Show HN: Stickerbox, a kid-safe, AI-powered voice to sticker printer
stickerbox.comBob and Arun here, creators of Stickerbox.
If AI were built for kids, what would it look like?
Asking that question led us to creativity, and more specifically, the power of kids’ imaginations. We wanted to let kids combine the power of their ideas with AI tools but we needed to make sure we did it safely and in the right way.
Enter Stickerbox, a voice powered sticker printer. By combining AI image generation with thermal sticker printing, we instantly turn kids' wildest ideas into real stickers they can color, stick, and share.
What surprised us most is how the “AI” disappears behind the magic of the device. The moment that consistently amazes kids is when the printer finishes and they are holding their own idea as a real sticker. A ghost on a skateboard, a dragon doing its taxes, their dog as a superhero, anything they can dream of, they can hold in their hand. Their reactions are what pushed us to keep building, even though hardware can be really hard.
Along the way the scope of the project grew more than we expected: navigating supply chains, sourcing safe BPA/BPS free thermal paper, passing safety testing for a children’s product, and designing an interface simple enough that a five year old can walk up and just talk to it. We also spent a lot of time thinking about kids’ data and privacy so that parents would feel comfortable having this in their home.
Stickerbox is our attempt to make modern AI kid-safe, playful, and tangible. We’d love to hear what you think!
P.S. If you’re interested in buying one for yourself or as a gift, use code FREE3PACK to get an extra free pack of paper refills. I’ve been a beta tester and my kids have been loving Stickerbox. With the app I can peer into their world and see their prompting skills improve as well as see their interests evolve :) I'm an adult and I would like to buy it myself! Does the product need to be plugged in all the time or does it work on batteries? I also have a question: do the stickers stick to surfaces like glass? Love this - have to be so careful with AI expanding kids' imagination instead of limiting it and y'all seem like you've nailed it. this is so clever. education + tech AI + creativity and a tool that is interactive but not your damn soul sucking phone. I just bought 3 of these as xmas presents for my friends' kids (and perhaps for an adult friend too :D).