The wrap-up: A 'well-armed' soap dispenser

Ink and soap may seem an unlikely mix, but SquidSoap, Wichita Falls, TX, has combined these contrasting products in a learning experience for kids. The result is a product-package that's both goofy and ingenious, a hard-to-resist combination here at the PI wrap-up desk.

The idea is to train kids to use soap and learn to wash their hands long enough to remove ink (and their own kid germs), a process that becomes a habit.

SquidSoap works by applying a small ink mark on a person's hand when he or she presses the pump to dispense the soap. An ink "nib" is located on top of the package. When the pump is pushed down to dispense the soap, the hand is marked with an orange dot. A soft guard ring that surrounds the ink nib prevents accidental marking.
The ink is designed to wash off after the hands are washed for about15-20 seconds, which is the handwashing time recommended by most doctors. SquidSoap uses an approved ink that has been sold for many years in children's products. Don't let your kids know this, but the ink is also edible.

The concept reminded me for the first time in decades of a kid's product back in my youth called Fuzzy Wuzzy soap.

The soap somehow grew fuzz as you used it, and the bonus was that there was a toy embedded inside. The idea—and it worked in my family—was that kids would be eager to vigorously wash their hands often to get at the toy.