Baby Alive Real As Real Can Be - or is it?

Last year Savana had the pleasure of reviewing a BABY ALIVE doll last year who had pretend food. Although i thought the face was kind of scarey she adored the doll and even now, one year on she still plays with it. Then along came Baby Alive - Real as Can be Doll which currently HAS A £10 OFF OFFER on at TOYSRUS and comes into a whole new world!

HUGE HUGE HUGE eyes scour the room or in our case the garden, when she left her box in the glorious October sunshine. At first, it was Savana who squealed with delight at the prospect of ANOTHER baby to her growing collection of Babies and loved the fact that this doll unlike the Baby Alive last year, is that this one has real hair to play with. She now has about 12 baby dolls and has told me she is going to have AT LEAST 20 babies when she is older - OH DEAR! Mabye Scarey Spice whoops I mean Baby Alive Real as Can be can alter her mind.

As the doll left the box with 2 batteries already supplied which is good- or is it? It was actually Bailey (age 7) who noticed food sachets and started to read them with interest. Minutes later there were shrieks of laughter as it dawned on Bailey and later Savana that this baby REALLY DID POOP yes I did say POOP (explanation to follow) and WEE! For the following hour both Bailey and Savana had tears of laughter as this baby speaks in a very annoying American/English accent and persistently asks for MORE AND MORE AND MORE FOOD AND DRINK - to which they respond and then wait (not for long I hasten to add) for the nappy to fill. The girls are delighted to mix up a bowl of her special doll food and spoon-feed her. After she drinks a bottle of water to wash it all down, it’s time for a new DIAPER! YES a diaper, not nappy - so language the girls are not used too. The girls learn when Baby Alive is sleepy by closing her eyes and when she needs a nap. As soon as she is sitting upright she’ll open her eyes to play all over again! With only 2 nappies SORRY I MEAN DIAPERS supplied, which is not enough, the girls resort to a naked doll. This is fine as the weather is hot, but since we reviewed this the weather has cooled down and the doll has been left to collect dust in the corner.

              

 After a while Bailey commented on the accent and said how annoying it was - to which no-one disagreed. The girls also felt that the small amount of food and 2 nappies and one dress and bib, was not enough at all and the doll soon became the same as most other dolls.

The initial fun factor faded along with the sunshine and the Hickmott Team felt that this doll deserved no more than 2 out of 5.

Cruz on by Toysrus and Grab a Potato! In fact - Mr Potato Head from Playskool

No idea what to buy this Christmas for your little one - then wonder no more.  Cruz Beckham has been seen safeguarding his Mr Potato Head and one can be yours too from TOYSRUS currently for £12.99.

So what did the Mini Toyologists Bailey and Savana think of Mr Potato Head?

This was definitely more for Savana than Bailey with a clear 2+ on the outside of the packaging.  - This fun and friendly character is very easy to spot through this see-through suitcase. 

The marketing team have been very clever - with TOY STORY 1, 2 AND 3 all being huge hits - "AHHHH TOY STORY"are Savana's first words NOT Mr Potato Head!

So what is in this suitcase?  Well basically LOTS AND LOTS in fact 40 different body parts alot more than the last version which makes the extra cost worthwhile - offering any child the opportunity to make hundreds of mad combinations.  The downside for me as with any toy, is with lots of parts comes the worry of them being MISPLACED or basically LOST as the case gives the illusion they will all fit in their snuggly  - well that is how it came?  But experience has taught us that you can NEVER get things back the way the came out of a box.  Savana is older at age 4 but younger children will tire very quickly at trying to put the items back.  Worse still the suitcase gives the illusion that is strong, solid and reliable JUST LIKE MR POTATO!  Sadly not, the catch can open so imagine the frustration from MEEEEEEE after managing to put everythign away only to pick it up and then the latch opens!   mmmmm brings a whole new meanign to SILLY SUITCASE!

Anyway, the Hickmotts loved MR POTATO HEAD and all agree with Cruz that a home is not a home without a MR POTATO HEAD or indeed MRS POTATO HEAD! this Xmas and give this a 4 out of 5.

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

GALT MAKE YOUR OWN LIP GLOSS - REVIEWED FOR TOYSRUS

The box only arrived the day before from Toysrus and the girls took full advantage of the wet weather and began to investigate how to make their own lip gloss.  Still adorned in tatoos from the previous toy review from GALT - Nail Art, they had high expectations as GALT seem to be a winner everytime so far for the girls - they were not disappointed. 

The girls decided that Savana would make some lip gloss first - PURPLE - that way Bailey could observe and then make her own WITHOUT the help of mummy!

The instructions are very well written and the girls were able to follow them alongside the diagram.  The box does say 7+ and we agree that a child of that age could quite easily create their own lip gloss without much adult intervention.

An opportunity to make three different colours was welcomed by the girls but they did find that they did have some mixture and the pearlescent powder and LOTS of colouring left over which frustrated them especially as the instructions offer 4 colours to make but only enough lip gloss bottles for 3.  Luckily the girls enjoyed making one each and were happy to share making the last lip gloss between them.

So overall what do they girls think?

Bailey (7) love the smell, should be more bottles, mmmmmmmm not so sure about the feel and taste though? and it is very greasy

Savana (4) love the smell love it !  Savana was particularly funny when applying her lip gloss - mouth open wide and then the lips did not move - in case the lip gloss came off.

Both the girls agree it is good value for money at £5.99 and would make another great sleepover gift or stocking filler for xmas and give this a score of 4 out of 5.

GALT Nail Art - Review for ToysRUs

Box 3 arrived and within 2 mins of openign the box the girls were opening the  Nail Art from GALT.  The item suggests an age group of 7+ but as with many second siblings what is good enough for olders sis is good enough for me and the girls soon started to pamper each other.

Contents:-

• 7 nail varnishes (2 glitter and 5 colour)
• Nail Gems
• Holographic Strips
• Tattoos
• Star Shaped Emery Board

Although there we no instructions inside the box, the girls have used nail varnish and tatoos before so needed no adult supervision at all.

First began the filing of nails followed by big sis taking control first and setting upon Savana who was more than happy to be painted.  Savana also fancied being a little more adventerous with the tatoos asking Bailey to pop one on her face. 

As with alot of children's nail varnish the colours are quite thin and pale so in order to a strong build up - a few coats would be needed.  Removing the gems was not a problem for the girls little fingers however, they found that the first time they applied them the nail varnish was totally dry and the gems fell off.  A top up of varnish and a gem applied to the wet nail seemed to do the trick.

The only questionable part to this pack are the holographic strips - which the girls basically ignored.  There seemed no real purpose to them and even when I questioned them Bailey looked at the box to see if there were any clues to whcih she responded - ""oooo they go at the top of your nail.  This resulted in the girls grabbing a large pair of scissors and creating nail tips and trying to create some - but not with great end results as the strips did not fit the shape of the nail and did not stay on the nail for long.

If girls are having a sleep over this is a great little pack to entertain the girls.  You get alot of items for £5.99 and makes a great Christmas stocking filler.

Scores out of 5 for this:-

Bailey (7) 4 "as there we no instructions"

Savana (4) 5

Mum (41) 3.5 good value for the amount of items you get but could be improoved.

Handz On - Guest Review for Toys R Us

Guest Review by Rachel: Keter Handz On Activity Table - 3yrs +

I was delighted when glenda asked her team if anyone would like to review this activity table. As we live in a flat with not much space to have a dining table, I immedately asked if Isabel could.
Isabel, loves painting, drawing - well anything creative, however, using the floor can work out quite messy and awkward as she ends up on top of the paints, gets frigity sitting on the hard floor etc.

When Isabel saw the table, she was very excited and wanted to use it straight away, So out came the playdoh.

The table has a built in seat, hand groves to put paint in for hand printing, 4  playdoh moulds, cutting knief and rolling pin and a pot to put your crayons/pencils in plus space for your paint pots.

It is light weight, yet sturdy and a good size for any space ( as I say we live in a flat - and the table fits well ).

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's kids love to paint,draw, play with playdoh or anything creative. A massive 10/10.

IMPORTANT INFO:-
The box we have is slightly misleading as there is a picture of an art kit so you do conlcude that there will be art items inside.  However, the Handz On is being sold in the UK as an option without it...Vendors such as Toys R Us however, will make this clear to  avoid any disappointment!)

COMPETITION TIME AGAIN - Melissa & Doug Happy Hearts Bead Set

The mini toyologists are back in town and getting ready to start reviewing their latest box of toys but life would not be the same if we didn't start off this years toyology experience with a competition but this one comes with a twist - not only do you get the chance to win a toy EVERY MONTH but you also get to feature on our blog and the Toys R Us Facebook Page when you review the winning toy!

So for this month - you have the chance to win A HAPPY HEARTS BEAD SET



More than 150 pink, lavender, colorfully accented hearts and other fun shaped wooden beads to keep any creative kid happily occupied for hours. Handy wooden storage tray with compartments to keep the beads and colourful stringing cords neat and organized. 

Suitable from 4+
Price - £10

So if you want to win this fantastic prize this is what you have to do:-


(1) First all of you need to be following this Blog and post your all time favourite toy on the blog wall.

AND


(2)  Pop over to the Toys R Us Facebook Page and post
Glenda & the mini toyologists wanted to know what my all time favourite toy was in order to win their competition .  It's a ........................................................




Terms and conditions

To enter, make sure you pop over to the Toys R Us Facebook page to ensure you do not miss out on all the other competitions the toyologists are running - there will be 11 others alongside the one I am running each month!

The prize is a  FAB HAPPY HEARTS BEAD SET.  The winner will be sent the prize selected at random and there is no cash alternative.

The competition closes on Monday 29th August 2011 midnight

The winner will be contacted on Tuesday 30th August and asked to provide a postal address and a contact telephone number within two days or the winner will be re-drawn.

The contact telephone number will be used by the courier to confirm ETA of deliveries.

Facebook have no affiliation or responsibility for this competition.

UK entrants only and each entrant who takes part in this competition is agreeing to the terms set that they must provide a review of the toy within 14 days of receiving the toy for use on this blog and the Toys R Us Facebook Page.

Don't Laugh Game from Drummond Park for Toysrus

I have a joke for you:-  Which creature goes to the toilet eight times a day?




Answer- An Octo-poos

Did you laugh????????????? 
Laughter releases endorphins, giving us the ‘feel good factor’
Acts as aerobic exercise and is like ‘internal jogging’
Unleashes inhibitions, breaks down barriers
Great team building tool encourages better communication
Helps boost our immune system which helps us resist disease
Tones muscles, improves respiration and circulation
Encourages positive thinking and creativity
Relaxes the whole body by reducing stress and tension


Well guess what that joke was from the board game DON'T LAUGH and if you did laugh then WARNING - if you are a competitive at games and always want to win you may not win this one.

Don't Laugh tries to make you giggle in order to loose!  Encouraging interactive fun for all the family, each player in turn reads out a joke and then uses one or more sound effects to push the other poker-faced players over-the-edge and into fits of laughter and giggles!


CONTENTS

This interactive game consists of 200 joke cards, playing board, 4 playing pieces including a magic microphone to give you the ammunition to make everyone else playing giggle.  You also need (yep you've guessed it batteries) this time 3 AAA.  2-6 players are encouraged to play from 8+ 

The game was too difficult for Savana to understand the jokes but Bailey (age 7) who is an avid fan of Horrid Henry and his scheming tricks and jokes began with great delight reading out jokes to get others to laugh.

some of the jokes in the game included:-

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE VICAR WHO TURNED UP AT THE WRONG FUNERAL?
He made a grave error!

WHY IS IT EASY TO FOOL A SHARK?
Because the swallow everything

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MAN WHO BOUGHT A PAPER SHOP?
It blew away


Did you laugh?

Well if not then you do have the fateful magic microphone which I must admit was by far the most amusing part of the game.  To both Bailey and Savana's delight changing the sound of their voice and creating fart and belching sounds on the machine had them in hysterics for hours - which meant they digressed from the game far too quickly and never finished a game.  I got Bailey to play again with some older children who did play a little longer however, I think this game is expensive at £19.99 for what it is, especially as once you have heard the joke you are guaranteed not to laugh at it again.

Both myself and Bailey gave the game a 2.5 out of 5

Oh and one last thing the mini toyologists have one more message for you!

                           DON'T LAUGH

Bubble Buster Game - You have to Ping to Win - Review for Toysrus!

Bubbles on my shoulders,
Bubbles on my knee,
Bubbles on the top of my head,
for all the world to see.

BUBBLE BUSTER GAME

A game for 1-2 players who have to burst 20 magic pinging bubbles with their wand to win!  However, only some bubbles ping so you have to burst as many as you can.  The more you ping the more your wand chimes - reach the magic number to PLAY THE WINNING TUNE!

The mini toyologists gave this to Jack (20 months) and his mummy Amy to review - see what they thought about it......................................

The Bubble Buster Box is very bright and looks fun to young eyes! The game is aimed age 4+, but i feel it does appeal to a slightly younger age group. My son Jack is only 20months he loves bubbles so I thought he would love the Bubble Buster, he definitely loved the bubbles, but at first wasn't to interested in using the wands to catch the big bubbles he wanted to use his hands.

We played with Bubble Buster both in the garden and in the house, with Jack being slightly younger he got on better in the house as there were less distractions and the bubbles seemed more intense as they weren't blowing away as fast, outside they flew up high and were harder to reach with the wand. 

If Jack was a little older he would have understood how to use the wands better and the Bubble Buster would appeal alot more to him as it took a few goes before he used the wands and then after a few seconds he went back to his hands.

I feel Bubble Buster would be perfect for age 2 1/2 to 3 years + because bubble are great fun at any age, but by this age kids would understand how it works with the wands. The more bubbles burst with the wands the higher the PINGS get til you've bust 20 bubbles then you get a winning tune, so its great fun for 1 or 2 players as they can race to get the most.

Negatives:- 

• You need batteries WHAT TOY DOESN'T THESE DAYS. 
• You only get a small amount of the mixture, using day to day washing up liquid to replace does not suffice either!
• The wands will ping if you hit them against your arm, a table etc (for younger children this will probably not be noticeable though)
• Price is a hefty £17.99

We give this a score of 3/5

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.

 

TOMY - TEACUP PIGGIE - GOLDIE

This is a lovely blog from Chloe the first of my Toys R Us Toy Winners!

Its a pig and it talks!! and if that isn't good enough, then the pig has its own teacup!

  

This cute (and I mean super cute) piggie is called Goldie, turned up at the door step.. and it has become P's best friend, now the product comes with a piggie (various ones available) a cup and a bottle, and even a birth certificate.

Goldie is so soft to touch, and lightweight.. suitable for ages 6+

Now the switch on the bottom, turn from try-me to on and your little piggie now has its own life, with a patch on its back and nose, which if you press can say 25 different phases. The fun doesn't stop there you can feed the piggie via the bottle, and get realistic sounds.. and when goldie gets tired P can lay her down and she falls asleep (with a tiny snore)

P loved Goldie, and will not put her down.. its a talking pet ! and we can turn it off ;) P enjoyed spending her time she even brought out the cakes! Now Goldie sits at the end of the bed in her little teacup.

This fantastic product from Tomy, can be brought from Toys r us for as little as £14.99 and there is even a variety of clothes and accessorises available to buy for you piggie, so your collection can grow and grow which is a great idea when grandparents wonder what to get for the little one birthday ... it is a girly must have.

We love it !

Artisto by Keter - for Toys R Us

When this box arrived at our house we were all very sceptical.  The outside displayed young children at a plastic table having lots of fun but we were not so sure.  As we opened the box in the garden our doubts soon began to heighten.  The box which was very small contained LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of pieces, "Oh my god, how did so much fit into such a small box?" Worse still was the FEAR OF TERROR running through my mind of Oh no HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE ME TO PUT TOGETHER! 

Ok the Hickmotts were ready for the challenge - well at least Mum was - and was determined NOT to be defeated. Suprisingly the challenge was not very difficult at all - in fact it was incredibly easy with the help of the two toyologists within 15 yes I did say 15 minutes the whole thing had been put together.  The girls had not lost interest and were soon keen to add the stickers over the areas which contained screws - which I may add were only a few and that was it.

Well not quite - marker pens. We searched high and low - felt tip pens did not do the trick they had to be MARKER PENS so a quick journey to the shop and back we were playing non-stop games, drawing, attaching images with the study clip (see below) and letters to trace and also using the bench and table for lunch.

So what is not so good about this - well it was definitely a bit of a squash and squeeze for Bailey (7) and the actual space on top is limiting for paper etc.  The screen is also quite a reach if you are sitting down, but a quick stretch up onto their feet and the girls were fine.  Also a word of caution, it does take up alot of space - and it has been in our garden since it was built.

Price is £79.99 which some may argue is a hefty price for a piece of plastic - but then again it is for two so great if you have twins for instance.

Overall:-
As a former primary school teacher - making learning fun is key and the idea of using the clear screen is a great concept instead of pen to paper - Savana in particular loved practicing her letters and had no worries about making a mistake, as one quick wipe and she could have another go.

The mini toyologists and mum love this table.  It is very sturdy, and wipes down INCLUDING the screen after being left out overnight in the garden (or in our case since it was built) very easily.

Check out our video to see how we got on with it:-

This is probably one of our favourite toys received so far this year and we all give it 5 out of 5 - thanks Toysrus!

Hello Kitty Cosmetic Case

Just Like Mummy.....

The girls received a HELLO KITTY COSMETIC CASE to review this time.

Oh no, cry the sounds NOT ANOTHER STEREOPTYPICAL TOY aimed at girls to encourage them to wear make-up.  I personally don't wear lots of make from day to day and never have so am very level headed about the whole use of it.  However, I know in the media there is always hype around when you should start to allow your children to wear it and how some means to become beautiful have gone a step too far with the recent story of a young girl of 8 being given Botox.  With this in mind one may argue that this toy reinforces the classic stereotypes make-up entails however, Bailey (7) and Savana (4) were delighted with this toy and treat it as just that A TOY.

The outer case is well - made with the simple Hello Kitty logo making is recognisable to all avid HELLO KITTY FANS and Bailey did not have any problems opening it.  However, once inside trying to removed items from the black plastic case did prove to be difficult at times for her as you will see in the video. 

The other main issue was the lack of brushes.  There are several colour eye-shadows to choose from and Bailey did not want to mix the colours up too much, indeed with a younger sister this was very important to her as only have two brushes encourages just that.

WE DID TWO VIDEOS - ONE WITH MUSIC AND ONE WITH BAILEY DISCUSSING THE CONTENTS WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM BOTH!

Music Video Above

Bailey Talking Video Below

CONCLUSIONS:--

GOOD

• The Cosmetic Case is aimed from 3+ one may argue that this is too young.
• Love the body glitter and nail varnish.
• Good size.
• Good mixture of make-up and hair accessories.

NOT SO GOOD
Only two brushes
Colours are ok but could be bolder
Black Plastic is annoying
Another toy needing batteries - for the mirror

FINAL SCORE 3 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.