“This beautiful toy has been racking up parenting and toy-maker awards, and for good reason,” wrote USA Today’s parenting writer Janelle Randazza about Papaton Kids Shadow Theater. It is now the most awarded shadow theater game of all time and sure to make this year’s must-have gift for the holidays for kids ages 3 and up.
Hollywood’s famed Academy Museum of Motion Pictures gift shop – who know a thing or two about storytelling – features the award-winning shadow theater kit on its Kids Section shelves. “It’s a beautifully designed shadow puppet set that’s perfect for developing narrative storytelling skills, and it’s just right for family time,” Randazza summarized in her glowing hottest toys roundup last year. Parenting, Parents’ Choice, Tillywig, PAL Award and The National Parenting Center also gave the remarkable light and shadow show two thumbs up. The industry’s top expert, The Toy Insider, most recently gave it its 2022 Top Summer Toy nod.
“At the core of our shadow puppet theater,” explains Papaton Kids Founder & Creative Director Anton Ten, “lies the idea of healthy ways of using technology. In our products, a phone helps kids in their active game, creating additional atmosphere, but not replacing it. Technology is part of our world and kids growing up with access to technology in a healthy way is something we believe to be a good thing. Our mission is to help parents realize that technology is not at all bad for a child if it’s used wisely.”
Moms and dads who purchased the theater kit discovered so many things to rave about — a colorful folding screen, smartphone stand, 20 fairytale characters, and 12 props made of soft, yet durable plastic specially designed for the creative shadow play. Pop the popcorn then gather the family for show time. Kids now get to choose from almost three dozen (!) characters and props to enact four well-known fairy tales: Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise & The Hare and The Lion & The Mouse. Using just their imagination, children are encouraged to act out a fifth tale, their made-up-on-the-spot Once Upon a Time Story… using the kit’s enclosed characters and props!
Naturally there’s an app for that! Papaton Shadow Theater’s free mobile app is available at the App Store and Google Play. Everything imaginable to lift the curtain on your very own show is there: fairy-tale scripts in seven languages (English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Chinese, and Russian), original music, voice recording, special so und effects, lighting, and extra online tales for even more creative performances. Wow! For many families who speak more than one language in the house, it’s the perfect bilingual toy.
Amazingly, the first warehouse supply of kits sold out earlier this year. So Papaton Kids took the opportunity to update its best-selling kits in time for holiday giving. Consumers will notice soft plastic characters that bend but never break, a recording button on the App to narrate a story in English or any of the other six languages! Maravilloso or should we say Wunderbar!
App users will find two bonus fairytales, each with an original script and soundtrack. Counting new tales, The Furious Dragon and A Present For Princess, kids will now have a total of seven stories to retell again and again.
New this month are two more shadow kits priced nice at $29.99. The free App for Apple or Android devices is included with lovely soundtracks and scripts. Choose The Nutcracker or Little Monsters. Missing from these small kits are the large folding screen and the mobile phone stand. For the ultimate family WOW gift, bundle all three sets at a discounted price. As Papaton Kids will tell you, the benefits of these gorgeous shadow theaters are numerous:
• Children practice telling stories, building dialogues and following the storyline.
• Kids learn to be storytellers and actors, experiment with characters and contribute their own ideas.
• Everyone gets to play a part. Choose a character and create a unique fairy tale together.
• Children express feelings, practice voicing the characters, process fears, and learn to improvise.
Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy expressed his feelings of why this toy will be a beloved holiday gift. “It engages kids in narrative creativity and storytelling. It’s a gateway to writing, creative thinking and problem solving. And kids love puppets—I think people are really going to like this one.”
Buy one or bundle all three kits at a special price. Purchase online at https://papatonkids.com or at amazon:
Papaton Kids Shadow Theater • Ages 3+
n this shadow puppet theater set, beloved fairytale puppets come to life with the help of light and technology, imagination and a sprinkle of magic! Encourage creative play by developing children’s imagination and bringing story time to life. Kids can learn to be storytellers and actors by experimenting with characters and contributing their own ideas. The perfect birthday or holiday gift for children and big kids!
The Nutcracker Shadow Puppet Theater • Ages 3+
This kit includes 14 characters (two silhouettes of the Nutcracker, Marie, Uncle Drosselmeyer, the Mouse King, a baby mouse, Fritz, Mama, and Prince Charming), props (a slipper, a sword, a decorated Christmas tree, presents, and a ladder) and stands for the props. The Papaton Shadow Theater free mobile app features everything you need to lift the curtain on your show: a full script for the Nutcracker fairy tale, specially adapted for the shadow show, as well as original soundtrack based on the famous Tchaikovsky ballet. Note: this playset does not include a folding screen or a phone stand. To enjoy the full light and shadow experience, use the folding screen and phone stand from the Papaton Shadow Theater main set.
Little Monsters Shadow Puppet Theater • Ages 3+
Furry, toothy, but scarily adorable monsters that brave storytelling kids will love! The Little Monsters Papaton Puppet Show Theater kit includes 11 puppets and props (Frankenstein, Dracula, shaggy monster, ghost, werewolf, zombie, spider, bat, pumpkin, castle, and a tree) ready to be brought to life in front of your very own audience. Note: the Little Monsters playset doesn’t include a folding screen or a phone stand. To enjoy the full light and shadow experience, use the folding screen and stand from the main Papaton Shadow Theater set.