I know what you are thinking…. ‘Merry? really?’
And okay. Yes. I thought that too. When I was sent the offer to run this video, I thought, “I don’t know, I’m not so into the whole pretend tattoo thing on kids, so maybe not.”
But I watch the video – because I’m nosey – and I fell a little bit in love with the artist and the way it was shot and… and…
So I thought I would run it.
It’s a kooky little product designed and created by a young female tattoo artist from New York who has taken the Toca Boca app games (hair cuts, fashion, run your own kitchen type of apps for young children up to preteens) and found characters in them who she identified with and created artwork from them. These are now being sold as little temporary tattoos, in 6 different designs, that reflect both the games and contemporary trend and fashion. At just over £6, they are a fun little gift for any kid with a soft spot for either the games or the accessory.
“As a tattoo artist for over 10 years now, I regularly see how tattoos spark kids’ curiosity,” said Virginia Elwood. “Kids always want to touch a tattoo, ask questions about them and even have one drawn on them. Creating the Artist Play Series temporary tattoos was a fun way of making Toca Boca tangible for kids in the real world. I spent a lot of time playing the apps to understand the character’s personalities to transfer them to a temporary tattoo design.”
I’ve been working a lot lately in a group of young preteen and older junior school girls and that has exposed me to a fairly different demographic to the girls I know best, my own daughters. And I can’t help but notice how much these delight them, how much they love looking at them, touching them, comparing them. And having flirted hard with the idea of my own permanent tattoo (but I’m too chicken) I can sort of see the appeal; if anything, it surprises me that my own girls are never particularly keen to try wearing ones themselves.
What really touched my fancy with this video was the artist herself. She struck a chord with me. I have two girls who love to draw manga style, simplistic but artistic characters with sass and spice. And Maddy in particular is enthused beyond all apparent sense by writing FanFic – and she’s good too – that is inspired not by books but by games she plays on her DS and ipod. I find it incredible that such things have such power over children and that games are their icons and inspiration for creativity.
Over the last few years I’ve watch my girls – and girls I have known as they grow up – develop skills and talents and fascinations with topics that are going to lead them into their future. I know girls who will undoubtedly design for a living and girls who have begun to carve their niche thanks to a spark lit by a game. It’s that I see in this video, a girl with a talent who let it speak and has created a world for herself where she is secure and driven and aspirational.
And I liked that.
Sponsored Video content provided by Toca Boca.
Tattoos loved by mine. Hmmmm.
I did cave in and buy some for half term though. They were of the ‘if lost please phone xxxx’ variety rather than a pretty picture alone but made the little two a bit more confident (and me, knowing their wandering tendencies) that even if they got lost in a place as big as we went exploring, they would always be found by us even if they were to upset/ shy etc to speak.
Thankfully didn’t need to test it out but even having a number rather than a picture seemed acceptable as it was a ‘tattoo’!!