Found it! What is this called?

[kristenk]

Nevermind. I found some called peekaboo bags. If you know of any other names, please let me know! (Or if you know of any good sellers.)


I think that WAHMs make them, mainly, but I could be wrong. It's a fabric pouch with different small items and foam beads sewn inside. I think that there's a viewing window sometimes. It's sort of like a find it game. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

[Pennylane]

I just saw these in a magazine and was going to order one for DD's stocking. I can't remember the name but will post it later. I would love to find them from a WAHM though so please post if you make them or know a website that does.

Ann

[muskiesusan]

They are also called I spy bags. Here's some: http://www.austinmama.com/myspybag.htm

My sister made DS1 one for Christmas last year and we love it!

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[kristenk]

I thought I'd start a list in this post of places that offer peek-a-boo/I spy bags.

http://www.tctwest.net/~dcdesign/peekaboo.html
http://www.rumbletuff.com/peek_a_boo_bags.html
http://www.grammasbabystuff.com/GrammasISpyBags.html
http://www.margescreations.com/products/ispy01.html

Not a bag, and probably better for older kids:
http://www.finditgames.com/

[redhookmom]

We have the find it tube. Everybody likes looking for the items.

[jse107]

These are so cool! I haven't seen anything like them before! Definately going on the Christmas list, and I think I'll order some for a few friends!

[aim]

Thank for this thread - I had not heard of these things and they fit the bill perfectly for a few little presents I need to get for people.

I just ordered fome from this site
http://www.margescreations.com/products/ispy01.html

I have no idea what they are like - they seem cute - when they arrive I will let you all know

Amy
Bennett 1-14-04

[calv]

those are really neat. I wonder if anyone would be willing to do a coop for us?

[kristenk]

Well, now that you mention it... :)

I contacted Rumble Tuff (after reading your message) to locate an on-line retailer for the peek-a-boo bags. You can find them at www.ebabycakes.com, by the way, just do a search for peek a boo and they'll show up.

I asked if they'd be willing to do a group order and the lady I spoke with said that it might be a possibility. She wanted to know how many I'd be interested in buying and I won't have a price until she knows a quantity. So, if you're interested, please let me know. (Ebabycakes sell the 7x7 for $18.99 and the 4x4 for $12.99.)

[niccig]

I could be interested...these look great.

[lisaCO]

Yes! I would like a couple of these. I like the larger 'window' on these bags for my DD.

Thanks for offering!

[kristenk]

The very nice lady from Rumble Tuff called me back. The prices for the bags are as follows:

large (7x7) $8.50
mini (4x4) $5.50

PLUS SHIPPING


She wasn't positive on the price of the mini, but the large bag is definitely $8.50.

I don't know how much shipping will be.

I'm thinking of placing the group order and then shipping them out to everyone. Does that sound okay?

I'll take this over to the co-op board (here and on yahoo), but DD is awake and I won't be able to do it until later this evening. Just wanted to let people know prices! :)

[calv]

you ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is so awesome and seems like good prices. Off to check them out. THANKS a million for taking the lead on this. :)

ETA: I'm probably in for at least 2.

[mik8]

That looks like an awesome plane or car ride diversion. I think I'm going to order the large one. TIA!

[Momof3Labs]

Wow, I'm in for at least one larger, possibly a couple more. Did she say whether we'd have them in hand by 12/25?

[kristenk]

I didn't ask. I'll call tomorrow and ask. I'm hoping to go ahead and place an order w/i 2 weeks. It might be earlier, though. I'll definitely ask that. If anyone thinks of any other questions, please let me know!

[holliam]

Way cool! I'm in!

Holli

[calv]

the sooner the better especially w/the holidays fast approaching. It's nice that we don't have to have a minimum order. :)

[niccig]

Thank you. At that price, $8.50, I'm going to stock up for a few kids presents.

Nicci

[kcimato]

I know I want at least 4
Thanks

[Corie]

Hey Kristen!

I would probably order at least 2 of them!!

Thanks for doing this!! :)

[ribbit1019]

Very cool, I emailed you back. I know I am in for a couple.
Let me know if you need any help.

Christy
Wife to Richard
My Waterbabies
http://lilypie.com/pic/060928/Yw0w.jpg http://b3.lilypie.com/H-lkm5.png
http://lilypie.com/pic/060928/iBmU.jpg http://bf.lilypie.com/tkq-m5.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/steitzsmith/Other/jump.gif

[jse107]

I'm in for the co-op! At least two, maybe more!

[kelly ann]

These look so cool! What ages is this appropriate for? Babies, Toddlers, Pre-schoolers???

Thanks!

[hanaum02]

These sound great! I'll probably buy about 4 (good for gifts for other people). Thanks so much for doing this!

Can I just go through the Co-op board here or do I need to join the Yahoo Group too?

Thanks again,
Michelle
Zach (9/3/04)

[mom to little e]

I definitely would be in for a few!

Maryann

[mom to little e]

Hi Kristen!
This sounds great! Thanks for setting it up. Do you think that the lady from Rumble Tuff might be able to provide a few additional photos of the different types? The online pic is kind of small.

Thanks so much - my DS will love these!
Maryann

[punkrockmama]

Those are cool. I've never seen anything like that before. I'm in. :)

[s_gosney]

Count me in for at least 2 as well!

[juliasmom05]

Me too. I'm in for at least 2.

Thanks

Marci

[nfowife]

I'm in for at least 2!

[ctmom]

count me in also for a few! Would we be able to pick which ones, or because this is such a good price, is it only for a certain one?

Thanks!
Mary
dd#1 2/01
dd#2 12/03

[kristenk]

I think it's any of them. I'm going to call at DD's nap time today (I tried earlier but no one answered) and I'll add that to the list of questions. :)

[kristenk]

They currently have all of the different types available. There's also a sale going on in the store which is why the price I was quoted was so low. You might want to order soon b/c I don't know when the price will increase.

I asked if people could call to order the bags themselves, or if it needed to be a group order, and she said that it was fine to order individually. The lowest shipping charge is about $4. I think they're charging actual shipping, so shipping won't go up too much as the number of bags you order increases. I decided against doing a group order b/c the bags will arrive much faster by ordering direct. Plus I don't know what shipping costs would be for me to send them out, considering that I'd also have to buy packaging of some sort. I really don't think that it would save too much $ for everyone.

Sooooo, call 1-800-524-9607 to order your peek-a-boo bags! They're a little low on boy peek-a-boo bags but she thought that they'd be able to cover our orders.

Here's the link again:
http://www.rumbletuff.com/peek_a_boo_bags.html

[calv]

Thanks again for all your leg work. I ordered 3! Shipping was $6 and change I thought kinda steep but whatever.

I got a girl, mystery and classic one. :)

[kristenk]

Wow, $6 is pretty high for 3 of them. I guess it's still a pretty good deal when you compare it to $18.99 (or whatever it was) on the other site. Not as great a deal as I thought it would be, though.

Thanks for posting your shipping total so other people know what to expect.

I ordered large classic and mystery and a mini baby. I'll try to post pictures when they come in.

[lisams]

I bought one of these from a mom who makes them at DD's school fall festival, and she loves it! I think it's great for a wide range of ages. I keep hers in the car, and ask her to find different objects. Such a clever idea!

[kcimato]

Every time I call the number it says to leave a message. Did anyone get a real person to talk to?

[kristenk]

I got a real person the first time I called. When I called back the next day, I tried several times and then ended up leaving a message. Susie called me back that day.

[hanaum02]

I got a recorded message when I called too. I left a message, but no one returned my call yet. Hopefully they will tomorrow - otherwise I guess I'll try to call again.

Michelle
Zach (9/3/04)

[shilo]

hi,

thanks so much for doing the leg work on these, they'll make great gifts :). just some details in case it helps anyone, i called this morning and got susie after 2 rings. also, she said the first three are all the same price for shipping, after that it goes up depending on the size/weight of the box they have to use. she was very nice and did also say they will only charge for the actual shipping costs to them, no markup on the shipping.

thanks again, lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[kimbe]

http://www.mossfoundation.org/page.php?id=74

I found this if anyone is interested. When it comes down to it, I don't think that you could make one as cheap as they are offering though.

[niccig]

This was great. I called and got her straight wasy. I ordered 7 bags - stocking up for 2007 birthday presents for our playgroup and goddaughters. Unfortunately, I already had bought christmas presents, but I'm half-done for next year's round of birthdays..

Nicci

[juliasmom05]

Thanks Kristen for doing all the legwork on these. She was really nice on the phone and was sort of surprised on how many orders you was getting for them :-).

Thanks again,

Marci

[ctmom]

how much was the shipping for 7 bags, and which sizes did you get?

Thanks!
Mary
dd#1 2/01
dd#2 12/03

[kristenk]

You're welcome! :)

Honestly, I didn't really do anything. Susie at Rumble Tuff was great to talk to and called me back with discount info before I could even call again. She actually searched through caller ID to find my phone number b/c I had just planned on calling her back! LOL

And, I wouldn't have thought about asking about a discount if Caly hadn't mentioned it in her post.

I think all of the forces aligned correctly here! :)

[calv]

I just want to echo and thank Kristen as well. I ordered 3 and honestly I think I might end up keeping all three. ANYONE know when this sale is good till? I think she said xmas but don't quote me on that.

ANd yes, Susie was very easy to work with.

THANKS Kristen. :D

[Momof3Labs]

Got mine ordered today, too! I picked up five, including the Genius one as a gift for DS1's classroom for the holidays. Thanks Kristen!!

[aprilz42]

Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. :) I ordered mine from Dry Creek Design http://www.tctwest.net/~dcdesign/home.html It seems like the smaller windows are a lot more fun because the big windows make it too easy. I suppose it depends on how old the child is.

This site also has some really cool Quiet Activity Books. I got one as a gift a few months ago and it is SO nice for my DS at church! He can't do them all yet but he loves the snaps and zippers and especially taking the gold coins in and out of the donkey's pack. (We have the western one.)

Anyway, good luck with all your Christmas shopping!

April

DS - Aug 2004
DD - Feb 2006
EDD - Mar 2007

[neeter]

Thanks April -- I was considering the ones posted above, but I was thinking the window seemed sort of big. So I purchased some from the site you recommended...shipping was only $2.95 for two bags. They look cute and will keep DS busy. Thanks!

[calv]

I just got the 3 bags I ordered earlier this week and they're great! HIGHLY reccomend them! =) Great customer service and great product.

[Ceepa]

Funny. I thought the same thing about the window size and figured I was overthinking it! :) I like the ones you posted.

-Ceepa

[nfowife]

I just ordered 4 dry creek bags (1 for DD, the rest for gifts), and a quiet book too! Thanks for the link!

[calv]

the ones w/the bigger window are PERFECT for my soon to be 3 year old. I think if it were smaller they'd get frusterated easier. Then again it depends on the age range that your buying for.

[o_mom]

I want to make some of these for Christmas gifts. I have the one set of instructions posted which calls for an 8x8 bag with a 4x4 inch window. How does that compare to yours?

TIA!

[ShellB]

AHA busy bags!!

http://kiddiecradles.com/catalog.php?category=4

[lhk777]

I was at my local library and saw this and the tag on it said it was from Lakeshore. I just looked it up and they have several different kinds:

Search and Find Alphabet Bag $19.95
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/Images/Catalog/ProductImages/full/zz356_f.jpg

Search and Find Rhyming Bags $49.50 (for 12 bags)
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/Images/Catalog/ProductImages/full/ee766_f.jpg

Search and Find Alphabet Bags $95.00 (for 26 bags)
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/Images/Catalog/ProductImages/full/ee356_f.jpg

[kristenk]

The window on the 7x7 bag is about 3.75inches square. And, really, when the bag is filled, the 7x7 bag turns into closer to 6x6.

If I were making one from scratch, I'd probably go with 3.25 - 3.5 inches of visible window. Good luck!

[kristenk]

wrong place

[kristenk]

I received 5 bags in the mail yesterday! I ordered 4 large bags and 1 mini bag. The package weighed about 3 pounds, and printed postage was $7.20. These things are heavy if you order a lot!

My order:

1 large Classic
1 mini Baby
3 large Mystery

I have 3 different prints on my Mystery bags. One is a light blue corduroy front & bag, one is a red baseball print, and one is a white school-house print.

I really like the size of the 7x7 bags. The 4x4 is really too small. I thought that DD would enjoy finding all of the hidden "baby" objects, though, so I went with that one.

The large ones have the "hunt list" (or whatever you want to call it) snapped onto the bag. This is great!!! You can snap off the list so you have the list and the child has the bag. The mystery bags don't have a hunt list, but they still have a piece of fabric snapped to the bag with "What can you find" printed on it.

The mini bag doesn't have a snap, but it has a clip through the bag and the list. You'd also be able to clip the bag to something.

It looks pretty easy to me to find all of the objects. I don't think I'm the primary target market of peek-a-boo bag users, though! I think that my DD will like them. They might be way too easy for older children. Or, I could be overestimating my own DD's abilities and she won't be interested in it very much. I think she'll like it. She hasn't seen the bags yet and won't until our 5 hour drive later this week! I'll update after that and let everyone know if they were a success or not. Oh, one other thing, I'm definitely glad I purchased the bag so I have a good sample to work from. I'm hoping to make a homemade version filled with Disney-related stuff for our WDW trip next year.

[juliasmom05]

I actually liked the bigger windows as well :-).

Marci

[mik8]

We got a large bag. It's well made and I must say worth the $8.50. I gave it right away to DD and it was a hit for her. She really likes it but found that the items are easy for her to discover (we got the mystery bag). DD is 39 months. She'll prop the bag on one side at a counter/table allowing all the space on top inside, shake the bag a bit (pellets tend to go down the bottom), then push all the mystery objects or items to the top inside using her fingers through the clear vinyl window so that they're all layered on top while the white pellets are at the bottom. She can identify them in no time. Anyhoos, it is still a great deal and hopefully will get more play time out of it.

Big thanks to Kristen for initiating this!

[cchavez]

I ordered one too....hope DS likes it.

[VClute]

What did you think? The ones on that site looked so much cuter and more varied than the others. I'm eager to hear what you thought!

Amy in NC
mom to Dixon, born 2/14/05
...and let the shopping begin!

A GIRL (!!) Due 3/30/07

[hudsonam]

I just ordered a large Classic and mini Mystery. She couldn't tell me what the shipping would be, but she said the large is 8.50 and the small is 5.50. She said they'd ship out right after Thanksgiving. I hope my son likes them! Thanks for the lead on this! :)

[o_mom]

Thanks! I was out of town all week, but we are going to JoAnn today to get supplies!

[cchavez]

We got one from Drycreek. It looks very well made and it cute but DS did not find it that interesting. I wasn't too sure if he would be into this type of toy but I think the big reason is b/c many of the "treasure items" are not 3D...they are little foil confetti....for example the hot dog is 3D and he really likes that one but for ex. the palm tree and leaf are foil confetti. Are the rumble tuff ones like that?

[holliam]

Our Rumbletuff ones haven't arrived yet but from the photos, they appear to be 3D. I would not have been happy with just confetti in them! Bummer about that!

Holli

[calv]

ditto. The rubletuff is all 3D. At least 2 out of the 3 bags that I've looked at/ordered.

[kcimato]

I ordered 4 bags 2 weeks ago and have not received them. Anyone else not get them? I have a call in but no one answered.

[katerinasmom]

I ordered 5 bags more than 2 weeks ago and also still have not received them. I also called but got no answer. They haven't charged my credit card yet.

[kristenk]

I hope they arrive soon. There was a more recent post in Bargains (I believe) and people found out that there was a delay with the seamstress who makes them but that they were expecting to ship them out at the end of last week. The good news is that someone who had ordered early got hers last week, so it looks like they are sending them out. If you have time, you might want to call again and leave a message this time if you didn't before just to make sure that they didn't lose your order. I don't think they were expecting so many people to be interested in the bags and ordering personally through them. (I tried to warn them!)

I hope your peek-a-boo bags arrive soon and that you like them.

[juliasmom05]

I called last week and she said that the seamstress took an unexpected vacation over Thanksgiving and so they were not able to complete all of the orders. I was told that they would be shipping either sometime at the end of last week or the beginning of this week. She was very apologetic on the phone and said that she would get them out as soon as they could.

HTH

Marci

[urquie]

i just received mine and they're great! the big ones seem better for small kids (and adults). the small one is a bit hard to manipulate.

i called them and their seamstress was really back logged with orders. mine were shipped about 1 1/2 weeks after they orignally told me they would. if you need them before x-mas (or a specific date) you could let susi know and she might be able to put you high up on the priority list:)