Kids Android tablet maker Fuhu is expanding its retail reach in the US this summer with two new in-store programs for its nabi Big Tab at Toys ‘R’ Us and Best Buy.

Starting in July, all Toys ‘R’ Us stores and a majority of Best Buy stores nationwide will feature special stations where users can get the full Big Tab experience. Display devices will be equipped with activities like games, eBooks and video clips, with product demonstrators stationed in stores to help introduce families to the Android tablets, which boast larger-than-average 20-inch (US$449) and 24-inch (US$549) screens.

Having a physical presence in stores is key for getting customers acquainted with this emerging category of large-size tablet entertainment, which emphasizes more multi-user play and collaboration, notes Fuhu VP of retail Keith Neva. “Big Tab really is starting a new category of family entertainment and interaction in the tablet world. As such, it being a new category, people need to experience Big Tab. Just seeing a video or something online, that doesn’t give you a full understanding of what it does. Having the product on display where people can touch it, feel it and really experience it is very important to us.”

Big Tab was introduced by Fuhu last August, and hit US retail in the fall.