Today it is already difficult to imagine the full-fledged creative development of a child without practicing with plasticine, and I can’t even believe that once this simple and useful tool did not exist yet. But it appeared not so long ago - a little over a hundred years ago, and at first did not have such a global role as it does now.
For the fact that our children now have all the possibilities for everyday use of inexpensive and very convenient, and most importantly, safe plasticine, we should thank those manufacturers who, at the dawn of the popularization of this substance, did everything possible to improve the recipe. Some of them, such as the Spanish company Jovi, nowadays continue to delight kids all over the world with high-quality products.
About the manufacturer
At the end of the 30s of the last century, the time for Spain was not at all the easiest - there was a large-scale civil war in the country, so many people thought about anything, just not about goods for children's creativity. Two young friends from Barcelona, Jose Salvador and Vicente Tejedo, thought completely differently, who felt that in such conditions special attention should be paid to children, because this is the only way to provide them with a relatively normal childhood in such difficult conditions.
In 1939, they founded their own company for the production of goods for children's creativity, which, without thinking twice, named after the first syllables of their names - "Hovi" (this is how the name Jovi is correctly read in Spanish). In addition, this combination is also close to the Spanish words "joven" and "juventud" (respectively, "young" and "youth"), which once again emphasizes - the company does not target art professionals as much as children and adolescents.
In 1940, the first crayons produced by this company appeared, produced by a semi-handicraft method at home, instead of the traditional "shirt" made of wood, dressed in paper. However, this product became widely known in his hometown and allowed two friends already in 1942 to move into a full-fledged office with their own laboratory and workshops.
At first, the company developed precisely the pencil production industry, but in 1964 its own plasticine recipe was developed, which, by the way, the company still adheres to, since it has never failed its inventors in half a century of existence. By that time, the brand's pencils were exported to several Latin American countries and Portugal, and the new plasticine very quickly began to be supplied to foreign consumers.
Today this company is definitely worth mentioning among the world's leading manufacturers of goods for baby development, as its products are sold in more than 80 different countries of the world. In our country, this is still quite a rarity, but this brand is properly represented in large specialized stores. It should be noted that it is the clay of this brand that is especially popular with us, since it a lot like the famous Play-Doh, but costs, as a rule, are somewhat cheaper.
Benefits
No matter how cheap Hovi plasticine may seem in comparison with Play-Do, it seems incredibly expensive relative to domestic products like Gamma, because even a small bar of the same color can cost up to a hundred rubles. Probably, it is this factor that so far somewhat slows down the wide distribution of the brand in our country, and yet its products have a number of advantages that make an increasing number of parents give preference to this particular brand.
Here are the advantages that the buyers themselves highlight:
- 100% natural origin. Nowadays, not every manufacturer can boast of such an achievement, and even those types of plasticine that are labeled as completely safe often contain the same machine oil, which is hardly worth getting into a child's body.
Plasticine "Hovi" is not at all intended to be eaten, and yet you should not worry if the baby swallows a small piece - there is nothing harmful in it.
- Highest plasticity. Most types of plasticine need to be additionally kneaded before use, and in the case of preschoolers, this task often falls on the shoulders of parents, otherwise additional preparation can completely discourage the kid from sculpting. The Hovi recipe was created with the maximum focus on the needs of the smallest - it is recommended for children aged 20 months and older, since this plasticine is simply very soft. Despite such softness, the mass keeps its shape perfectly, therefore it is well suited not only for flat crafts, but also for creating voluminous figures. Again, such plasticine does not stick to your hands at all.
- Good color miscibility. Even with a relatively small set of colors, a creative toddler can expand the range of potential crafts by creating their own, new colors. In addition to, in fact, wider possibilities for modeling, this characteristic also very strongly develops the color perception and imagination of the child.
Range
It is worth clarifying right away that the range of this manufacturer includes both salty dough for modeling and a product literally called plasticine, although in its properties it is also close to the dough - it is characterized by increased softness and elasticity. Moreover, plasticine boxes are available in completely different sets.
It is worth noting that the manufacturer produces sets with completely different numbers of colors. The most common are sets of 8, 10 or 12 colors, but there are also sets with only basic colors, the number of each of which is increased due to the absence of intermediate shades.
You can also buy individual blocks, which weigh 50 g each, and there are even 150-gram sets of 15 sticks of the same color. By the way, this is a peculiar feature of this company - since the product is produced for the smallest children, who would find it difficult to work with a large piece of mass with their tiny fingers, the company can put in a set several separate small sticks of plasticine of the same color at once.
On average, a set of plasticine from "Hovi" weighs 112-140 g, which is quite enough for the needs of such a small child. However, there are also larger sets (both full-color and one specific color), weighing 350 grams each.
The latter can be bought both for small creative groups and for several children in the same family, or even for one child who is very fond of modeling.
All sets, by the way, are divided into those that consist of classic colors, and neon ones, which have a special brightness of the shade and seem to be luminous.
Like any good plasticine maker, Howie adds special tools to many of its kits that simplify the sculpting process and help achieve a better result. At the same time, unlike most competitors, this company also offers tool kits, sold separately from the plasticine itself, which is very convenient for those who want to reach a new level, but do not need to replenish the stock of mass for modeling.
If you want to, you can even buy a special small suitcase that allows you to conveniently store plasticine and everything you need to process it.
Reviews
Due to the still relatively low popularity of this brand's plasticine, it is mainly those who professionally write reviews of products for children's creativity write about it. However, in recent years, more and more comments from ordinary parents have appeared, and it should be noted that despite the rather high cost of such a mass, consumers usually have only warm words about the manufacturer.
Kits are most often praised for they greatly contribute to the learning of the baby, since they make the sculpting process extremely simple for him... The plasticine itself does not need to be kneaded, and at hand there are always a lot of various tools that allow you to give the craft any shape, even with inept children's hands. Thanks to this, children are very fond of Hovi - it makes them feel like little wizards.
Parents also cannot help but like the fact that such plasticine is not easily soiled, because it does not even stick to clothes. This is especially surprising given that the mass always remains very soft and does not dry out for a long time, which is very important for repeated sculpting.
With such plasticine, you can not be afraid to give the child a little more freedom in knowing the world, because you don't need to follow him so closely so that he in no case pulls the mass into his mouth.
The ability to purchase a separate bar of any color allows parents to save a lot without buying a new set every time.
Below you can see an overview of a selection of Jovi products, including plasticine.
