Magical Story Jars (fairy tale, adventure and Christmas themes)

Magical Story Jars is the small brand with big ambition. At present, the range submitted to the Gift of the Year competition comprises three different themes of Magical Story Jar; Adventure, Fairy Tale and Christmas.

In essence, Magical Story Jars are made up of one jar, three sets of colour coded story cards, a sprinkling of magic dust, and endless possibilities to make your own memorable imaginary stories together with your children.

Magical Story Jars are simple to use. Start by finding somewhere cosy to sit, sprinkle a tiny amount of magic dust over the story cards and give the jar a gentle shake to make the stories awake. Pick out one of each of the three colour coded story cards (a character card, a setting card and a plot card) and have fun making up fantastic stories together.

Our fairy tale and adventure themed Magical Story Jars contain an instruction card, magic dust and 39 colour coded story cards, three of which are blank so children can make up their own characters, settings and plots meaning their pets, family and friends can also feature in their stories. Our Christmas themed Magical Story Jars contain the same elements listed above, but with 30 colour coded story cards, three of which are blank.

Magical Story Jars:
• Are suitable for ages 3 years to 103!
• Are easy to use and provide a modern take on the old-fashioned tradition of storytelling.
• Make the perfect gift that can be used again and again.
• Are fun, interactive and engaging.
• Can also be used as drawing prompts.
• Are easy to store and ideal for long car journeys.
• Can be used for group activities.
• Can also be used as creative writing and role play/acting prompts.
• Can also be used as a language and learning tool.
• Make an ideal home-schooling aid based on their multi-functional use.
• Fill the gap in the market located after the use of story stones and prior to the use of story dice.
• Have been thoughtfully designed as a gender-neutral range.
• Are unique. A recent customer named Becki Scrannage sent us a message via our social media accounts saying, “I like to always give something a bit different, so these Magical Story Jars fit perfectly.”

From John Lewis to Hamleys, retailers believe that there is a demand for products like Magical Story Jars:

Toys that encourage imagination in children are tipped to be top sellers this Christmas as parents seek to counter a “year on screens”, retailer Hamleys has said. This year sees the most-wanted toys encouraging role play and creativity and allowing families to play together after last year’s Covid-restricted celebrations, the store said.

Victoria Kay, head of buying at Hamleys, said: “Our 2021 top picks for the most wanted toys this Christmas include accessible toys that will really allow children to harness their creativity and imagination.

John Lewis & Partners toy buyer Rachael Larkman said: “This year we’ve seen a huge surge in the popularity of traditional toys and games that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

The content of the story cards in each theme of Magical Story Jar is different. See below descriptions to provide a taste of what to expect:

Fairy Tale Theme:
Our Fairy Tale Magical Story Jar sows the seeds for some truly magical stories that are sure to be as unique as your children. From a unicorn that discovers a hidden wishing well, to Albert, the wriggly worm searching for a lost diamond ring. These lovable characters explore some enchanting places including a coral cave on the bottom of the seabed and a palace made from sweets. Along the way, children can tell stories through characters with traits such as clumsiness, frustration and mischief!

Adventure Theme:
Our Adventure Magical Story Jar is based on a variety of characters including Rodney the very shy robot and his friend Dave the talking pencil. Characters discover lots of amazing places including a melting igloo in the North Pole and Dinosaur Island. Along the way, they become superheroes for the day, find secret doors and get locked inside theme parks after closing time.

Christmas Theme:
In this story jar, our kiddy and parent approved Christmas characters find themselves in some fun and festive settings including an enchanting mistletoe forest, a candy cane factory and a busy airport. The story possibilities are endless with Elf Tuppins’ naughty sister trying to cancel Christmas, Santa’s sleigh breaking down in Zimbabwe and Mrs Claus declaring a shortage of wrapping paper in the North Pole. But fear not, because there are some wonderfully festive characters that help to save the day including Frank the very chatty Flamingo, Edward the talking Christmas tree and a kind-hearted Christmas superhero with some extraordinary powers.

Furthermore, Magical Story Jars:
• Provide a modern and interactive take on the old-fashioned tradition of storytelling.
• Make an ideal, unique and affordable children's gift that's sure to stand out from the crowd.
• Provide parents and grandparents with the perfect opportunity to have precious ‘screen free’ bonding time with their children creating stories as unique as they are.
• Are filled with nostalgia for both parents and grandparents who are looking to share traditions that played a big part of their childhoods, creating a warm feeling of past positive experiences or providing a means of escapism for adults and a way to reconnect with their own inner child.
• Help to ignite and foster the creativity that lies within each and every one of us.
• Fit well into children’s wellbeing sector and align with current toy trends.
• Were developed alongside my own family after our daughter expressed an interest in creating her own bedtime stories. After much searching, it was established that there was a need for a story making aid that appealed to the younger end of the market.
• Make it easier for busy and tired parents to create precious time within their child’s existing routine, whilst making memorable bedtime stories together resulting in a shared experience and a strengthened bond.
• Were designed after having trialled and sought qualitative and quantitative feedback from parents, children, schools, children’s clubs and nurseries.
• Make a gift that aids the creation of valuable, unique and bespoke memories over a long period of time.
• Character and plot story cards from the story jars feature people and creatures that have an array of values and emotions that children can identify with such as helpful, worried, clever, mischievous, shy, friendly and irritated. We have characters that are fearless, clumsy, adventurous and ones that get teased for being different. This presents an opportunity for children to learn about emotions through storytelling.
• Many of the characters contained in our Magical Story Jars range are diverse, act as fantastic role models to children and are reflective of the surge in demand for global inclusivity. Containing characters such as Anika the busy engineer, Tilly the ticklish tiger who couldn’t hear, Prue the very posh dragon who got teased for being different, Matilda the fearless astronaut and the three wise women.
• At the request of our little customers, some of the characters created also have an element of ‘toilet humour’ such as Mr Windy, the teacher who couldn’t stop trumping! We’re confident that the range of story card characters and settings spread across our product range also reflect current toy trends incorporating many different elements such as unicorns, flamingos and a slime factory!
• We believe there's nothing better than giving a children’s gift that has the potential to also provide some ‘learning in disguise’ so our story jars are jam packed with ‘wow words’. The descriptive text on our story cards contain lots of ‘wow words’ (advanced adjectives, verbs and adverbs which are used to improve a piece of writing by making it vivid and interesting) in order to help the user build language skills and comprehension.
• We understand the need for teaching children social responsibility and awareness. This can be done in a subtle and informal way using the story cards in our range. For example, we have a story card with a melting igloo in the north pole which if desired, gives users to talk about why the igloo might be melting.
• Have fun, bright and simplistic illustrations, with the jar labels and packaging being created by a graphic designer with an MA in children’s book illustration.
• Have been designed and assembled in the UK.
• Much consideration has been given to the environment when creating the range. All elements of paper, card and packaging within the range are FSC certified and biodegradable. The plastic jar is fully recyclable and the most widely and easily recycled of all plastics available. All packaging in the outer box is fully biodegradable with children being encouraged to use the packaging to upcycle and craft something new from the packaging.

Give the gift of love, connection and laughter; give a Magical Story Jar.

At present, we are looking to seek a manufacturer with a view to potentially providing retailers with a lower trade price. Please also see additional information submitted (retail brochure).