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Posted May 15, 2015 by Amy in Family Fiends
 
 

A Fun Family Tradition – Hoppy Paws Review

bunny-home-about
bunny-home-about

Start a hoppy new tradition for all your important events.

 

As families grow and evolve, it’s great start new traditions. Having special little things you do for each holiday gives kids (and grownups) something to look forward to, adds a little extra fun to the occasion, and might even start a family custom that they’ll continue on with their own children someday. The problem is, so many of us are so busy with all the day to day details of running a family that finding time to add a little magic seems like a daunting task – especially when you think about all the work that goes into the latest crazes like Elf on the Shelf. Ideally, a new tradition is fun for kids of all ages, but simple and inexpensive enough for the parents to actually be able to sustain it.

 

Hoppy Paws is a product that meets that need quite nicely. It adds a little magic to your celebrations  with “evidence” that a special visitor has been there. Whether your celebration calls for reindeer hoofprints or evidence of a stork visit, there’s a Hoppy Paws kit that will suit your needs.  At just under seven dollars, it’s an inexpensive tradition to start, and thankfully doesn’t have a bunch of add-on accessories you’ll be expected to keep investing in. It’s simple to use, quite easy to clean up and all you need is a little water to get started.

 

The Hoppy Paws kit consists of just three pieces. There is a shaped stamp that you will use to create your footprints in whatever area you’d like – indoors or outdoors. The stamp is made of shaped foam mounted onto a sturdy piece of cardboard, so it’s more suited to one time use (no need to find someplace to store it). Along with the stamp, the kit includes a packet of powder, and a shallow plastic tray that will hold your solution once mixed. To use it, you simply thoroughly mix the powder with about a third cup of water.

 

Once everything is completely mixed, the liquid is the consistency of a rather thin paint. To use it, just dip the stamp in the mixture, and apply whimsical footprints wherever you like. They dry quickly, leaving behind a dry print that can be cleaned up with just a wet cloth.  Overall, I found that the Hoppy Paws kits work pretty much as advertised, with plenty of solution included to make footprints all over the place if you want to. I did find the solution to be a bit thinner than expected when using the full amount suggested, which made it a little harder to get perfect prints, so I would recommend using a little less water. I also noticed that it just doesn’t work very well on glossy surfaces, as the liquid tends to pull together rather than holding the shape of the stamp. Other than that, it works just as promised, making surprisingly vivid prints.

 

Whether they’re in on creating the fun, or wake up to find the evidence, kids love Hoppy Paws. My 6, 8, and 10 year old testers all loved seeing the prints – and wanted to make some of their own as well. The hoofprints are an easily visible bright white when applied properly, so you can’t miss seeing the evidence that Santa’s reindeer or the Easter bunny have visited.  It strikes a perfect balance between simple and fun, and really takes only a few minutes and no skill to pull off.


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)