Did you know that the Spirograph was created in 1965 by a mechanical engineer?
The classic toy was originally developed as a drafting tool and that may sound complex, but it combines the principles of art and mechanics in a simple way to create crafty patterns. The Spirograph Scratch & Shimmer from Playmonster is a fun update that adds sparkles and rainbows to elevate the retro toy into an arts and crafts dream.
Kids can place one of six glittery wheels inside the non-slip ring on one of the included sheets of paper. Press the included stylus down inside one of the wheel’s holes and rotate the wheel around the ring, like a moving gear. The movement will create a circular design on the paper. The cool thing about this set is that it includes 16 special sheets that have a black coating on them. When kids create the Spirograph designs on the special paper, the black coating scratches off to reveal either shimmery or rainbow designs underneath.
Kids won’t draw the same patterns over and over either — there are a lot of different designs to create! The glittery wheels come in different sizes and feature multiple holes so that every time kids place the stylus in a different hole, it will create new shapes and patterns. There is also a surprise reveal factor built into the toy because kids won’t know if the scratch-off sheets feature a sparkly silver or rainbow design underneath the coating until the Spirograph is in action.
The Spirograph Scratch & Shimmer is recommended for kids ages 8 and up, but don’t count the younger kids out! They would probably just need some assistance holding the paper and the non-slip ring steady to maneuver the wheels successfully. You’ll probably want to put some kind of placemat or a pad of paper down while kids are etching so that they don’t accidentally leave marks on the furniture while they’re pressing the stylus down.
The paper is the perfect size to make DIY postcards or holiday cards to send to family members so everyone can get in on the fun. The set also includes some scratch-off stickers that kids can use to decorate things with their designs. Plus, kids can also use their own colored pencils, pens, or markers with the included Spirograph stencils to make colorful designs on regular paper if they want.
There’s no limit to artsy creativity with the Spirograph!
