Soft `n squishy™ are the new buzz words in toy world this month as SqwishLand — pioneers of the hugely successful small soft toy collectible craze — celebrates its fifth year and over 100 million SqwishLanders in circulation! Kids and retailers will delight in their 2011 expansion of fresh and affordable products, online games, vast variety of rare characters, iPhone/iPad apps and a Wholesaler/Retailer website.
Not familiar with SqwishLand? The silly-sounding Soft `n squishy™ characters originally made great pencil toppers when they were first introduced in vending machines five years ago. The characters were rebranded in 2010 as SqwishLand, after kids in focus groups told the company they call them “squishies.” Today (and 100 million kooky collectibles later) SqwishLanders are the Original 1” Soft `n Squishy™ collectible characters sold in retail stores and vending machines, and each carries a unique code for playing online at the popular www.SqwishLand.com online game. Currently with over 685,000 active monthly users, this fun online game and social gathering spot is the place to be after school, sports and dinner.
DIY SqwishLand • $9.99
Choose the DIY SqwishLand Parrot or Frog and paint your very own rare SqwishLander. Each box set includes a 5” unpainted Sqwishland character, six acrylic paints and one brush. Use the included code to unlock the online gallery at www.SqwishLand.com/diy to register and post your one-of-a-kind soft ‘n squishy design for all to see. The online community at SqwishLand.com will vote on a favorite DIY design each month. Winning designs could become the next Rare Sqwishlander in the game and on store shelves. An Artist’s Guide and detailed instructions are included.
Bracelets • $2.99
The SqwishLand Soft `n Squishy Bracelet is a fun new way to bring your SqwishLand collection with you on-the-go. Customize the bracelet with your favorite SqwishLanders. Swap out different animals depending on your mood or outfit! The bracelets are also soft `n Squishy™ and come in four cool colors. Comes with one SqwishLander on the bracelet, as well as a Crazy Rare SqwishLander in a capsule.
SqwishLander Rush App • Free on iTunes
On-the-go, kids can play mini games based on the SqwishLand.com online game. This fast-paced game is available for the iPhone 3G & 4G, iPod Touch 4G, iPad 1 and 2. SqwishLander Rush will have fans deciphering SqwishLanders from Sqwabbles and sending them to their respective homes. Get a combo of 3 SqwishLanders or Sqwabbles in a row and be SqwishTastic. But be careful not to touch Mr. Spines or face a big penalty!
SqwishFinder App • Free on iTunes
Free is sqwishtastic, especially when you are away from home and need to top up your game points and collect new SqwishLanders. Just punch in the zip code of your current destination and voila, the nearest location to purchase — anywhere nationwide — will pop up. You never know who you’ll discover inside a bowling alley, pizza parlor or craft store until you try this SqwishFinder! Over 300,000 locales have them – so odds are one will be near!
SqwishlandConnect App • Free on iTunes
SqwishlandConnect is a great way to connect with your Sqwishland friends and explore Sqwishland in the real world. SqwishlandConnect lets you check in to locations that have Sqwishland toys, add new buddies and keep track of how many SqwishCodes you’ve entered. The more SqwishCodes you enter, the more Sqwash you’ll be rewarded with! You can even look for the nearest store where you can buy more Sqwishland toys.
What the Momma thinks….
This is not our first go with Sqwishlanders. In fact each of my kids have their own account and play online usually once a week and have done so since November 10′ when we were first introduced to them (read our Sqwishlanders Review). Since then we have picked up a package here and there at the local drugstore and a few on eBay to help grow our character collection. The Sqwish Land Game online environment is easy to understand and fun once you get into it. Collecting the hard to finds have really become a thing for me (ducking shamefully). The kids want them all; just like with any other hot toy.
This holiday season we wanted to share the DIY SqwishLand Frog with you the reader. It is not only a paintable creature which is always super fun to kids but also comes with its very own Sqwishlander inside. So no matter if they are new to Sqwish Land or have been playing for a while, all of the pieces to get them started are right here in the box.
Another way to look at the DIY SqwishLand Frog is from child artist point of view. Even if you prefer not to let your child online, the kit is great for budding creators. It comes complete with paints and a brush to get them started on a project of their own. Also at $9.99 it makes a wonderful item for school gift exchanges and gifts under $10. We opted to donate our DIY SqwishLand Frog to the Angel Tree this year and help bring join to a child in need.
BUY IT: The DIY SqwishLand Frog and/or Parrot are available from Amazon.com and http://shop.sqwishland.com.
