P’kolino enters the world of easels

The Melissa & Doug easel has been our best-seller for the past several years, combining funcitonality and value to win market share. But prices have slowly crept up as manufacturing costs have increased worldwide, and this easel which was once a steal at $49.99 increased to $59.99 last year, and will be more of a special occasion purchase in 2009 at $69.99 (you can still get it at the 2008 price on mbeans.com).

The modern children’s furniture company, P’kolino, has come out with an easel that is worth considering, particularly if you’ve got a special occasion coming up. This easel looks great, folds completely flat, holds a paper roll, and has a tray for paint cups and brushes. There’s a reversible board with a dry-erase board on one side and a chalkboard on the other. Best of all, that board can be moved to the bottom of the easel to create a puppet theater. At $99.99 it’s packed with features and has a great aesthetic that make it worth the extra $30. Added bonus: The cardboard box that they’re using to package the easel has a cut-out set for the puppet theater (pictured here). That’s good recycling.

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