Spotz Connects Web Site with Real-World Creativity

Toymakers have taken note of the success of toys like Webkinz, which are selling so well because they have a link to an online world where kids love to spend hours playing. My 10-year-old and I have been spending time with a new, crafty button-making toy geared to girls around her age that truly connects an online web site with a real-world toy.

The Spotz Maker by Zizzle makes buttons that girls can collect or use to decorate other products sold by Zizzle (purses, frames.) But what makes this toy unique (and the only reason I would write about it) is the Spotzgirl.com web site, where girls can choose from hundreds of circular button designs to make buttons, or "spotz," and create their own images and upload them to the site to make buttons that are truly unique.

It took this 40-something mom some time and tutoring from Zizzle's chief marketing officer to figure out how to make the buttons with the Spotz Maker (the directions didn't seem to spell it out), but once I figured it out, it is easy and kind of fun. Marc Rosenberg, Zizzle's CMO, says they will make sure the directions are clear; a demo is coming on the web site.

My daughter enjoyed playing on the Spotzgirl site and finding images of puppies and other things, then making them unique by adding words to them. But she may not be the best gauge on the appeal of "spotz" making because she has never been enamored by crafts. Still, she spent a good half hour on the site, tooling around to look at all the designs and creating some of her own.

She liked making the buttons in the Spotz Maker. Here's how it's done: You slide a cut-out square of paper with the circular button design in the purple, pink, and green Spotz Maker, then press a lever that cuts it out. Then you place the plastic button frame on a tray, drop the circular paper design in it and a second clear plastic disk on top. Turn a handle and the Spotz Maker turns it into a button.

The Spotz Maker (about $25) and accessories ($6 to $15) will be available at retailers later this month. But girls are finding their way to Spotz through promotions on Nick.com and Disney.com, where they can make spotz featuring Disney characters and actors. Rosenberg said girls are spending an average of 27 minutes on the site when they find it.

For a look at other toys that provide an interactive twist, check out these related posts:

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