Craft Buddy is expanding its Crystal Art portfolio with the launch of Crystal Art Junior, developed specifically for preschool children aged 4 and up. The new “big gems for little hands” range marks a strategic move to capture the growing early-years creative play segment, combining developmental benefits with an accessible and entertaining product design.
The concept for Crystal Art Junior was sparked by co-founders Gary and Dino Wadhwani, whose own children loved to create the Crystal Art products but struggled to use the standard Crystal Art gems and pens due to their smaller hands and hand-eye coordination.
“Watching our young kids wanting to engage with our Crystal Art products but finding it too intricate gave us a lightbulb moment”
Gary Wadhwani said: “Watching our young kids wanting to engage with our Crystal Art products but finding it too intricate gave us a lightbulb moment. My brother, Dino, and I set out to reimagine the experience – bigger gems, larger tools, easy pick and placement and a format designed for younger fingers, without losing the magic of the sparkle.”
The new kits feature a 25 x 20cm box frame format, oversized 10-12mm gems and a specially designed pick-up pen, allowing for pre-school and motor skills development and easier placement by small hands. This meaningful adaptation makes Crystal Art Junior not only a compelling retail offering for parents, but also as an educational product that can be enjoyed in early years’ environments, as well as a great gift.
The range launches with five licensed characters including Peter Rabbit, Stitch, Grogu, Groot, and Simba.
Crystal Art Junior is expected to make a strong impact in the arts and crafts, toy, and early learning sectors.
