Plasticine Jovi: features of choice

Today it is already difficult to imagine the full-fledged creative development of a child without classes with clay, and it is even hard to believe that once this simple and useful tool did not exist. But it appeared not so long ago - a little more than a hundred years ago, and at first it did not have such a global role as it is now.

For the fact that our children now have all the opportunities for everyday use of inexpensive and very convenient, and most importantly, safe clay, we should thank those manufacturers who, at the dawn of popularizing this substance, did everything possible to improve the recipe. Some of them, such as the Spanish company Jovi, in our time continue to delight children of the whole world with high-quality products.

At the end of the 30s of the last century, time for Spain was not at all the simplest - there was a large-scale civil war in the country, so many people thought about anything, but not about products for children's creativity. Two young friends from Barcelona, ​​José Salvador and Vicente Tejedo, thought completely differently and thought that in such conditions special attention should be paid to children, because only this can provide them a relatively normal childhood in such difficult conditions.

In 1939, they founded their own company for the production of products for children's creativity, which, without thinking twice, was named after the first syllables of their names - “Howi” (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 underlines - The company focuses not so much on professionals from the world of art as on children and adolescents.

In 1940, the first pencils-crayons produced by this company appeared, produced by semi-handicraft 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 to move to a full-fledged office with their own laboratory and workshops as early as 1942.

At first, the company developed the pencil production industry, but in 1964 its own plasticine recipe was developed, which the company still adheres to, by the way, since it has never failed its inventors in half a century of existence. Already by that time brand pencils were exported to several Latin American countries and Portugal, and new clay 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 child development, because its products are sold in more than 80 different countries of the world. In our country, it is still quite a rarity, but in large specialized stores this brand is represented properly. It should be noted that it is precisely the clay of this brand that is especially popular with us, since it in many ways similar to the famous play dohbut it is usually somewhat cheaper.

No matter how cheap “Howi” plasticine seems compared to the same “Play-Do”, relative to domestic products like “Gamma” it seems incredibly expensive, because even a small bar of the same color can cost as much as a hundred rubles.Probably, it is this factor that still somewhat inhibits 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 of the buyers themselves:

• 100% natural origin. Nowadays, not every manufacturer can boast of such an achievement, and even those types of clay that are marked as completely safe, often contain the same lube, which is hardly worth getting into the body of a child.

• Highest ductility. Most types of clay need to be further 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 the hunt to do the modeling. The recipe "Howie" was created with maximum orientation to the needs of the smallest - it is recommended for children from the age of 20 months, since this clay is just very soft. Contrary to such softness, the mass holds its shape very well, therefore it is well-suited not only for flat crafts, but also for creating volumetric figures. Again, this clay does not stick at all to the hands.

• Good color miscibility. Even with a relatively small set of colors, a creatively oriented kid can expand the range of potential handicrafts by creating their own new colors. In addition to, in fact, more opportunities for modeling, such a characteristic is also very much develops the color perception and imagination of the child.

It should be immediately clarified that the assortment of this manufacturer has both salty dough for modeling, and a product literally called clay, although in its properties it is also close to dough - it is notable for its increased softness and elasticity. At the same time boxes of clay are available in completely different sets.

It is worth noting that the manufacturer produces sets with a completely different number of colors. The most common are sets of 8, 10 or 12 colors, but there are also sets with only basic colors, the amount of each of which is increased due to the absence of intermediate shades.

You can also purchase individual blocks that weigh 50 g each, and there are even 150 g sets consisting of 15 sticks of the same color. This, by the way, is a peculiar trick of this company - since the product is produced for the youngest children, who would be difficult to work with their tiny fingers with a large piece of mass, A company can put in the set several separate small sticks of plasticine of the same color.

On average, a set of clay from "Hovi" weighs 112-140 g, which is enough for the needs of such a small child. However, there are larger sets (both full-color and one specific color), weighing 350 grams each.

All sets, by the way, are divided into those that consist of classical colors, and neon, with a special brightness of color and seeming luminous.

Like any good plasticine manufacturer, Hovi adds special tools to many of its sets, simplifying the modeling process and contributing to a better result. At the same time, unlike most competitors, this company also offers tool kits, sold separately from the clay itself, which is very convenient for those who want to reach a new level, but does not need to replenish the mass reserves for modeling.

Because of the relatively low popularity of plasticine of this brand, it’s mostly written by those who professionally compile reviews on products for children's creativity. However, in recent years, there are more and more comments from ordinary parents, and it should be noted - despite the relatively high cost of such a mass, consumers usually have only warm words addressed to the manufacturer.

Most often praise sets for what they are very helpful in teaching your child, because they make the modeling process extremely simple for him. Plasticine itself does not need to knead, and at hand there is always a variety of different tools that allow you to give the craft any shape, even inept children's hands. Thanks to this, the children love "Howie" very much - it allows them to feel like little wizards.

Parents also cannot but like the fact that such clay is not so easily soiled, because even it does not stick to clothes. This is especially surprising in view of the fact that the mass always remains very soft and does not dry out for a long time, which is very important for multiple modeling.

The ability to purchase a separate bar of any color allows parents to significantly save money without buying a new set each time.

Below you can see an overview of a certain range of Jovi products, including plasticine.