Friday, March 29, 2013

Manhattan Toy Imagine I Can Series {Review & Giveaway}

Manhattan Toy logo
If there's one thing that my girls love to do, it is arts & crafts projects. Even just a glimpse of some paints or glitter glue will start the Oooh, can we... and I know! We can... as their minds start to whirl.

But, after a while, I have a hard time coming up with anything more creative for them other than a stack of paper, glue and markers... which usually just ends up a sticky pile that gets thrown away due to the lack of interest in really doing anything with it.

What they (and I) typically need is to be pointed in a general direction. Once we're provided with ideas for something unique and fun to do, it's not long before we're inspired to come up with something original and imaginative.

Even better, when everything we need is all together in one creative, affordable kit from Manhattan Toy, we know that we're in for a really great time.

Manhattan Toy Imagine I Can series

On a mission to inspire imaginative play so kids and moms smile, Manhattan Toy was founded in 1979 and has been introducing delightful new toys ever since. Most recently, the launch of the brand new Imagine I Can series of 28 appealing arts & crafts, do-it-yourself, role-play, puppet kits and more are already proving that Manhattan Toy knows how to encourage entertainment and creativity.

With topics including knitting, pet rocks, castles, caterpillars and fairies in prices ranging from $5 to $20, the hardest decision is narrowing down the Imagine I Can options to just one favorite. Painting, coloring, constructing, building — how to decide?

Manhattan Toy Imagine I Can

Fortunately, we were able to see three of these innovative kits in person to get an idea of how much fun they all could provide.

As I looked over the Create-A-Puppet Alligator, Create & Color Puppy and the Sew Sweet kits, I was immediately impressed that Manhattan Toy had included every piece and tool needed all in one convenient package. Whether pulling one of these out to keep a child occupied during traveling or at home on a rainy day, it was all here ready and waiting.

With the girls and I headed on a spring break vacation, I knew that these kits would be the perfect thing to pack to keep them busy during the flight or while passing some downtime on the trip. Sure enough, when I pulled them out, their eyes widened with interest.

Imagine I Can Create and Color Puppy

I don't think that the Imagine I Can Create & Color Puppy kit could have been any more intuitive and easy to complete. All I had to do was hand over the sturdy cardboard pieces for Little Sister B to color (Big Sister E ended up joining in as well) and punch out and then assembling them into the dog was as simple as matching one number to its partner in the provided slots.

What started out as two sets of blank pieces...

cardboard puppy design

...soon turned into a colorful, creative, artistic (maybe if you squint really hard?) dog...

cardboard dog kit

...that both girls were thrilled over.

kids art kit
Manhattan Toy even includes a cute background scene to color and cut out right from the inside of the box! (Unfortunately someone here went a little overboard with the scissors and cut it into pieces, but I thought it was great that it was there in the first place.

At the same time, the Imagine I Can Create-A-Puppet Alligator provided Big Sister E with an easy way to practice following directions as she folded and assembled each of the pieces using the provided double-sided tape strips.

cardboard alligator design

By completing each step on the instruction sheet...

Manhattan Toy directions

...she soon turned a piled of colorful pieces and tape into an adorable, friendly alligator pal!

Manhattan Toy alligator

We found that the small double-sided tape wasn't quite enough to hold the alligator's spikes in place along the top of his mouth, but a little extra tape solved that problem with ease. Once that was set, Al the Alligator was ready for play!

Imagine I Can Alligator
I love that Manhattan Toy even added in the small handles on the inside of the alligator to make it even easier to open and close his mouth.

Both the Create & Color Puppy and Create-A-Puppet Alligator kits are designed for ages 3+ so I had no doubt that my kids would be able to complete them without any struggles (which ended up being the case).

However, my initial concerns about the Imagine I Can Sew Sweet kit and it's 8+ age recommendation were dashed not long after Big Sister E and I looked over the tremendous amount of supplies that were all fit into the adorable storage tin.

Imagine I Can Sew Sweet

Including simple patterns, needles, thread, pre-cut felt shapes, a variety of beads, and more, it wasn't hard to begin turning the individual pieces into adorable first sewing projects. Just match up the correct pieces of felt and carefully sew them together, adding stuffing or beads for embellishment!

Big Sister E and I ended up sharing the work, as she tried her best to handle a needle and thread for the first time...

Manhattan Toy sewing kit

...but was still extremely pleased and proud of two days' worth of work coming together in the form of one cute, soft puppy.

Manhattan Toy Sew Sweet review

We're already making plans for when we can sew together butterflies, flowers, an owl and more! I appreciate the way that Manhattan Toy designed this kit with various levels, making it possible to increase or decrease the difficulty on each individual project.

By the time we had completed all three of these kits, we found ourselves big fans of Imagine I Can and the way that each of these innovative packages can provide fun, learning, development, creativity and more all in a compact, portable container. Heck, the Sew Sweet tin is so darn cute that it could be used as a lunchbox!

cute lunchboxAppealing to boys and girls and easily labeled for ages 3+, 6+
and 8+ years old, the full collection of Imagine I Can Make It Myself Kits, Games and Role Play Kits will stay on our list of possible birthday gifts and items to reach for in the future that are guaranteed to provide family fun (or make amazing travel entertainment)!

Find out more about the Imagine I Can line as well as all of Manhattan Toy's unique and amazing products by visiting ManhattanToy.com and connecting with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person will soon be able to provide some creativity and laughter for the child in their life, because...

One lucky person will win their choice of one of the 28 Imagine I Can kits from Manhattan Toy!



A big thank you to Manhattan Toy for providing three Imagine I Can kits for me to review as well as the kit of choice 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.

122 comments:

Nancy said...

I like the Imagine I Can Sew Sweet kit

ide2678 said...

I like the Imagine I Can Pirate Treasure

Jonathan Baker said...

I think I would pick the Imagine I Can Feel Better MD kit; my son loves playing doctor!

~ Noelle said...

oh how cute are all of these?
i am torn... i would probably pick the pirate one or the md one.. according to what mood my son is in that day. he LOVES both :)

kellythom747 said...

I thought the sewing one was great

Kayla said...

I would pick the Imagine I Can Shape Stack for my daughter :).

Yvonne W. said...

I would love to win the Craft Erasers Making Kit for my 13 yr old niece Jenah.

Thank you to you and the sponsor for this giveaway opportunity.

manifestmiracles@live.com

My Recent Favorite Books said...

Great review!
The products look great!

Unknown said...

Imagine I Can Creative Color Sticker Clings

Lori said...


Imagine I Can Cheese Chase sounds fun

Julie Lynn Bickham said...

I would pick the Imagine I Can Sew Sweet for my daughter.

Anonymous said...

Imagine I Can Finger Paint

Unknown said...

My nephew would love Imagine I Can Feel Better MD! :-)

s said...

Imagine I Can Pirate Treasures

Natalie Parvis-Nichols said...

Imagine I Can Lace & Play Ram

Darlene said...

I would love the Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun

john said...

I can Play Fish

Dave said...

Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun

Anonymous said...

I like the imagine it fish one where they put it together in different ways.

Jennifer T. said...

I;d pick the Imagine I Can Create & Color Princess.
jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com

mecarolks said...

I like the Imagine I Can Pet Rock Pals.

Bethany C. said...

I like the Imagine I Can Fairy Enchanted.

Sylvia said...

I like the Pirate treasure

Mayla Moore said...

I would choose the Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun.

SueZH said...

I Can Fairy
Enchanted looks like fun.

janetfaye said...

I like Imagine I Can Pet Rock Pals.

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

aperry said...

Imagine I Can Pirate Treasures

BrunoDogg2 said...

I would pick the Imagine I Can Secret Agent Spy Gear for my sons!

sdavis said...

i like the Imagine I Can Fairy Enchanted

Unknown said...

Imagine I Can Pirate Treasures. Thanks so much for the fantastic giveaway!
Reneewalters3 at yahoo dot com

MirandAck said...

Definitely the doctor kit.

MirandAck said...

Definitely the doctor kit.

brnmanis said...

fairy enchanted

Unknown said...

I like the Imagine I Can Feel Better MD kit.

wigget said...

i like the Imagine I Can Sew Sweet

Unknown said...

Imagine I Can Feel Better MD

Unknown said...

Imagine I Can Lace & Play Ram

Victoria Nyquist said...

I would definitely pick the Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun

iggysaysno said...

Imagine I Can Pirate Treasures

iggysaysno said...

Imagine I Can Pirate Treasures

Debra said...

Imagine I Can Feel Better MD

Selinda said...

I'd like the Imagine I Can Crafty Eraser Creations!

Thanks,

selinda_mccumbers at yahoo.com

krun said...

Definitely the Pirate Treasure!

Tamar said...

Imagine I Can Secret Agent Spy Gear

Bo said...

I would pick the Imagine I Can Knitting Beginnings!

Madelyn Sue said...

Fingerpaint Fun! My 3.5 year old son would LOVE that.

Growl Tiger said...

I like the FSX monster truck 1.0

Tammy1409 said...

My kids would love the Finger Paint Kit

walk9 said...

Sew Sweet kit

LaurKnotter said...

I love the Grinch toy! So cute!

hoeyhooper said...

winit today!!

Unknown said...

Imagine I Can Create-A-Puppet Giraffe

Shani F. said...

Imagine I can Sew Sweet

Robert said...

Imagine I can knitting beginnings

amy m said...

Imagine I can knit! So much fun!

Cserafini said...

Pirate treasures.

john said...

I CAN FINGER PAINT

JJ said...

Imagine I Can Knitting Beginnings for my youngest daughter. Thanks gahome2mom

Andrea said...

Imagine I Can Castle Climb!

K.Pugh said...

FSX Monster Truck
Thanks for the chance

huntcm74 said...

groovy girl midnight star horse

Unknown said...

I would get the pull along puppy baby toy. I'm amazed at how popular pull along toys are with little ones, they love them! http://www.manhattantoy.com/p/pull-a-long-friend-puppy/shop-all-baby_wooden-toys?pp=24

TarynPasco916 said...

I'd Choose Finger Paint Fun!

Unknown said...

Imagine I Can Create & Color Princess

Lloyd Family said...

i would choose the imagine i can pirate treasures
http://www.manhattantoy.com/p/imagine-i-can-pirate-treasures?pp=24

dropastitch@yahoo.com said...

finger paint fun

Leanne Hill said...

Id choose the pirate treasure one

Unknown said...

I like the beginner knitting kit

Gina F. said...

I would select the Imagine I Can Pet Rock Pals if I win.

Trish said...

MagnaMobiles Helicopter (FB name Patrycja Chudziak)

Anonymous said...

My Snuggly Ellie. Too cute!

Unknown said...

I would pick the Imagine I Can Pirate Treasures

Kathy Davis said...

I would choose: Imagine I Can Shape Stack
Kathy Davis
kdavis1@centurytel.net

sue said...

I would choose the Imagine I can Pirate Treasures.

Lesley said...

Imagine I Can Caterpillar Connect

Kimberley Meier said...

Groovy Girls Sparkletastic Jewelry kit

Kimberley Meier
momof3chaos at gmail dot com

candykitn said...

Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun

Unknown said...

the sticker clings

knickgirl_3 at yahoo dot com

Ledford Land said...

Imagine I Can Sew Sweet for my daughter :)

Jessica Eaton Ledford
cherriesjessilee at gmail dot com

Nicole said...

my daughter would love the Sew Sweet kit

Unknown said...

THE MONSTER TRUCK IS CUTE.

ECB said...

I would choose the create-a-puppet lion.

Steph said...

I like the pirate set. Thanks for the giveaway!

smarieee said...

I would choose the Imagine I Can Sew.

corey1971 said...

Imagine I Can Pirate Treasures (Corey Olomon)

Unknown said...

I would choose the Pet Rock Pals kit, because I had pet rocks when I was young.

Melissa said...

I would get the hedgehog kit.

tina reynolds said...

I like the finger paint thanks for the chance to win eaglesforjack@gmail.com

alena said...

i can play fish

Unknown said...

I like the Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun

Kristen said...

That dog came out so cute! I might choose that, or the Imagine I Can Lace & Play Hedgehog.

SharonC said...

Groovy Girls Maren

Rachel from Redeeming Her said...

I can feel better kit or maybe the I can finger paint kit!

Sunnymay said...

I like the Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun Shop because the brushes are thick and easy to grab for those age 3 and up. Plus there's stamps with sturdy handles and covers for the paint bowls. My grandson would love this creative set.
http://www.manhattantoy.com/p/imagine-i-can-finger-paint-fun/shop-by-brand_imagine-i-can?pp=24

Kathy said...

Finger Paint Fun

Unknown said...

Pet Rock Pals is so cute!!

polly said...

i would choose their fingerpaint fun for my 4 year old grandson

Karen said...

Finger Paint Fun :)

ktgonyea at gmail.com

Mirm said...

I like the shape sticks,
thanks!

Dawn said...

The window cling on paint kit or the sew sweet kit.

Unknown said...

I would pick the Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun for my daughter.

Sherry said...

I like the I Can Sew one the best.

Marti B. said...

Love the pirate treasures set.

deniseyweesy said...

MOTORWORKS FSX Monster Truck 1.0

Caroline said...

Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun

Heidi Reads... said...

I'm loving the Groovy Girls Lana Ladybug doll!

Anonymous said...

I like the knitting beginnings set

Anonymous said...

I would get imagine I can finger paint.

Karen said...

Imagine I Can Castle Climb

sonflower277 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I like the Sew Sweet kit!

Unknown said...

We would love to have the knitting kit

brendaelsner said...

The knitting beginnings kit

Melanie said...

I like the magine I Can Create-A-Puppet Giraffe

Elaine said...

i like the alligator

Kathy P said...

i like the petrock pals

susansmoaks said...

we would enjoy the finger painting kit
susansmoaks at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

the pirate one

cman said...

Imagine I Can Feel Better MD.

blew415 said...

Groovy Girls Princess Seraphina

trixx said...

I love the Imagine I Can Finger Paint Fun

Donna said...

I would like knitting beginnings.
donna444444@yahoo.com

lilyk said...

I would choose the Imagine I Can Sew Sweet kit.