Do the "silly scents" markers really smell--and smell good? You betcha!
In the 20-count version my son has, there are 5 that are "silly scented". (From the picture here at Amazon.com, it would appear that the 50-count version has at LEAST 12 "silly scented" markers. I can tell because those markers have black tips rather than white ones.)
The five scents that are in the 20-count version are:
* Burnt Marshmallow (Black)
* Cherry (Red)
* Wildberry (Magenta)
* Orange (Orange)
* LEmon (Yellow)
The black marker is especially delicious smelling--but I have a concern (and thus the four stars): doesn't this encourage kids to smell markers--which can be potentially dangerous...or fatal...if they smelled the wrong kind of markers?
The reason I'm even *writing* this review is that I'm sitting here composing an article and I hear my son behind me saying "Mmmm...smells like S'mores..." I then thought "Oh geez...what if kids get the idea that smelling markers is a good idea...thinking that ANY marker can smell, potentially, like a yummy dessert or fruit?"
Other than that concern (which didn't occur to me at the time of purchase), these washable markers are quite colorful and great for writing, drawing, and coloring because of their narrowed "super tips"--which means they can draw both thick and thin.
And yes, they are (thankfully!) washable. My son accidentally graced the antique white wall in the living room with one of these markers and it washed right off--and I know they do the same if they get on clothes. Crayola 50ct Washable Super Tips with Silly Scents
I bought these markers for my four and a half year old niece before a recent trip. We spent a lot of time coloring with these markers over the course of a week, since sadly our weather was not great for outdoor activities.
The markers provide bright, vibrant colors. However, the colors of a lot of these markers are very similar, especially between some of the scented colors and the non-scented ones. The colors are often not true to their cap color, so it's hard to tell what color you are actually going to get--which is very upsetting for a four year old. The scented markers were not as vibrant as the non-scented ones, and did not hold up as well with prolonged coloring. The super tips were good for detail coloring, but be warned that we did get some bleed through when using thinner coloring book paper. Make sure you have thick art paper on hand when using these markers. The bleed through was really easy to clean up though--the markers easily washed off of table top surfaces and countertops, as well as hands and faces.
I would recommend this type of marker, but I would probably recommend a smaller set. I don't think the colors were different enough to warrant buying a 50 marker set, a set of half this size would have been sufficient.
This large set of markers would be fun for children who like having lots of choices, or for a group of kids to share while they work on projects at the same time.
For my purposes, though, I was not very impressed. Besides the fact that the colors are not very colorful, and the actual hues do not warrant having so many pens. Some markers' colors do not match the actual color of the marks they make, and some markers make virtually indistinguishable marks, although the pens themselves are colored differently.
Also, one reason why I purchased this set was to use the gray markers. I wanted to do some monochromatic studies using just gray tones--three would have been enough. Unfortunately, it was not possible to use the grays like a simple grayscale, because the grays were not "neutral"--some had a "bluish" tint, others had a "warmer" tint. Fortunately, though, the set is not expensive, and I can donate it to a pre-school or something.
First off- do pricing homework...prices differ vastly. Some peeps are sayin' that some color groups and individual colors are too alike, and I hate to rock the boat, but this is not true. All you have to do to prove this is compare similar colors drawn on white paper and hold up the results in the sunlight...you will see that the colors are indeed different from one another. (I too, first thought that some colors were alike at first glance, so please perform this little "experiment". I could see even in indirect, late afternoon light at my kitchen table that the colors differed. Besides, think of the paint chip samples in hardware stores...a lot seem very similar, but once you experiment with them or view them in different levels of light, you can see how one would be perfect for your living room, and how another would be perfect for a doctor's office.) Skin tones are included. Washability rocks- my three-year-old colored herself through a dress with two light layers, then through her PJ pants, then on through to her skin with the darkest blue that she could find. All I did was soak the clothing articles overnight with a little water and detergent, and the clothes came out good as new, even before a regular wash cycle. Ditto for durability- my husband recently witnessed my tot pounding the tips of our older batch of Crayola markers to death, but they held up. In fact, when I checked the older batch for color strength, I was suprised that so many were still going strong...I believe that we purchased the older batch a little less than two years ago, and they have been used frequently. Apparently, they will outlive us.
The scoop on the scented markers:
Cherry- smells like it.
Wild Berry- yum!
Orange- yep.
Lemon- can inhale all day.
Honeysuckle- just O.K., not exactly like the real stuff.
Green Apple- kids will love it.
Forest Pine- Pine-Sol, anyone?
Fresh Air- bad air freshener.
Bay Breeze- nice, but I can see it producing a headache if sniffed too much.
Vanilla- Sorta, has beeswax scent notes.
Burnt Marshmallow- makes ya hungry.
Spice- accurate, will clear your sinuses.
As far as anybody gettin' ill (I am using that adjective as opposed to another word that we are all thinking of) from inhaling these suckers...well, I survived my "Mr. Sketchy" smelly markers back in '83, and I propose that maybe after three hours of continuous sniffing that the most you would get is a bad headache. Listen, the most our kids will do is take a quick snuff here or there when they actually remember that the markers smell, do their art thing, then run off to make another mess in another location. All in all, my daughters love these markers (my little one has even rejected her "Pipsqueaks" and her Pre-K type markers and prefers these) because they are easy to use, vibrant, include a huge selection of hues, and encourage their artistic expression. Used everyday in my joint to create "wallpaper" for my kitchen and computer/office/play/storage/alleyway room. - Crayola - Crafts - Marker Set - Markers'
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