PakNaks

With school starting on August 25, my kids have begun fixing up their backpacks. Does that mean loading them up with pencils and paper? Heck, no. I'm talking the all-important task of decorating them. They're hanging keychains and zipper pulls, but stickers won't stick to the surface, pins might prick them, and I don't want to risk melting the backpack fabric by using iron-on transfers. Fortunately for everyone, we've discovered PakNaks.

We received two PakNak designs (Martin the Monkey and Mona the Violet) to review, which we immediately fell in love with. You do the arithmetic -- 2 cute PakNaks, 3 kids equals fights all around. In a happy coincidence, I actually won 3 more PakNaks from a giveaway on The Optimistic Beauty, and I've gone to the PakNaks website to purchase even more. So my kids' backpacks are now nice and bright and all their own.

The Basics
PakNaks are small (about 3-inch) rubber decorations for bags, backpacks, purses, headbands and other kids' gear. They remind me of giant Jibbitz that you can attach to your bags and other gear instead of your Crocs. PakNaks are not pins or iron-on patches: they have a little velcro dot on the back, and you stick the other side of the velcro onto the surface of whatever you want your PakNak on. The velcro backing stays on the surface, and you can rip off the PakNak and interchange them with other PakNaks.

The Bongga
PakNaks are so cute! I think they're a great way to transform generic backpacks, bags and lunchboxes into something bright and personal. When your child outgrows the little kid designs like the dinosaurs and froggies, there are sporty designs as well as skateboards and hot rods for older kids.



What do my kids think? The adore PakNaks! In fact, after receiving the product samples, I had to straight back online and buy some more. They currently have 3 PakNaks each, and can't wait to add to their little collection (Jammy even asked me why I don't buy a PakNak for myself). I thought it was very clever of them to market each product as a character with a name and personality, not just a design. My kids love that each character has a best friend, favorite food, and favorite activity. In fact, they insisted I print out the whole product page because they wanted to get to know each and every one better.

The Blah
There's only 1 flaw in PakNaks that I can see: some characters have body parts that are so thin (like Martin the Monkey's tail, or Kyla Jane the Butterfly's feelers) that you just know that at some point, they are going to tear off the main body.

Other than that, I can only suggest product enhancements. For one, PakNaks are pretty inexpensive at $3.99, but honestly, it's hard to stop at just one, and it can really add up! I'd love to see some combo saver packs (like 6 for $18). And I'd also love letter PakNaks, so each child can spell out their names or initials in those fun, bright, 3D designs.

The Bottom Line
PakNaks are an easy way to jazz up your kids' gear and a great idea for making Back-to-School preparations a bit more fun. Every kid who sees a PakNak wants one; in fact, I think Santa might have to make a trip to PakNak-land and grab a handful to stuff my kids' stockings this holiday season!

I received a product sample for this post, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.