys R Us yesterday, and thought about purchasing for my twins. I mean, colored bubbles DOES sound kinda cool. But something inside me said "naaah". And after reading this post and the comments, I'm SO glad that I listened to the voice of reason...LOL
Thanks for the heads up- I bought these to put in my sons' Easter baskets, but am seriously reconsidering after reading this post. Since I no longer have the receipt to return them, I'll probably save the colored bubbles for summer time play- in the backyard, in shorts and old t-shirts with a hose at the ready.
This is ridiculous! Colored bubbles made with a specially developed disappearing ink have been on the market for a while. http://zubbles.com/ They are darker in color and the ink fades naturally in 24 hours or instantly with rubbing and water.
They were developed by two very passionate individuals who had to formulate the ink from the chemistry up. When I first opened this story I was hoping Crayola had finally licensed the Zubbles formula but I'm sad to see that they decided to just release their own inferior product rather than encourage real innovation. A pity, Crayola.
This is a seriously gross product. I scooped up a starter pack plus two extra colors before a beach vacation, thinking they could be nothing but fun...
Thankfully we first tried them at the beach, because what a mess!
---The spill proof containers suck. As you pull out the wands, the bubble goo splatters all over you, and there is no way around it. And guess what? Knock them over, and yep, the goo still spills out, just slowllllllyyyyy.
---Oh, did I mention goo? the bubble solution is thick and weirdly gloppy. Its got a great intense color, true, but its slimy and doesnt even blow great bubbles.
---An added fun feature is that seagulls think its food. The spilled color on the sand is so intense that seagulls swarmed around us and dove right in, trying to eat the sand. Funny at first, but soon we were surrounded by at least 40 of them, and I felt like I was in a horror movie.
We got the bubble "gun" and some extra bottles. They are fun and the bubbles are brightly colored. Bubbles land on the grass and bushes and don't pop immediately. Yes, they are messy but so what? Messy is fun! And they washed out of my 8yo's clothes just fine. She loves them. But we will probably just refill the bottles with regular bubble solution.
I don't trust Crayola at all. Our bathroom walls (sigh, rental) are stained from bathtub crayons.
And the "washable" markers and crayons are lousy.
Do not buy these! My kids got them as a gift and our front step is still pink from the red bubbles getting knocked over by the dog.
Clear bubbles are best. Some things should not be messed with.
we bought the pink ones. the leak proof bottle is awful; they dripped all over the place. it looked like someone was shot on our back porch. and the bubbles themselves weren't great - the bubble solution is goopy, and they didn't blow that well. fortunately, we had a huge rainstorm later that day that soaked the stains out nicely, but still, ugh. our hands were a bit stained for a while as well - but we somehow managed to miss our clothing, phew!
they stain everything- we used them in the bath and i had to scrub the walls and my daughter- then we threw them away, total waste of money!
Yep, my daughter tried them and her hands and her dress were stained red. Luckily a bath and a good washing got everything out, but it was a hassle, and not worth it.
I have to second rarcke, I too was hoping these were zubbles (at crayola prices). I guess you'll get what you pay for. When I was working at a science center we had an experiment using bubbles and dry ice and wanted colored bubbles so that you could see the action of the bubbles to better explain the science behind what was happening (which was when I learned about zubbles). I was just about to email my old coworkers about this product until I read this review. I think parents at the Family Science Festivals might be upset if they sent the kids home stained after an experiment. bummer.
These sounded great but turned out to be a nuisance. We left them at the park for somebody else to enjoy!
We bought these not knowing they would stain everything. We spent an hour cleaning our front step.
They are going to have to stop advertising these as washable. They stained our fingers instantly. It took hard scrubbing and a few days to get the color off. Plus, the bubbles barely float.
Friends of mine had a bottle spill all over their carpet. They can't get the blue dye out. They own a carpet cleaner and even after going over it several times, the dye is still there. It just won't come out. Bummer. Blue dye all over their very nice carpet.
It is a very bad sign when every single Amazon review is one star (the last time I looked). Glad I read the article in the WSJ before summer came and I was tempted to buy them!
We got the green. They were a HUGE mess. My kids are even older (6 and 9) and they had a hard time with the wand, the bubbles did not work very well, and my front steps will forever be green. I say run far far way from these. Not a good product at all.
DO NOT BUY THESE! :) Serious. The only time these bubbles would be okay would be outside completely naked.. which is not okay for kids over what, like 1? I let my kids use them in the bathtub with the plastic liner closed.. well, they spilled and ran under the plastic molding, which we had to remove to completely clean it because it would seep out every time we mopped.. it was a nightmare!!
I bought these in green as a reward for a wonderful day to my son and I agree with all the complaints. Hands, knees, feet all must be washed instantly to remove the pigment and the bottle is not spill proof it leaks and gets everywhere. If your counter gets the icky gooey stuff you must wipe it up with warm soapy water fast. Terrible product I wanted to throw away the bottle after I let him play with it on the back porch just before a very rainy day.