EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 291
album: Masha and the Bear (Diramix)
stickers: 190 (1-170, A1-A5, B1-B9, C1-C6)
starter pack: album + 2 packets 3,99€
box: 30 packets (5 stickers) 0,90€ each
Welcome back friends! In a slightly unexpected way, a new album on the famous Russian cartoon reappears on newsstands. A sign that the adventures of the little girl and her friend the bear continue to be very successful among the little ones. In reality, they are nice stories even for us grown-ups, although, admit it, we are all on the bear’s side, a bit like what happens with Wile E. Coyote and Beep Beep.
Someone could point out that the cartoon albums made by Diramix always follow the same pattern, with the central part dedicated to stick & stack stickers to create stories. It’s not bad! It’s a formula that works, Diramix is among our favorite publishers because it manages to create products that appear simple but are not. No extra useless additions, no cards (it rarely happened), a truly family-friendly product.
If we remember correctly, this album is the first released by the Milanese publisher on Masha and the Bear. It is therefore right to start from the beginning, in the first pages we find the introduction to the characters, the two absolute protagonists and their friends. Simple but colorful and fun stickers, if you wish you could have made some shaped ones that make the “work” of attacking more and more challenging but also satisfying, it depends on the result.
The rest of the album is a mix of tracks from the many episodes of the cartoon where, also taking a cue from the features and settings, Diramix doesn’t just tell but also tries to make children interact with the characters. You have the sensation of entering the cartoon a little, think how nice it is to go and visit Bear in his home, humanized as if it were the same as ours.
We live in difficult times, it is important to use every opportunity to try and teach the children (and also the adults who participate in completing the album) some good notions for safeguarding nature. Everyone has to do their part, pages 26 and 27, leafing through the album, maybe it’s right to go back and read them again. These are simple suggestions, but fundamental for our future. Well done Diramix to introduce this important novelty in their albums!
Fun album, the stickers are loved (we always need to love our little paper friends!), the images inspire sympathy. A little more effort could have been made by adding, as written, the always appreciated shapes. The central part with stickers to stick & stack are a Diramix trademark and are always welcome to us.
Price of the packet which unfortunately follows the trend of (almost) all publishers. Once with a Diramix box it was practically possible to complete an album, now with the 30 sachet box it is no longer possible. So let’s hope for a season of changes.
(EN)