Hug Time Poppy Trolls Review

As a child and into my teens I collected Trolls so I'm really excited to see them back on our shelves. Hug Time Poppy is an interactive troll toy featuring one of the star characters from the new Trolls Dreamworks movie; Hug Time Poppy is a fun, light-up interactive character with a strong positive message to pass on.

Holly and Lara haven't seen the Trolls movie yet but this doesn't stop Holly from really loving all the Trolls merchandise as the characters are hard not to love. Their cheeky faces, little legs and bright, soft hair are instantly recognisable.  Hug Time Poppy is a doll who speaks lots of different positive phrases (there's 25 different things to listen out for) she also plays music from the movie which I've heard is awesome - with a song in your heart you can do anything!

You can push Poppy's tummy to hear her talk or sing.  When Poppy sings her hair lights up. The lights are hidden behind a little tiara which can be removed so that you can brush her hair. Poppy comes with a brush and as I remember it, brushing a Troll's hair is very therapeutic.  When the dancing is done, Poppy often asks for a hug, and who can resist?

Perhaps the most interesting feature of Hug Time Poppy is not her hugs, but her bracelet.  When she sings, Poppy's bracelet lights up and your little Trolls fan will be super excited when they find out they can wear a matching bracelet that lights up as well. The bracelet is a good size for Holly who is 4.  When you wear the bracelet you can press the button and see it light up too - this prompts Poppy to say a phrase, sing a song or ask for a hug.  It's actually a pretty clever little piece of wireless wizardry.

Hug Time Poppy from Hasbro costs around £49.99 and is suitable for children from around age 4 upwards. She can be found in time for Christmas at Smyths or Amazon.

U Hugs Customisable Dolls Review

U Hugs dolls have been a massive hit in our house with both Lara and Holly. We were sent two to review but I will admit that when browsing Toys R Us for birthday present ideas last weekend, I was tempted to add to the girls collection. U Hugs dolls from Flair are brightly coloured, stylised dolls which feature lots of little removable pins for clothes, accessories and styling so that you can mix and match them, chop and change them and change them until your heart's content.  And my, oh my, Lara changes her U Hugs around a lot.

U Hugs are designed for children from about 6-10 years old and I think Lara (nearly 7) is just about the perfect age to appreciate them.  She likes the bold style and less girly colours but is still drawn in by the need to dress, tweak and create her own styles for these dolls.

The U Hugs dolls come in their own presentation pack with about 12 different pins such as jewellery, hair accessories, clothes, eyes, lips etc.  Their arms, shoes and even their body are also pins.  Each pin (more of a plug) is easy to rotate out of place and push back in again.  It took Lara a little while to get the hang of it and she needed help at first but now she knows how to twist them in and out herself and only asked for help with the cloak/shawl type things which do require quite a bit of dexterity to line everything up into place.

I think U Hugs probably do work best when you have a couple that you can mix and match.  Each box gives an idea of shapes and pieces you can change to totally change the doll's character - they even recommend new names.  Lara and Holly both like the idea that you can move hair and eyes from one coloured doll to another.  Given the care and attention that Lara takes choosing the next combination of clothes and accessories, I think I may have a little fashionista on my hands.

I recommend keeping the box of your U-Hugs doll to keep all the pins in, some of them are hard to find once they've been put to one side.  If you are looking for a very sneaky place to store them - some of the dolls have a little cavity inside and even a patch on the body can be popped out and swapped for another one to cover over the little secrets stored inside.

I think U Hugs are a very clever set of dolls that appeal to girls who think they are "too old" for traditional dollies!  Find out more about the U Hugs characters on their Youtube channel.

Teletubbies Toy Review

I was delighted when Teletubbies returned to TV late last year - I've been going on about them to Lara and Holly ever since they first started watching television and it is fabulous to be able to share the fun of the Teletubbies with my girls.  This year Character Options have revealed a fabulous range of Teletubbies toys that a whole new generation of little people can enjoy.  From collectible figurines to  cuddly toys, Holly has had a chance to try out the very best from the new range of Teletubbies toys.

First up, I have to give big big credit to Character Options for these signature Talking Soft Toys.  These toys have totally captured Holly's heart.  The gentle giggly voices of Laa Laa and Dipsy are the very last thing that I hear as she falls asleep at night, and the very first thing I hear drifting into my room from hers in the morning when she wakes.  Dipsy and Laa Laa are very much loved.

Each of the Teletubbies is realised in its own collectable 8-inch soft toy and, when their tele-tummy is pressed, they say one of a small selection of recognisable Teletubbie phrases.  Our favourite phrases from Dipsy and Laa Laa so far are "Big Hugs" and "Baddabing, Baddabing, Baddabing" (I'm sure Dipsy doesn't say this, but it sounds similar).  The toys are the perfect size for a toddler to cuddle and they totally embody everything cuddly, cute and fun about the Teletubbies.  The face on these talking soft toys is semi-hard but coated in soft fabric - they look and feel exactly as I'd expect a Teletubby to!  Each of these talking soft toys retails for around £9.99.

Also in the range you'll find smaller 6-inch collectible super-soft toys from £6.99.  Holly likes to bounce Po around the living room.

Beyond the soft toys, the new Teletubbies range also features lots of figurines and playsets so that your little people can use their imagination and recreate Teletubbies stories that they've seen.  Holly likes to try and get the cat involved in her Teletubbie games which almost always seem to involve Noo-noo the cleaning robot whizzing around the coffee table uncontrollably knocking Teletubbies over left, right and center.

These little plastic play figurines cost £3.99 each and there are several to collect.  In this first launch set you'll find each Teletubbiy with one of their favourite items - Tinky Winky has a bag, Dipsy a big top hat, Po has a scooter and Laa Laa has a ball.  These are standalone figures which would work well as toys to pop in your changing bag or handbag and take out with your for a distraction when travelling. Combine the figures with one of the larger playsets to really bring Teletubbyland to life.

I was worried that these little individual figures wouldn't hold much interest for Holly but, as she has made the link between the TV show and the toys she has enjoyed playing with the set of figures and making up stories for herself.  Yesterday, for instance, she started searching for leaves and pom poms that she could use to create her own Teletubbyland.

There are some amazing looking playsets in the new Teletubbies toy range.  Find out more at www.character-online.com.

   

Casdon Morphy Richards Toy Microwave, Kettle and Toaster Review

This Christmas I was lucky enough to receive a new microwave as a gift.  Our previous microwave was approaching 18 years old but was still going well.  Holly and Lara are both intrigued by our shiny new microwave and have been getting to work in their own toy kitchen trying out their own toy Morphy Richards microwave from Casdon.

This set of Morphy Richards toy kitchen accessories is another role play hit from Casdon.  The girls have been cooking and defrosting until their heart's content!  Holly even made me breakfast in bed one morning - all be it plastic breakfast in bed.

The toy microwave is the biggest hit.  You can rotate the display to say you are cooking, defrosting or even using the "potato" setting which is probably our most used setting on our real microwave so the girls feel at home with this!  The buttons on the front feel like real buttons - they beep as well, just like the real thing!  The door opens and their is a tray inside which is very realistic, especially when it rotates. Press the start button and the light comes on and the tray rotates; it's quite a bit noisier than our new real microwave!  Holly enjoys putting her plastic and wooden toy food items in and out.

Also in the set is a Morphy Richards kettle which is a very modern shape and can be thought of as either an electric or traditional kettle (in a play kitchen, you can do anything you want to do!).  The lid comes off the kettle so that you can pretend to refill it.  With the Morphy Richards branding it looks just the part.

Finally comes the toaster which the girls enjoy because you can pop the toast up by twisting the dial  It comes with two slices of plastic toast.

This three-piece Morphy Richards play microwave, kettle and toaster set is recommended for children aged 3-5 years old and costs around £30.

My Magical Seahorse Review

This is Ava.  She is a My Magical Seahorse from Zuru - the makers of the ever-popular ROBOfish.

Lara and Holly are both absolutely fascinated with their robo seahorse; so much so that I'm thinking of buying it a tank all of its own!  Then we may need to buy a whole family of My Magical Seahorses (Ava, Coral and Jewel) to go in it.

My Magical Seahorse is from ZURU and available from all good UK toys stockists (rrp: £9.99).  You can find them in Argos, Amazon, Smyths Toys and Tesco, among other places.

Orchard Toys 3-in-1 App Review

Gosh, it feels like a lifetime since I last reviewed a kid's app! Orchard Toys, home to some of our most treasured kids games and jigsaws have just launched their first iOS app for iPhone and iPad and Holly has been trying it out. The app features 3 games in 1 app - Matching pairs, jigsaw puzzles and colour/shape sorting.

In our house we own a fair few Orchard Toys games and puzzles so Holly instantly recognised most of the characters in the app. From the iconic red dog, blue dog, through to the cakes from Where's My Cupcake, you'll find lots of familiar illustrations hiding among the different elements of this kids app which gave it instant appeal to Holly. I would say that, over the past couple of weeks, the Orchard Toys app has been the only app Holly has chosen to play with. Even her older sister is attracted by the familiar characters (even though she is now, aged 6, far too old for most of the games in the 3-in-1 app).

Each game has different difficulty levels so you can tailor the experience to your child's level. In the iTunes app store, the Orchard Toys game is rated for children from age 4 upwards but I would say that I would be happy to introduce it from 2 upwards. There are no in-app purchases or advertising so there is no distraction or temptation, just simple games that practice basic skills such as sorting, matching and remembering.

In fact, at 3 years old, I think that much of the app is actually a bit too easy for Holly, even in hard mode.  I do keep reminding myself that Holly is very advanced for her age but, even so, I think that the matching pairs and jigsaws in easy mode are suitable for a much younger child to practice simple app skills.  I'm worried that the game will quickly cease to provide enough to interest Holly.  The jigsaw game has so many wonderful pictures with lots of different themes, but they are just too easy for Holly to want to explore more than one or two.

We like Dotty Dinosaurs the board and counter game from Orchard Toys and so Holly very much enjoys playing the same game in the app (it saves us having to find all of the small counters which have a habit of disappearing under the sofa).  This game allows you to match coloured dots, shaped counters or patterned counters with those on the dinosaur's back.  The different levels have different numbers and ranges of things to match.  This is a great example of the Orchard Toys app building upon a pre-existing game idea and adding a little more depth and variety.

Whenever your child gets something right in the app, a little fanfare is played.  If they get something wrong, a cheeky character will commiserate with you!  Lara seems to enjoy this, but interestingly, her younger sister gets frustrated at the interlude and just wants to be moving quickly onto the next task without having to wait for a yay or a nay!  She is an impatient one, that one.

I think that the Orchard Toys 3-in-1 app is a wonderful introduction to the iPad for a toddler to learn key skills and I'll admit that it is cheaper (it currently costs only 99p), and more convenient that buying all of the equivalent board games.  However, there is a little part of me that feels that actually the girls get a lot more out of playing with the physical counters and pieces of the "real" games.  Is that wrong of me?

Barbie Chelsea Flippin' Pup Pool Playset Review

Barbie and her friends and family have recently become THE BIG THING in the Mellow Household what with the recent arrival of the Malibu house and a number of new and exciting Barbies that the girls have received as presents from various people over the summer.  The Chelesa Flippin' Pup Pool set is a great addition to our Barbie play house and we have been reviewing it for a few weeks with much hilarity from both girls whenever they play with it.

Chelsea, for those who don't already know, is Barbie's younger sister.  Chelsea and her three (count them) puppies have a fun paddling pool complete with diving board and slide.  You can choose to fill it with water but, on the whole, we don't as it would mean we were less likely to play with it other than on special occasions.  The slide and diving board clip to the side of the pool and then the three pups can bounce and jump into the pool.

Chelsea herself is modelled in much the same way as you would expect from Barbie's younger sister.  She comes with a swimsuit and rubber ring for when playing with water.  The girls love having another family member to play with and it really encourages roll play and imagination to have a new person, of a different age, for them to interact with when playing "Barbies".

One of Chelsea's puppies (Taffy) has springy legs that fold as they slide down and, thanks to a nifty little clip at the bottom of the slide, this causes the puppies to catapult into the sky with dramatic effects.  I have, on occasion, seen this particular puppy loop the loop before landing in the pool - but more often than not they just sort of plop off the end of the slide of catapult in a totally different direction... hence the unstoppable giggles from Holly and Lara.

The two other puppies are soft and squidgy (they act like squirters in the water) and can either slide down the slide themselves, or you can place them in their own little sliding vehicle for them to slide more smoothly down.  These two puppies work really well on the flipping diving board which is simply finger-operated to plop the puppies down into the water.

This is such a simple Barbie playset and, when we were first sent it to review, my immediate thought was that it was a bit gimmicky, but I think the simplicity has lasting power and I've been really pleasantly surprised by the amount of play that this Chelsea Flippin' Pup Pool set has seen.  The set costs around £23 and requires a small amount of construction before use (probably no need to pre-construct it before the big day though if you are giving it as a gift).

   

Little Live Pets Review

Little Live Pets are small, interactive toys from Character which are designed to encourage interaction and responsibility in children.  Lara was sent a Little Live Pets butterfly a couple of weeks ago and she immediately took up the challenge of making it 'happy'!

The Little Live Pets respond to your child's touch and interaction.  The more you play with it, the happier it becomes.  Lara's butterfly started off with short sharp fluttering movements but after feeding it and playing with it for a few days, the movements became more fluttery and less juttery and it will flap its wings for longer.

When Lara first received the Little Live butterfly she was a little wary of it.  I think she found it very realistic.  The wings of the butterfly are almost paper thin and the movement was unpredictable.  Once she understood that it was responding to her and seemed 'happy' to be touched Lara relaxed and enjoyed herself.

To make it work, you place the butterfly on the palm of your hand and the sensors trigger the movement.  It flaps for around a minute before waning to be fed.  To feed it you place it back on the flower which also acts as a charging point.  After a period of inactivity it will fall asleep.  You can also place it in its own little display mount.

I was worried that the novelty of the Little Live Pet would wear off quickly.  I had been expecting the interaction with the pet to be a little more of a challenge - something akin to a Tamagotchi.  I felt that the Little Live Pets would be suitable for younger children as it really only required two levels of interaction... feed and play.  You don't have to time it for particular times of day or make sure that you remember to attend to it, you simply have to give it a little love and attention when you're around.  I remain to be convinced about the longevity of Lara's interest in her Little Live Pet but two weeks in, she does still like to come back to it when she gets home in the evening and play and feed it nefore her own meal.

Little Live Pets are also available in a bird design; the bird will sing and chirp in response to your touch.

 

Elmer's 25th Birthday - #Elmer25

Elmer, the funny, cheeky yet down-to-earth Elephant is celebrating his 25th Birthday this summer. Up and down the country there are Elmer elephant parades taking place - find out at your local library whether there are any activities near you. Here at Mellow HQ we are starting to plan our own Elmer's Day Parade and will be sharing some of our crafty ideas over the summer, inspired by this downloadable activity pack.

The original Elmer book, written by David McKee, was published 25 years ago. Until recently I hadn't read the original (though we do have a couple of family favourites already - our all time favourite Elmer book is "Elmer and Wilbur"). Elmer is a patchwork elephant who has developed a name for himself as a bit of a joker; in the original Elmer story he tries to make himself 'normal' and all the other elephants really miss the real Elmer. I'm glad he decided to go back to being himself!

To celebrate his 25th anniversary, Andersen Press have released a brand new Elmer book - Elmer and the Monster. In this story all of the other animals are running away from a scary monster but Elmer can't see anything to be scared of. What could be the source of all the scary roaring noises?

Also this summer look out for these bright and chunky Elmer Colouring Felt Pens which cost around £4.50 for a set of 12 different colours (6 pens). The pens feature the iconic Elmer patchwork pattern and they have a different colour on each end of the pen. Holly finds these pens nice and chunky and I'm happy to let her use them because (a) they are washable and (b) Holly is able to protect her clothes from pen marks in her groovy Elmer tabard.

The tabard is a sleeveless overall with a wipe-clean fabric that can protect your children's clothes when doing craft, art, cookery or outdoor activities. At £5.99 I think this Elmer Tabard is great value. The Elmer apron is made from cotton with a PVC coating, it has the same bright Elmer pattern on both the back and the front. It is available in one size which is suitable for children of around 2 years to 4 years old.

To me, Elmer is a perfect elephant role model! He is a little bit cheeky, very cheerful and yet he has a sensible head on his shoulders. If Elmer wrote a blog, he'd be the Mellow Elephant.

Thomas & Friends By Mega Bloks

Both of my girls love to build.  Holly's nursery have commented to me about how, recently, Holly has shown an interest in building very tall towers.  It was fabulous to be contacted to try out one of the sets of Mega Bloks from the new Thomas & Friends™ range; Holly emptied out her bag of bloks and instantly gravitated towards the pieces that would make up her own Thomas train and then was eager to move on and build him some track to travel on.

This Thomas Visits The Castle set is designed for children from 3-6 years.  It features the slightly smaller Mega Bloks bricks which we had never tried before and in fact Holly managed really well with them and enjoyed building towers and shapes with them. The carry bag of bricks features a design for building a castle for Thomas, it also contains three pieces of track that Thomas can travel on as well as a small sheet of stickers for making the bricks look that little bit more realistic.  I really liked this set and it has inspired me to get a few more Mega Bloks of this size for both of my girls to play with.

Holly was also sent a First Builders bag of Lil' Princess Mega Bloks.  These are the larger, iconic Mega Bloks bricks suitable for tiny hands to explore their first attempts at building.  The set comes in a pink bag and features a small selection of pink, green, blue and purple bricks with instructions to build this small princess tower.

Because of the princess theme, Lara immediately took an interest.  I love that Mega Bloks are timeless.  Even myself and Mr. B. can while away an hour building a castle!  This First Builders set features special sparkly bricks in pink, purple and blue that give a fairy princess feel.  The set came with a sheet of stickers that both Lara and Holly had GREAT FUN sticking onto their tower.  The poor L'il princess didn't get much of a look-in to her new castle!  She has a sparkly crown which bobs up and down when you place her on top of a blok.

You can find out more about the different types of Mega Bloks and their themed sets, as well as the educational and imaginative qualities of building bricks at parents.megabloks.com

Addis Sit and Store Review

I seem to spend my entire life removing toys from the floor where I want to walk. Storage is an issue in our house. Not necessarily for lack of space, but more for the fact that I'm unwilling to invest in expensive furniture until I'm 100% certain of what I want a room to look like in the long run. This is why the Addis Sit and Store is perfect for us - it is a low cost storage solution that can serve our toy-storage needs well in the near term until I make up my mind about what decor the house needs in the future!

Addis sent us one of their blue Sit and Store storage bins. In total it is about 40cm diameter and about 43cm tall - enough to hold all the Barbies and My Little Ponies that I usually stand on every morning. At the end of the day I can scoop up all the toy debris and place it into the storage bucket and then, as a bonus, I have somewhere to sit when I read the girls their bedtime story. Genius.

Actually, the integrated seat is really the thing that makes this for me. We got rid of the rocking chair in the nursery a long time ago (it was taking up too much space) and since then we have been lying on beanbags or just sitting down on the bedroom floor when it gets to the girls bedtime. I like the Sit & Store because I now have somewhere to perch without feeling that we have taken up valuable floor space with a dedicated stool.

The lid of the bucket has a shaped top designed to accommodate big and little bottoms alike! It is perfectly capable of taking my weight but Lara loves to sit on it too!  The Sit & Store would also make quite a good laundry basket.

This Addis Sit & Store currently costs between £13 and £15 and is available in both blue and red.

 

Leapfrog Musical Rainbow Tea Party Review

When Holly was sent the Leapfrog Musical Rainbow Tea Party set to review, I knew that it would set her imagination alight and I was right - I get served a cup of tea by Holy every evening now!  I hadn't quite expected my older daughter Lara to be as inspired but even she has enjoyed playing with the teapot to listen to the little ditties that it plays!

Leapfrog Musical Rainbow Tea Party

The teapot is accompanied by two small tea cups and a plate with a cake that is made up of six pieces of pretend cake, each with a different colour of icing and a small picture on top of a different fruit.  But really, the teapot is the star of the show.  Just watch this video to see why Holly loves it so much!

There are 7 different learning songs and over 50 different combinations of phrases and chants which means that it takes a while to drive you around the bend.  Holly for some reason loves the music more than any other musical toy we have ever owned!  The lid of the teapot opens and closes and inside there is a reflective mirror cover to add a bit of sparkle.  We love the fact that when you pretend to pour a cup of tea, the lights on the front change so that it actually looks like the level of the water has gone down!

The Leapfrog Musical Rainbow Tea Party set at first glance seems very similar to another pink children's teapot, cup and cake set from a big brand of toys that may or may not have the initials F.P.  But, I would say that it goes that little bit further - we particularly appreciate the English accent on the Leapfrog teapot and the fact that interaction is encouraged - each time the teapot sings a song it references a different colour or fruit on the cake to inspire your child to fetch the right piece.  For Holly this is a nice early introduction to words and colours and she eagerly rushes off to fetch the right piece of cake.

The Leapfrog teapot changes colour depending on which colour of cake she is singing about.  We love the sound effects and the fact that she tells you when she has run out of tea and needs you to press her buttons to refill her.

The Leapfrog Musical Rainbow Tea Party set is recommended for children aged 1-3 years old and costs around £19.99.

The Disney Princess Palace Pets Review

Lara is just a little bit Disney Princess mad.  She sleeps with her cuddly Rapunzel at night and dresses up as Snow White, Aurora or Merida at every opportunity.  About a fortnight ago Lara was walking across the living room when she stopped.... absolutely stock still... in the middle of a sentence.  She had seen an advert for the new range of Disney Princes Palace Pets on television and both Lara and her Daddy were starring at the screen in awe.  Cute cuddly pets for each of the Disney Princesses? What more could a 4 year old girl long for?

We were just a tiny bit jammy to then be asked to give our opinions on the Disney Princess Palace Pets Pamper & Beauty Salon from Character Options.  This is the ultimate pamper destination if you are a rabbit, cat, pony, bear or pooch who belongs to a Disney princess!!!  The salon features a bubble bath and a styling chair which fold out.  There are brushes, hairclips and a pretend hair drier to use on your Palace Pet's hair as well as a mirror and shelves to put your crown on!  Lara thinks that the pull out shower (no water required) is fun for giving Rapunzel's cat a pretend wash in her bath.  I am unsure how our own, real pet cat feels about this but she does think that the Palace Pets are fun and tries to steal them by picking them up by their fluffy tails and running off with them!

The Pamper and Beauty Salon comes with one Palace Pet included and you can buy the other pets individually as Furry Tail Friends or Primp & Pamper Pony toys from the full Disney Princess Palace Pets range.  Each toy comes with a little booklet that explains which pet belongs to which princess and what their characteristics and likes are.  The box describes this as a story book but I think I'd describe it as marketing.  Now Lara wants the entire set.

Lara was particularly taken by Rapunzel's cat who now follows her around the house (a bit like a real cat) when she is carrying her cuddly Rapunzel doll with her.  Each of the pets comes with a brush for their tail, a crown for their head and some clips for their hair.  In some cases there are other small accessories too.  Lara likes the fact that all the animals are different - I think it helps her imagination fun wild.  I found the Primp & Pamper pony to be a little front-heavy so she topples over easily.

There has been a lot of attention to detail on each of the toys.  Snow White's rabbit, for instance, has little red apple motifs on it.  I think that the targeting to Princess-obsessed girls is absolutely spot on.  I guess my only real disappointment was with the hair clips which are very small (easily lost) and actually blimming hard to open and close.  I may disappear them, especially because Lara's little sister keeps finding them and scattering them across the floor.  I'm sure the Palace Pets won't mind.

Lara has most treasured this slightly larger Disney Princess Palace Pets Talking and Singing Pet - this one is Berry the rabbit and she has been given pride of place on Lara's window ledge, out of the reach of her little sister's hands.  The Talking and Singing pet is just under 20cm tall and has a larger tail with a larger brush that is a lot easier to use.  When you press the button on her collar she speaks or sings a limited set of phrases.

The Disney Princess Palace Pets Pamper & Beauty Salon costs around £34.99 and is recommended for age 4 upwards (there are lots of small parts such as brushes, hair clips and crowns).  The Furry Tail friends cost around £5.99, The Primp & Pamper Ponies cost around £7.99 and the Talking & Singing Pets cost around £12.99.

  

Great Gizmos PlanToys® Rocking Pony Review

We have a new favourite toy in the Mellow Household.  I fell in love with this gorgeous rubberwood rocking pony from PlanToys® the very moment that I set eyes on it and Holly is almost inseparable from it.

Holly may look incredibly serious in these photos (I put that down to Mummy having given her a silly hair style) but even in the few short days that this delightful wooden pony has been with us, he has brought giggles, shouts of glee and massive, massive smiles to Holly's face.

I love the classic, simple design of this rubberwood wooden rocking horse.  The shapes are clean and simple and the appeal is timeless.  The toy just oozes quality - the finish is professional, safe and tactile.  Our pony did need a small amount of manual assembly when he arrived but it was easy to put him together with no additional tools needed.  Holly was playing within minutes.

The rocking motion is gentle and it works just as well on carpet as on our hard floors.  There has obviously been a lot of thought put into the design of this rocking pony - there are no sharp edges or exposed joins.  The handles are a nice chunky size for small hands to grasp and the little details such as the fabric ears and the wobbly eyeball really bring him to life.  I'm sure it wasn't in their grand plans, but Bella the cat enjoys sleeping underneath it too!

PlanToys® specialise in creating environmentally friendly toys that encourage early learning as well as early teaching about the origins of materials.  The rubberwood used is a by-product of latex rubber plantations in Thailand and everything from the non-toxic paints to the glues, printer inks and the recycled packaging has been chosen with the environment and safety in mind.

Holly has played in lots of different ways with her pony.  She has gently rocked to her own lovely singing voice.  She has pretended to 'race' her sister across the room. She has even learned how to shuffle her horse around at speed.  Her rocking pony is very lucky and has even been fed the occasional raisin!

The Plan Toys rocking pony costs around £78.95 and is available from Great Gizmos.  It is suitable for children over 12 months old.  Holly is 21 months old and it is a perfect size but it is sturdy enough to accommodate her older sister too (Lara is a VERY tall nearly-5-year-old).  I think that there are many many years of use in this beautiful wooden toy.

Peppa Pig Weebles Pull Along Wobbily Train Review

This weekend Holly became the proud owner of a Weeble. And no ordinary Weeble at that - a Peppa Pig Weeble! I'm not sure who is more excited about this... me or Holly. I remember having Weeble envy as a kid and I was delighted when I found out that Weebles still exist. The new range of Peppa Pig Weebles from Character is great news for our Peppa-obsessed family!

The Pull Along Wobbily Train comes with a Peppa Pig Weeble character.  The train has an engine and two carriages which can house further Weebles characters which are available to buy separately - to me this is a little disappointing as I'd much rather spend a little more on a and have enough characters to fill the train straight away but I suppose it does mean that the choice of additional characters is up to you.

The train itself fits together easily and, unlike any other toy train we have owned before, it stays together when you move it!  The carriages click together so even Holly's tiny hands can put them together.

The Peppa Pig Weebles character is nice and chunky for toddler hands to grasp.  The base is rounded so that Peppa never falls over... just rocks back up to an upright position.  As you move the train around she wibbles here and wobbles there.

My elder daughter Lara really enjoys playing with the Pull Along Wobbily Train too.  I think it most appeals to her because she recognises Gertrude, Grandpa Pig's train from television and from visiting Peppa Pig World!  Next time I'm at Peppa Pig World I'll think about wibbling and wobbling like a Weeble!

The Peppa Pig Weebles Pull Along Wobbily Train costs around £17.99.  Further individual Weebles characters cost around £4.99.

  

Very Hungry Caterpillar 2014 Calendar and Make & Play Mask Set Review

http://www.eric-carle.com

To celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Very Hungry Caterpillar we are trying out some of the brand new line of products that you will see available over the coming months.

First up is this fun Eric Carle Make and Play Mask Set which is available in John Lewis, Argos and Tesco for around £6.99.

Holly and I spent a great afternoon sticking the foam mask sets together.  The pack contains everything you need to create two different Very Hungry Caterpillar masks, one of the caterpillar himself and one of the beautiful butterfly.  Each pack includes the foam pieces, the main mask piece with two holes already made for the elastic to go through.  The pack also includes a PVA glue stick with a lid - I thought that this bit was very well thought out for children and Holly found it very easy to use.

The two masks took quite a while to dry but once I had threaded the elastics then both girls couldn't wait to wear them.  They've worn them regularly over the past two weeks and they are still going strong!

Next up is the Very Hungry Caterpillar 2014 Family Planner which is so much more than a calendar.  Each double page represents a month and there is lots of space on each to record your activities across the month.  At the bottom of each page there is a reward chart area where you can record rewards for upto three children each month.

The calendar comes with a large sheet of re-placeable reward stickers small enough to either fit in these boxes or on the days above.  I think it is a great idea and I will definitely be using it for both of my girls next year - I've already pinned it to the noticeboard in their playroom.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar 2014 Family Planner is available from Calendar Club for £9.99.

You can find out more about the Very Hungry Caterpillar anniversary activities on the facebook page www.facebook.com/theworldofEricCarle

Fisher Price Cheerin' Minnie Mouse Review

Master Moves Mickey was such a massive hit with the girls last year and with everyone who has come to visit since so we were really excited to hear about the new Cheerin' Minnie toy from Fisher Price. Cheerin' Minnie is a pom-pom waving, ditty-singing character who has brought a little bit of happiness to our lives and the girls both love her to bits!



Running around with Cheerin Minnie Mouse

Cheerin' Minnie is suitable for children of around 2 years upwards. Holly is a little younger than this at 17 months old but she loves Minnie mouse so much. When Holly gets home each evening she rushes into the living room to go and press the button on Minnie's bright pink high heels to make her start dancing.

Minnie is a little over a foot tall, she has a pink spotty dress and pink and white cheerleader pom poms. When you press the button she says or sings one of about 12 different songs or phrases and waves her pom poms in the air.  Our favourite routine is when Minnie Mouse sings "Hey Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind" - Lara thinks this is very fun.

Minnie's body and face are quite hard and static, I think it is a shame her expression doesn't change.  Her movement is also quite limited, just her arms move and her legs wiggle to make her move a little from side to side.  I would say that, compared to Master Moves Mickey she is quite tame but because she is Minnie with her pink bows and spots, the girls love her.

Cheerin' Minnie costs between £39.99 and £49.99 and is available online from several retailers including Smyths and Amazon.