Glow Crazy Distance Doodler and Glow To Go {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, skyrobinson!}

When I was a kid, one of the "in" things to do was to have those small, plastic glow-in-the-dark stars stuck all over your room. Remember the ones? They used that tacky, gum-like substance that claimed to not leave marks on your walls and ceiling?

I'm guessing that my mom begged to differ when she saw a million little circular marks leftover after those stars finally came back down.

The point, however, was that glow-in-the-dark cool then and glow-in-the-dark is cool now. There's just something about items that illuminate and shine when all else is in the shadows that is a bit magical to kids as well as adults.

But the cheap plastic stars of my youth are gone and today kids have a craze that is much more fun, intriguing and entrancing: Glow Crazy.

Designed for children ages 3 - 12 (but captivating to all ages), Glow Crazy allows the user to have the chance to design their own unique glowing art with just a touch of a button. Great for car trips, sleepovers, anywhere in the dark and at nighttime, the Glow Crazy laser pen works up close or more than 10 feet away - simply point it, press the button and draw!

Knowing immediately that the concept of Glow Crazy would appeal to my girls, when the Glow Crazy Distance Doodler and the Glow Crazy Glow To Go arrived, I was looking forward to seeing how surprised and excited they were by being told to color on the walls.

The Glow Crazy Distance Doodler is the ultimate in glow-in-the-dark coloring and comes with everything you need to get started with this innovative technology. As I pulled the items out of the box, I was happy to see that other than installing batteries (four AAA that are not included), there wasn't much to do to get started doodling.

This set comes complete with one Dual Action Magic Light Wand, two Large Reusable Wall Canvas Clings, four Stencils and an Instruction Booklet. Simply peel the backing off of the canvas and stick it to the wall, turn off the lights and doodle away! Or, if a standard rectangle on the wall or ceiling isn't your thing, the canvas can be cut into any number of shapes and sizes to extend the creativity even further.

We opted to use magnet clips to hang the canvases in our playroom while we decide on a more permanent location and the girls got right to work on making glowing doodles. Even though it wasn't dark in the room, they were still amazed at the way the light appeared and made any number of designs and images.

Although I wondered if they would have trouble maneuvering the laser pen and holding the buttons down (there is one that projects a small beam of light and one that projects a larger one) the entire time they were doodling, it turned out that I didn't need to worry - Big Sister E and Little Sister B immediately grasped the concept and loved every minute of it.

At the same time, we found that the Glow Crazy Glow To Go provided the same imaginative, curious, magical experience, only in a smaller, more portable way.

This portfolio-type toy comes with one Glow To Go Case, one Light Wand (which is attached by a string so that it won't get lost), four Stencil Sheets and a Fun Tip Booklet. Just right for traveling or just doodling fun on a smaller scale, I appreciated that the Glow To Go has all of the Glow Crazy features in a compact package and even has a zippered pocket for extra storage.

We found that making smaller, more precise drawings and using the stencils was easier to manage on the Glow To Go, but that the level of excitement about the possibilities was still the same!

Whether they were scribbling, drawing, stenciling, playing games or more, my kids have had a great time experiencing the variety of possibilities that Glow Crazy can provide. The innovative technology allows for individual or group play and no matter if it is light or dark in our house, they've returned time and time again to continue coloring!

Glow Crazy images last in the dark for approximately three minutes as they fade slowly away, which has made it possible for the kids to enjoy what they have created yet not have to wait too long before trying something new.

For more of a permanent glow paint, Glow Crazy's Glowtivity Center gives kids the ability to draw online with five paint colors to choose from and no mess! You can also print other fun Glow Crazy stencils, paper folding activities and more.

Both the Distance Doodler and Glow To Go are recommended for ages 3+ (the Distance Doodler actually is for 6+), but neither of my kids had any problems understanding or playing with them. We love the way that they provide a new experience each time that is totally dependent on creativity and imagination!

For more information or to make a purchase, visit GlowCrazy.com... right now the Distance Doodler is on sale for $19.99 (plus shipping & handling) and comes with the Glow Crazy Dual Beam Glow Wand, four Stencils, three sheets of Reusable Jumbo Wall Canvases, three sheets of Limited Edition Colored Canvases, a Tip Book and a bonus Wide Beam Glow Wand!

Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person will soon be able to see their kids entertained by doodling in the dark, because...

One lucky person will win a Glow Crazy Distance Doodler!

To enter to win: Visit the Glow Crazy and tell me something you learned there or why the child in your life would enjoy these innovative doodlers.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

2 Extra Entries if you Like Glow Crazy on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry if you follow Glow Crazy on Twitter.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

WIN a @GlowCrazy Distance Doodler and have endless glow-in-the-dark fun! http://bit.ly/p78jB2 @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #win

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on October 6th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Glow Crazy for providing a Distance Doodler and Glow To Go for me for review as well as a Distance Doodler for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.