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.

Fire Station Activity Book and Play Set Review

I really like the sound of this Paragon Fire Station Activity Book and Playset as I knew that Holly would look forward to playing with a fire station but she is also very much into puzzles and colouring right now so the activity book is perfectly targeted to her (she is 3 and a half).

Holly was really eager to get going with the play set and discarded the book as she was rushing to get to the pop-out sheets of cardboard pieces to build the 3D fire station and fire engine.  She popped out all of the pieces and was able to get the people and cones up and running but she struggled with the rest of the pieces.  To tell you the truth, I struggled with the construction too!  There are brief pictorial references in the booklet to guide you and in general the construction seems to be common sense but it certainly isn't something for tiny fingers and some of the pieces really needed a precise shove to fit together.  I found the fire engine front and back to keep popping off!

But, once constructed, Holly enjoyed playing with the fire station.  She placed the people and animals around the station and enjoyed rotating the ladder on the fire engine (even though the front kept falling off the fire engine!).

After a couple of days, Holly's interest in the playset waned so we found a box to hold each of the pieces - at this point she rediscovered the activity book.  The book contains a couple of puzzles and pictures which are suitable for children of around 3-6 years old.  With a bit of guidance, Holly was able to complete most of it unaided and she enjoyed the fireman theme.

All in all, I was pleased with the Fire Station Activity Book and Playset, as long as you don't expect it to be a long-lasting toy then I think it's a fun, engaging activity that you can share with your child.  After the set is created, a little imagination leads to plenty of play and, if the pieces get worn out, you can always recycle them as they are simply made of card.

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