Paper Jamz toy guitars

I’ve been looking forward to trying out the new Paper Jamz guitars for a few months now, and tore open the box when it arrived last week! If you know me well, you know I love new toys just as much as any kid.

What is Paper Jamz?

Produced by WowWee, the makers of fantastic robotic toys (like the FlyTech Tinker Bell I reviewed long, long ago), Paper Jamz instruments are thin, battery-operated guitars and drum sets that feature Active Graphics Technology. This means that music is played based on embedded touch sensors. There are six unique guitars and six corresponding drum sets (sold separately), each featuring three hit licensed songs. The guitar and drums can be played in four modes, including:

• Perfect Play - Play along with the three included hit songs while jamming on the guitar “perfectly” as though part of the band.
• Rhythm Play - The rhythm of the music for each song can be controlled – speeding up or slowing down based on personal choice.
• Freestyle Play – The guitar can be played similar to a real guitar, as you can play real chords and create your own songs.

My thoughts on Paper Jamz

I turned this baby on and became an instant rock star! While it’s not exactly made out of paper, the guitar does have a cardboard front. It has a plastic part in the back where all the wiring and batteries (3 “AAA”) go, but other than that, it’s super thin and lightweight. Figuring out all the settings took some time (and trial and error) but I think I got it down. The touch sensors are incredibly sensitive!

Paper Jamz is geared towards kids ages 8+, so I was afraid that the guitar would be too complicated for Maya, my 5-year-old, to master. I was wrong. While she’s not a fan of the songs that are included, she loves jammin’ freestyle, making up her own songs along the way. She especially loves zipping her fingers up and down, raising and lowering the volume. There’s also a headset jack that you can plug an amplifier into. Very cool. I could totally see a group of tweens forming a band (and a big racket) with these instruments!

The guys in this video look much cooler than I do at showing off Paper Jamz!

BUY IT!
One of the most anticipated new products coming out of Toy Fair 2010, Paper Jamz has already been recognized as Toy of the Year in Australia and has won the German Toy Innovation Award. I first mentioned them in a Toy Fair roundup a few months ago… and now they’re here! Paper Jamz guitars are available starting today, July 1st, at Walgreens. Most of the more than 7,500 convenient Walgreens locations throughout the U.S. will feature an interactive Paper Jamz display, giving you the opportunity to try out the guitar in store. The paper-thin guitar and drums retail for $24.99 each; the amplifier, which plays music from Paper Jamz guitars, drums or personal MP3 players, retails for $14.99; and guitar straps are available for $5.99. Paper Jamz products are also available online at www.walgreens.com/paperjamz.

WIN IT!
Giveaway is closed. Winner has been contacted and is listed here.
I have a $25 Walgreens gift card for one of my readers, so that you can go out and buy your very own Paper Jamz guitar (or whatever else your little heart desires! Walgreens has just about anything you need!) To enter, please leave a comment telling me what music you’re listening to these days!

For extra entries:

• Subscribe to my feed by feed reader or email (or let me know if you already do).
• Follow me on Twitter (@OhMariana) and tweet about this giveaway (one time):#Giveaway! Learn about Paper Jamz guitars and enter to win a $25 Walgreens gift card! http://thedomesticbuzz.com/?p=10758 #RWNH
• Link to me in your sidebar or blog roll. Feel free to grab my button (at the bottom of the page).

Contest ends July 15th, 2010 11:59 pm EST. US entries only, one person per household. Leave a separate comment per entry & a valid email address. Winner, chosen at random, has 3 days to claim their prize.

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