Dora and Friends Train & Play Dora and Perrito Review

Dora is one of my girls very favourite TV characters - both girls regard her fondly both in her original Dora the Explorer mode, and in her slightly more grown up Dora and Friends style.  Unlike many TV characters, my two girls don't obsess about Dora, more that they respect her; they won't pester to watch and yet when Dora just happens to appear on the television, they sit quietly with smiles on their faces - quite unlike many of the other characters they know and celebrate.

Dora and her puppy Perrito came to live with us and both girls have enjoyed playing with them.  This Dora and Friends Train & Play Dora and Perrito doll from Fisher-Price features both Dora (in her more mature reincarnation) and her puppy who performs tricks and responds to Dora's commands.  The Fisher-Price Dora and Perrito set allows your child to take Perrito for a walk, teach him to sit, lie down, dance and even high-five.  Dora can speak commands to her dog and uses different arm movements to initiate new tricks.

We were all impressed by the range of tricks that Perrito performs, and the range of phrases and songs that Dora speaks.  Perrito is attached to Dora by a lead (without this attached, Perrito won't move) which somewhat limits their mobility but the girls do enjoy seeing him perform tricks on demand - they giggle if he falls over when trying to show off.  Perrito also comes with a little toy which, if you wave it by his nose, encourages him to sit up and beg or perform a new trick.

Holly enjoys taking Dora's shoes and clothes off as well as styling Dora's hair.  Lara has taken it upon herself to try and get Dora to walk with her dog...this is particularly tricky because Dora is actually quite unstable on her own which is why both girls usually play with this toy together - one to hold Dora and one to perform tricks with the dog either by pressing the puppy design on Dora's top, or by moving her arm.

There is now quite a range of available Dora and Friends toys; its nice to see Dora get a new lease of life.  At around £35-£40 this toy is quite expensive for a role play doll but it will make Dora fans like Lara and Holly smile - especially when Dora and Perrito share a cute puppy kiss together!

Note: Dora doesn't come with a hairbrush, the one in the photo is a toy Holly uses on all of her dolls!

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy Review

Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy is an interactive soft toy with a happy smiling face and soft floppy ears. This puppy is very recognisable to Holly who has seen and played with the Fisher-Price learning apps since she was very small so it was lovely to see her recognition when she first met her new puppy toy.

The Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy by Fisher-Price is part of the Laugh and Learn range which is suitable for toddlers. This toy is designed for babies from 6 months upto about 3 years old. At first I thought the upper age guidance was a bit optimistic but in fact Lara does still quite enjoy playing with him; partly because of the challenge of reading the words on his body such as "Tummy", "Foot" and "Hand" but also because she too recognises the character so he feels familiar.

There are buttons on each hand, on his tummy and in his ear. Each button is really nice and chunky so Holly had no problem finding them. The hands have different colours to encourage colour recognition and some of the puppy's words and phrases encourage this further. You can choose to play with the puppy in learning mode or music mode.

In learning mode the buttons cause the puppy to talk about the colours and body parts. In music mode the puppy sings songs and plays games. All of the songs are well known ones such as Incy Wincy or Pat-A-Cake and they are sung in a really fun (British) voice.

I think because of the words and body parts, the learning appeal of the Love to Play Puppy is greater than equivalents we have tried but the one thing I think it is missing is a little bit of quiet time - some slightly more chilled music for a child who simply won't part with their toy but really should be going to sleep!

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Learning Piggy Bank Review

The Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Learning Piggy Bank is one of Fisher-Price's all time classic toys.  This big bold plastic piggy bank is suitable from 6 months to around 3 years (although Lara seems to enjoy playing with it too at 4 years old!).

As with most of the toys in the Laugh and Learn range of toys for infants and toddlers, the Learning Piggy Bank is designed to encourage role play and learning about the world around them in a fun way.  It introduces first numbers and colours.

Holly enjoys listening to the Piggy sing songs when it is in music mode and Lara enjoys counting along with it when it is in counting mode.  In counting mode, every time a big coloured coin droops through the slot, the piggy counts up and waits for the next coin.  The coins are a great size for Holly right now - big and chunky. Some of the coins have textured bumps around the outside and others have smooth edges so there is an extra dimension to the toy.

There is a very satisfying "clunk" when the coins drop into the Piggy's tummy and I'm sure this is one of the main reasons why this toy is such a hit with families across the globe.  The door to the piggy bank is easy to see through so your child can see the coins piling up.  The door opens (very easily so it doesn't frustrate tiny fingers) and the piggy tells you whether the door is "open" or "closed" and giggles when you press its nose.

Each of the coins has an animal's face on the front and an animal's behind... on the behind.  I think this is probably lost on the girls but I think its funny.  Holly seems to most enjoy handing me the coloured coins and watching me put them in through the slot!

The Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Learning Piggy Bank and is available in lots of good toy stores.

Fisher Price Disney Princess Songs Palace Review

The Disney Princess Songs Palace from Fisher Price is part of the ever-popular Fisher Price Little People range.  Little People in their various forms have been a firm favourite in this house ever since Lara was a toddler and the combination of Disney Princesses with Little People was one we couldn't miss when Fisher Price offered Lara the chance to review the Disney Princess Songs Palace!

The palace is a very grand castle indeed and, as with many of the Little People play range, has a number of points throughout the castle which make noises when your child interacts with the toy.  I think the doorbell chime is pretty neat when the grand palace doors open and close!

On the reverse of the castle there are a few different rooms for your child to role-play with their little princesses.  A bedroom with a double bed, a dressing room and a tall tower.  There is also a moving balcony that slides up and down outside one of the towers.

Inside there is a ballroom floor which plays music when you rotate it.  And the most impressive part is that, when you place a princess on the dancefloor, the toy knows which princess it is and plays different voices and sounds depending on which princess you are playing with.  The Disney Princess Songs Palace comes with Snow White and Cinderella included but there are lots of others that you can buy in sets or pairs, perhaps as special treats in the future.

The palace comes in several parts that you have to construct yourself - trying to do so brought me to my wits end and even Lara, who had been eager to play with the toy from the minute we unwrapped it, told me to take a break and come back to it later when Holly had stopped crying!!! Armed with a screwdriver, Mr. B came to our rescue!

I was also frustrated that some (but not all) of the imagery on the castle came as stickers that you had to apply yourself.  Lara, being a 3-year-old girl, helped herself to the stickers and plastered them all over a piece of paper while I was building the castle - sigh.

I would say that the entertainment value of the Little People Princess Songs Castle comes from the princess characters and the moving dancefloor.  The dining table and chairs are really a bit big for using inside the castle itself which reduces its effectiveness as a doll's house.  I also think that a little girl like Lara expects a few more pieces of furniture and accessories in a doll's house to keep her absorbed for very long.  I think that as a plastic doll's house it is very sturdy and could withstand usage from children as young as 18 months but very honestly, it isn't the best quality or most exciting doll's house I've ever laid eyes on.

The Fisher Price Disney Princess Songs Palace costs around £49.99.