Captain America has his shield, Tony Stark has his suit, Thor has his hammer, the Hulk has his…uh… temper, and now, your little creative superhero has his (oh her!) smart stylus. The Marvel Creativity Studio Smart Stylus and App, from eKids, lets kids ages 3 and up express their creativity digitally through an iPad. The free app includes three play modes: draw, assemble, and color, featuring kids’ favorite Marvel superheroes and villains from Avengers Assemble, The Ultimate Spider-Man, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Kids can add their own flare to professionally illustrated coloring pages using an extensive color pallet.
The sleek black stylus features fun comic book-style onomatopoeia and connects wirelessly to an iPad. Kids can use the stylus to unlock special tools, such as the “reveal” tool to flawlessly color-in the pages. An interactive grid system that includes specialty drawing aids, such as side-by-side drawing canvas, trace lines, and a unique “Drawing Scope,” allows artists of all levels to successfully learn how to draw their favorite superheroes themselves.
Kids can switch between a cross-hatch, a colored pencil, brush pens, markers, and fill just by clicking the top button on the stylus—providing endless creative tools all in one place.
The animation play mode is one of my favorites, as it allows kids to build their own animated scenes. Kids can select a background, such as a city in peril, and drop and drag character stickers, sound effects, and speech bubbles to create their own Marvel scene. The motion-activated stylus brings the scene to life when kids shake it.
All of the artwork automatically saves to the “My Artwork” folder, which will help to avoid the disappointment and heartache of finishing a masterpiece and forgetting to click “save.” Kids can also share their artwork with friends and family members via email in one easy click.
Kids today live in a digital age, but they still engage in the same play patterns that generations of kids before them have—just in different ways. Products like this one that fuse classic styles of play with new-age tech are some of the best on the market. With endless tools, some of kids’ favorite superheroes, and no mess for Mom and Dad to clean up, the Marvel Creativity Studio Smart Stylus and App is perfect for tech-savvy kids looking to unleash their creative side.
