EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 325
album: Peppa Pig (Panini)
stickers: 220 (1-211, X1-X9) + 40 family cards (C1-C40)
starter pack: album + 5 packets 6,90€
box: 36 packets (4 stickers + 1 card per packet) 1,00€ each
Peppa Pig never goes out of style! In reality, it had been several years since the cartoon, much loved by children, had released a new sticker album; the wait is over and the result is monumental, it can be seen as a flaw but also as an advantage.
The basic idea is to present a collection that recalls family albums, the ones that each of us has at home, before the advent of social media and cell phones and the almost disappearance of printed photographs. In reality, as in many other things, we are returning to the past a little and many, even among young people, are rediscovering the pleasure of touching memories first-hand, leafing through page after page. A sensation that not even the latest generation computer or telephone will ever be able to give.
Peppa Pig serves the same purpose, both in form and substance. Big size for this album, matte paper that makes it more familiar, very good overall quality, large format stickers, central poster with family tree. An experiment that parents could do with their children is to teach the little ones how to compose an album of memories and photographs, through the example of Peppa Pig.
Leafing through page after page, the episodes of the TV series are not presented again, but the theme dominates everything, which actually contributes to feeling involved. Peppa with friends, with family, at the playground, celebrating Christmas and much more. Stickers as if they were photographs and space for games and moments of interaction between those who collect and Peppa Pig.
There are particular pages where there is space for stickers without a precise position, leaving children free to choose how to insert them. Be careful though, they are not “stick & stack”, once attached to the album it is impossible to remove them! We like the idea, it makes each album different, we like to imagine children showing theirs to another little collector and telling them; each sticker and where it was placed probably has its own story behind it, a moment of free imagination that we adults often need too.
The last pages dedicated to travel around the world are very nice. They also remind us of the large illustrated plates of Richard Scarry’s books, perhaps we have unlocked a memory in the less young among us. Here everything is big, imposing. The work carried out by Panini is truly commendable, perhaps the character doesn’t have much to tell again, but the graphics have really worked hard this time, at least that’s the feeling.
Those who read our reviews know that we are rarely supporters of the album formula with stickers and cards together, considering it not to improve the final product, only increasing the costs and the difficulty in completing the collection. On this occasion the formula is certainly interesting, the family cards are both mini puzzles and a game, not images as an end in themselves. Within such a complex collection, they fit in well.
The problem with this album is the same that makes it captivating, over 200 stickers, 40 cards, very demanding for a product intended for a very young audience, especially demanding for families’ wallets. However, it is a collection that certainly ranks above similar products released on newsstands this year, it deserves a chance.
(EN)