It was just a few days before Christmas when I received a Glow Crazy Distance Doodler to review, and I have to be honest: I put it on a shelf for a few weeks, because I knew my girls did not need a new toy just then, what with the haul to come from Santa, grandparents, and aunts and uncles.

I finally pulled it out a couple of weeks ago, and was genuinely surprised by how much my kids (ages almost 3 and almost 5) absolutely love it.

The idea behind Glow Crazy is that you put the special sticky paper (the box comes with two sheets) on the wall, turn the lights off, and use the distance doodler pen (which works from up to 4 metres away) to create glow-in-the-dark designs.

I was worried it might be too advanced for them, but even Maggie figured out quickly how to press the button to activate the pen, and really it’s the sort of artistic activity that kids can access at their own level. Frannie can try to write words (“I heart You” is her favourite) and make real pictures, while Maggie is happy to scribble away.

Older kids would enjoy using the provided stencils to do more detailed work.

The only complaint I have about the product is that the sheets start to peel from the walls pretty quickly (but leave no residue or damage, so that’s good) so you need to use some sort of tape (I like painter’s tape) to keep them in place once the stick starts to wear.

I had the brilliant idea that Frannie would like to use it on her ceiling from bed, but the sheets don’t have enough stick power for that much gravity on their own.
The best part about this toy as far as I’m concerned? It satisfies my daughters’ desire for artistic, creative play while being MESS-FREE! I will confess that sometimes I divert them when they’re requesting Play-Doh or paint, as I just don’t want to deal with the clean-up. No cleaning up required with Glow Crazy.
It may be too late for Christmas, but Glow Crazy might be a neat idea for any upcoming birthdays, or Easter…or perhaps as a March Break distraction! (Yes, it’s almost here!)

2 comments on “Cool Toy: Glow Crazy Distance Doodler”

  1. Love it! This would be a great Word Wall Word teaching aid! I used glow in the dark letter magnets to form words and they were able to study them while falling asleep! This could be a substitute!

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