by Nick Montano, Vending Times – Issue Date: Vol. 53, No. 6, June 2013, Posted On: 6/11/2013
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Brand Vending Products has taken the wraps off three capsule items designed to engage the imaginations of young patrons during the summer vacation. The new items belong to Brand’s first self-vend, do-it-yourself line.
Grobubbles is a 2″ capsule containing organic wheatgrass seeds, coco peat soil for use as a growing medium and easy-to-follow instructions. The customer simply plants the seeds in the supplied medium, waters the “mini garden” and waits for the wheatgrass to grow.
It is not a long wait. “Organic wheatgrass is one of the fastest-growing seeds in the botanical world,” said Brand sales manager Craig Goodman. “Within three days it will start growing. In five days, several inches should be reaching up.”
Brand’s self-vend little garden is sourced and assembled in the U.S. Goodman reports that it has been selling briskly since it was introduced in March.
“This is a great item for operators to use to get into different types of locations,” he observed. “One of my customers wants to go into pet stores. It’s an educational product, and I believe it will do well in educational environments — it’s parent-friendly and it sparks a kid’s interests in science.”
Goodman’s son, Getty, is the model pictured on the Grobubbles display card. The 2″ Grobubbles capsule has a suggested vend price of 75¢ or $1. Brand says that it has plans for additions to the organic line, perhaps including fast-growing flowers.
Also available in Brand’s latest self-vend lineup are two 1″ capsules, DIY Super Balls and Sleeping Fish Eggs.
The high-bounce ball springs to life and expands when the patron mixes water with “magic sand” contained in the capsule; the rehydration process takes about two minutes. Sleeping Fish Eggs are specially engineered to expand dramatically in the capsule after water is added, growing to 200 times their original size.
“We believe vending toys are an opportunity for kids to use and develop their imaginations,” said Dax Logue, a Brand principal. “Children need to learn how to grow and make things. In a world in which kids are immersed in iPads and videogames, we’re bringing real play back to novelties.”