SMILEY-HALVES - helping children express their emotions

 #AD #GIFTED

2020 has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Worry, sadness and frustration mixed in with laughter, happiness and love. Feelings we've shared with loved ones and statuses online using emoticons galore. 

This year has not only been a whirlwind of emotions for us adults but for kids too. 

Even at the best of times children can find it hard to understand and process emotions. So mix in lockdown, missing loved ones and a change of routine with quality family time and joyous memories at home during lockdown then carefully getting out and about again it can be extremely difficult emotionally and mentally. 

Our middle child has found it hard. He is also at that age where he is learning to express and deal with different emotions. This year he is bubbling with a cocktail of emotions.

To help him we are sparking conversations about emotions with these new super cute collectable Smiley Halves from HEXA-PLEX Puzzles. 

Inspired by the iconic SMILEY trademark created by Nicolas Loufrani in 1971 and Smiley World, SMILEY-HALVES feature well-known SMILEY emoticons to collect and connect. 

The blind bags cost £4.99 and have two halves of iconic emoticons. Will you strike it lucky and uncover a complete face in one bag? Could you find one of the highly-collectable coloured halves? Or have you bagged yourself one of our ultra-rare limited editions? You have a 1 in 3 chance of finding a rare SMILEY-HALVE in each blind bag!

With 22 variations of SMILEY’s famous emoticons available to collect there are 10 traditional style, iconic yellow faces to find and 10 rare faces in 5 different colours and rarities, plus 2 legendary glow in the dark ones!

The halves connect together with a clever magnetic locking system so you can make a complete emoticon face. Collect and Connect matching halves to create a well known emoticon or mix up halves for a unique, two faced emoticon. 

MIX IT

MATCH IT

SPIN IT

The innovative HEXA-PLEX technology locks the face halves together quickly and easily. This unique feature means that they can connect with ease then pulled apart to mix faces up for lots of emoticon fun. The interlocking design also allows the face to be spun around making the SMILEY-HALVES a fantastic fidget toy.

Created by a family run business WOTCH Creations Ltd, SMILEY-HALVES are not only a blind bag, collectible toy but they are also a communication tool. 

Thanks to the varied range of emoticons available to collect children can display emotions using the faces to share how they are feeling. The toy enables self expression and children can make their mood with the toy. Children who struggle to voice their emotions can do so in a fun way and the SMILEY-HALVES can be a safe, undaunting way to open up conversations about feelings with children.

The boys have loved opening up the blind bag packs to discover what halves they have. They’ve loved making unique faces of two emotions and swapping the different halves with each other.

The kids love them as it is fun to make funny faces using different halves of an emoticon and the SMILEY-HALVES tap into their love of surprises, blind bags, collectables and fidget toys. Plus they think they look pretty cool on display. I like them as they have prompted our kids to talk about feelings which is great especially as they have found this year emotionally difficult plus I do love a smiley face.

The boys love them so much they have asked for some for Christmas and these fun collectables will be ideal stocking fillers. Plus they are a great item for them to buy themselves with their own money.

Suitable for children 3+ the SMILEY-HALVES are a fun collectible toy especially thanks to the different rarities available to find in the bling bags. As well as being fun to create unique faces and match halves to make popular emoticons they are a great display toy and can also be traded with friends to get the halves you want.

They are simply lots of fun and in the midst of the emotional turmoil that 2020 has stirred up they are a fantastic toy that evokes SMILEY’s simple message from 1972 of ‘Take Time To Smile’.

If you are after a specific face such as a rare or legendary variety they can be purchased on the website. SMILEY-HALVES blind bags are available to buy now at the SMILEY-HALVES online shop with free shipping on orders over £20 as well as being available at selected retail outlets.