GUEST REVIEW - LITTLEST PET SHOP BLYTHE Loves LITTLEST PET SHOP PET JET

Well what can I say....when mini-toyologists Savanna and Bailey asked if if I would review this toy along with my daughter Megan, who is 4yrs old I jumped at the chance. I often see The Littlest Pet shop range advertised when Megan is enjoying a little Tv and from time to time Megan has said "I like that Mummy" so as she has nothing else from this range of toys I thought the review would be from 'carte blanc'.

I waited until Megan had been to school for the morning and when she got home I told her we had something exciting to explore together.

We opened the big black bag the box had been delivered in and although a huge smile crossed Megans face she didnt know what exactly was in the box other than an aeroplane, she didnt recognise the brand.

I knew that this toy has a retail value of approx £44 so I was trying to equate how I would feel had I payed that for this toy.

Megan was very eager, as most children are to actually get her hands onto the toy but this is where I hit a stumbling block. I appreciate toys need to be secured so they dont get damaged in transit but im sorry to say, and I dont mean to sound petty but the amount of toughened string used to secure this item intoits box was beyond ridiculous! Even armed with scissors, I had to make no less than 20 snips and it took me 15 mins to free the toy from the packaging. The string was even wrapped around each wheel...I was frustrated with how long it took to get out of the box and Megan really wasnt very amused.

Once we finally had our hands on the aeroplane we set about 'setting up' the scene and putting the different headgear on Blythe that she comes with, there is one pet included with this toy. Megans younger sister Isabelle who is 18 mnths old wanted to play too which is great to have a toy with which the two girls can get involved in but the box does clearly state for ages 4+ and there are several very small pieces which had to be removed.

The girls played for approx 20 minutes together with the aeroplane, flying it around the room before pushing it along the kitchen floor to each other.

Im sure that if your child is into The Littlest Pet Shop range then this toy would possibly be greated with much enthusiasm, Megan to be fair is a child who can play very happily on her own and doesnt get bored quickly however had I paid nearly £45 for this toy I would hope for it to be played with more than what it has been. It involves alot of imagination or a real love for the characters as there are no lights or sounds to help with the role play, so maybe suited to a slightly older child.

GIRLS WORLD Bead & Style Head

and so begins........... they just don't make them how they used too!

How many times have you heard that saying?  Be it for a tv programme, film or toy! 

Well we had the task of reviewing Girls World .... a toy many girls grew up using years ago and now adapted and modernised - for the better or worse though????


Bailey (7) loves any opportunity to play with hair - she is known at school for platting and brushing everyone's including her teachers. so was delighted to see she had a Girls World to review, especially as this one came with beads and make-up too.

The first thing we had to do is get the head out of the box and as with lots of toys we get, it had lots of twisted fasteners we had to fight.  The next stage was to slowly cut the clear bands which held parts of the hair together.  The additional piece which acts as an extension also prooved a challenge as it came straight out of the head and we had to then re-feed it through the holes.

Once Bailey was able to play Dad came to give a helping hand and the girls learnt about how he had a Saturday job in a hair salon - which created extra excitement, as he promised to show them some styles. The fun however, was short-lived as the more they played with the Girls World a few things became apparent, suckers affixed to the bottom would be useful to keep it in place when trying to style hair.  Also a small container to hold all the beads would have been useful as the chances of not loosing them is pretty low in our household.  The copious amounts of hair is required because over time it starts to come out everytime you brush it and does get quite knotty.  The make-up is not one for white carpets - not that we have them anyway but it does stain.  A pack of wipes is definitely a must.  Furthermore when Savana (4) played with the Girls worlds she was frustrated that the face already has make-up on it and isn't hidden when you apply the make-up it come with.

Neither of the girls commented on the actual face of the Girls World, which i personally felt looked a little freaky - its her eyes?!?

Our review ends with a disappointing score with Bailey and Savana both giving this a 3 and
I personally would give it a 2 and so I end this review and have to conclude exactly how i began


 they just don't make them how they used too!

Disney Club Penguin Air Hockey Playset

Disney Club Penguin Air Hockey Playset - £39.99 age 5+

Money is clearly no option with the packaging with Disney - so when the children see the box they are incredibly excited and so too was Dad, who was more than happy to help remove the contents from the box and set the game up for the mini toyologists.  With the words REAL Air Flow, REAL Action and REAL fun with REAL in capitals reinforced all over the box it all adds to the element of excitment.  Furthermore, the size of the box does give you the impression that £39.99 is good value for money - or is it?

So what does the box The box contains:-

• 1 Air Hockey Playset
• 2 Penguin Players with Handles
• 1 Penguin Referee
• 1 Scoreboard
• 1 Stand
• 1 Door
• 2 Extra Penguin Bases ( to encourage you to buy further players!)
• 2 Nets
• 2 Goal Pockets
• 1 Bleacher Window
• 1 Puck
• 1 Coin

Once all items were removed it didn't take much time before Bailey and Dad were able to play.  The noise from the playset sounds like a hairdryer and over time can be annoying - what it does do is enable the puck to move around the floor very easily.  The base and all components are sturdy but as with most there is the fear factor - ONLY ONE PUCK -  as children are renowned for loosing things, so an additional one of these (given the price of the game) would be welcomed.  After only a few minutes it also became quite noticeable that the floor scratched very easily.

The main link with this game is the encouragement of using the Club Penguin Website where you are given the opportunity to unlock 4 items online - however, as with all things this comes at a price where your child is encouraged to interact with Club Penguin on the internet for a monthly fee.  It is this that I think some parents may question, the game is amined at 5+ - do you really want your 5 year old being encouraged to go online and some parents may feel it is another marketing ploy from Disney to spend yet more money - as once you child is hooked into the online game - they will want to continue using it month after month - thus encouraging more spending!

In terms of age - although the box does say 5+ I do think younger children would be more than capable of playing this game.  In terms of attention span - each child is different but I think this is definitely one of these toys that will not hold a child's attention for very long.  The space of the nets is quite small and you soon learn that if you place your player right back near it - it is very difficult to score a goal.  The mini toyologists soon tired of this game - Crumble the Westie however loved it!

Given the limitations of the game coupled with the fact that you are encouraged to spend more, more more the cost of this at £39.99 is expensive for what you get and sadly, the fact that it is Disney people will be drawn into the name DISNEY!

Overall we were disappointed with this game and therefore only give it 2 out of 5 and think more fun will be achieved from the club penguin website - which i think is the main thing the box is encouraging everyone to do.

Check out our video featuring CRUMBLE the Westie

Pig Goes Pop - Toy Review

The outside packaging on this box does not leave much to imagination on what this game is all about -EATING BURGERS!  Aimed from 4+ Savana invited her sister and two friends age 6 and 9 to play too.


Before you play you tilt his tail to remove any excess air, leaving the pig's belly ready to be filled. Each burger is a different colour and each player takes it in turns to put them in his mouth depending on what you throw on the dice.  As you pick your colour burger you then have to turn it over to reveal a number which indicates how many times you have to push down the pig's head.  When you do this the belly inflates, adding an element of randomness to the game.  At first Savana found the pushing down a little tricky and I must admit when I watched the older children playing with it I thought it would break - but I was wrong it survived - many games.

The dice has the added elemetns of an X or a colour that has already been depleted, this again adds some interest to the game as you may miss a go and gives others another chance to win.

The older girls did start to add their own rules to the game and decided that the winner was now the one who made the Pig Pop which caused lots of extra excitement as he got fatter and fatter.

When the pig does finally pop, he throws his hands into the air, and his shirt springs open. One annoying element at this point is that sometimes you have gone through all of the food and have to retrieve it from the back of the pig.  The game could do with some more burgers.  To play again, all you have to do is pop his hands down, reattach his shirt and tilt his tail.

As a former primary school teacher, the attention span on many pre-school children is shortlived and this is where this game works very well - it takes minutes to complete and is have very simple rules to follow.  It is great at teaching elements of taking turns, missing them, learning what happens to you if you do all all the burgers, and you never know who is going to win or should I say POP!

All the girls rated this game highly for a young child from 4 - 5 out of 5.

 

Lite Sprites by WowWee

The woods are full of faries called lite sprites
The trees are all alive;
The river overflows with them;
See how they wave their lite wands by day and night

 The toyologists tamed their lite sprites,
Taught them how to colour hunt before their time ran out
And share their dainty colours from metres away.
And cast world spells cold, heatwave and nighty night!

Well Prisma and her sister sprites now share this Sprite Sisterhood

What funny little sprites
What dainty little dears
They dance and leap,
And prance and peep deep down in the heart of the woods

So safe at night the lite sprites sleep

Tucked up on their Prisma Forest Pod,
Dream of sharing their fantasy world,

With excited little girls who receive a great gift from mum and dad

Contents:-

 

1 x Prisma Sprite (comes with a special battery)

1 x Lite Wand (needs 4 AAA batteries)

1 x Forest Pod Hook

1 x Colour Wheel

1 x User Guide

This is a brand new toy for 2011 and the toyologists were delighted to be given the honour of being one of the first to review this.

Lite Sprite is a toy with a difference, comes beautifully packaged and with a whole array of technological goodies - a new take on Harry Potter for girls maybe?  The main thing any adult will notice instantly is that the age on the outside of the box states 4+, which is exactly Savana's age now.  However,  there is alot of information that needs to be taken in first of all from an adult from the user manual and then again on-line before it is relayed to a child so some may argue that 4+ is a little on the young side.  

The Lite Wand allows your child to choose and add colours using a colour wheel and then share the chosen colours between each of the Lite Sprites and even more exciting you can then choose real life objects and pick the colours up from there.   As your child develops confidence with the wand they can learn World, Bleak, Share and to Break Spells.  There are also games which are suitably aimed for a 4 year old but Bailey (7) soon got bored of eg, find the correct colour to match to your wand.  So again, the age for this toy is a difficult one to pin point.

Savana was able to pick up some of the basic elements from Bailey (age 7) quite quickly and I do think it will be a toy she will learn to love the more time she spends with it.    If your child has a creative imagination, loves to play fantasy games in the garden or in our case the woods then they will enjoy the Lite Sprites.  I think some may adopt it a bit like swaps, in that your child could swap over Lites for a night or two and play with a friends sharing colours or meet up and have a Lite Sprite Party.  Bailey also came up with the idea that the Lite Sprite could go camping with her and be used as a torch.

It is certainly a toy which requires alot of adult interaction, explanation and patience as you encourage your child to explore this magical world.  There are lots of add-ons too, so if this toy is a hit there is an opportunity for them to add to the collection at Christmas or for their Birthday.

So magical number time....

Bailey (3)

Savana (4)

Mummy mmmmm a difficult one here - the toy could quite easily be played with for 2 mins and then put down HOWEVER, if adults have the time then it could be a toy which is played for for days to come so I give it a 4.

Disney Snow Globe Maker

Well the pink box and princessess are well and truly aimed for any princess in the family.  Look beyond the stereotypical box and you do get some great items inside.  If you have a creative child in the family then this is a good toy to buy. 

The Disney Snow Globe Maker does say 6+ but both Bailey (7) and Savana (4) really enjoyed making their snow globes.  The items are well drawn and with the help of an adult the globes do fit will. 

The only annoying and I MEAN REALLY ANNOYING part of the of this kit is the large piece of landscape which you have to wave in and out of the plastic notches to fix to the back of the globe.  This is something neither of the girls could do and even when I did it - it popped out quite a few times.  Once we got past this hurdle the rest of it was really good fun.  The instructions are easy to follow, the drawer to store accessories is great too and the overall achievement can be seen on both of the girls faces when they complete their globes.

Take a look for yourselves.....

The only problem I have now is with two girls the kit comes with 3 globes (why not 4 ?) so who is going to make the final one? 

Luckily - the problem is shortlived - because the globes can be pulled apart and re-made so the fun can start all over again - next time with Daddy!

So the all important scores:-

Savana 5
Bailey 4
Mum 4

It's a kind of magic with Toys R Us

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/



Mini Toyologists Bailey & Savana give Harry Potter a run for his money with the magic powers they now have!

It's a Kind of Magic see how they toyologists got on.....

Blendy Pens - Save your money

http://www.precious-memories.co.uk

The Mini Toyologists spent Christmas 2010 in Egypt and we took the Blendy Pens to review.  What a let down they were.  Classic packaging would grab your eye in a shop and when you first open the contents the girls were very excited at the prospect of using them.  However, the fun soon disappeared they just didn't live up to the mini toyologists expectations at all.

Some of the pens are known as Colour Splitz but whether you wrote or drew with them - you could hardly see a difference.

The Blendy pens were slightly better although the colour didn't last very long before you had to blend them again. Not worth the money, which is a real shame as both the mini toyologists LOVE anything to do with art.  You would definitely be wiser to buy a normal pack of felt tip pens.  Ironically when we returned from our holiday we then saw the TV Advert promoting these pens to which both girls responsed RUBBISH!

score very low 1 out of 10

So Long Farewell - Toys R Us Toyologist Carnival Winning Prize says a very heartfelt goodbye to Geoffrey!

htto://www.precious-memories.co.uk

Poor Geoffrey is really upset as he bids a long farewell to Bramble Bunny is off to Lincoln to meet his new family who recently won the mini toyologist Carnival Competiton!

Mini Toyologist Savana review toys r us toy Baby Alive

http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

Simply The Best!!!!!!


Click here to view the review

Ben 10 - Wonder if I should or Shouldn't?

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

Our mini toyologists thought that Ben 10 would be happier rehoused at a home so he was safely sent to Huddersfield to be reveiwed.

This toy was a bit of a 10 minute wonder. My son is 3.5 years and although doesn't watch Ben 10, is aware of it and likes it. He was thrilled with the toy and ripped open the box which leads to my first gripe. The packing inside is hard clear plastic with the action figure and cycle wedged into it. It was very difficult to remove them and certainly my 3.5year old couldn't have done it on his own.

The actual product looked very cheap - made of light plastic. My son was thrilled when I showed him that the cycle squirted water but the tank only holds a small amount of water so I spent the next 10 minutes refilling it for him as he ran around squirting his Daddy and younger brother!



After the inital excitement wore off though, the toy has now joined the landfill pile of plastic toys we have in the corner of the room and hasn't been looked at since.



Definitely not worth the RRP £12.99



Laura Lambert

Precious Memories Northern Studio (Huddersfield)



Mob : 07834 421148

Email: laural@precious-memories.co.uk

Web : www.precious-memories.co.uk

Moon Dough by Savana & Bailey - the 2 mini toyologists

http:www.precious-memories.co.uk

Moon Dough - Review

Have you heard about Moon Dough? From the makers of Moon Sand, It is a revolutionary new dough that claims to NEVER dry out.

Bailey (mini toyologist 1) describes it as "like candyfloss" - the dough is light, soft and hypoallergenic. The Moon dough is also wheat free.

We were given the Moon Dough Playful Puppies which retails @ £9.99.

I can honestly say it does not dry out although it does become crumbly.

Finally - if you have a moment take a look at the Two Mini Toyologists (Bailey) and (Savana) who have been busy reviewing Moon Dough.

moon dough reviews by the two mini toyologists






So the question you want to all ask me - would I buy it?  Yes - I have been recommending it to friends.  However, I think the kennel is very fiddly and 3 years olds would struggle to make the dog food etc so would need adult supervision.

Interested in buying some moon dough then go to TOYS R US UK thank you for your time.

My next review will be on a product Magic Science - so catch you later!

How Could I Resist

ooooo how could I resist? I received an email recently asking me to help - how could i resist this!!!!!!

Dear Glenda.....

We’re reaching out to influential ‘mummy bloggers’ as well as mums who have displayed a passion for their kids, toys and family fun across their social profiles and inviting you to participate.

Through the support of Toys R Us vendors, we have literally thousands of toys stacked up, which we are committed to distributing throughout the year as we grow the programme.

The Toys R Us Toyologists programme is brand new, It’s a social media programme to get toys into the hands of mums and their kids, for testing, reviews and general fun!

The idea of the Toyologists is that Toys R Us will send out these packages, as tailored as possible for your two children, Bailey & Savana. All we’re hoping is that in return you would want to show your participation in the programme by using digital stickers (which we will provide) on your facebook, blog or and twitter profile for example, and that you would let us know what you (and the kids!) thought of the toys through reviews, comments, polls or any way you saw fit

It has been absolutlely fantastic reviewing our toys for box 1 and YESTERDAY received box 2 so LOTS AND LOTS OF REVIEWS are now going to be loaded up by me the following ways....

• YOU TUBE - 2 Mini Toyologists
• FACEBOOK - TOYS R US UK
• TWITTER - PRECIOUS MEMORIES
• and of course here on my Precious Memories BLOG

I hope you find the reveiews useful and enjoy them as much as I am being a toyologist!

thanks - Glenda