The first is Bobbin' Bumblebee (£8.99). This is a game where Robin the Bumblebee flies around in a circle; the players have honeycomb discs which they protect by flipping a paddle to knock the approaching bee away to stop him taking the discs. Monkey and Missy Woo quite enjoyed this game but it lasts only a minute or two. Although they enjoyed it, it didn't really hold their attention and they soon moved onto something else. I think it would be better for toddlers/preschoolers - as they are more likely to be happy to keep setting up the same game again and again, rather than my two, who are past that stage now. The game is listed as suitable from 3 years and it would be perfect for that age. It's quite easy to put together, but it can come apart easily too.
The next is Moon Dough Playful Puppies Set (£7.99). If ever there was a toy that divided a household, this was it. As soon as the children saw it, they got very excited. Monkey knew it was like playdough but never dried out, Missy Woo wanted to make puppies, which you do by pressing the dough into the top of a kennel mould maker and turning the handle, with the puppies falling out of the bottom. Bones and food can be made by pressing the dough into separate small moulds. That's the theory anyway. The dough is very light compared to playdough. We found you really needed to work it hard to make it pliable enough for fitting correctly into moulds, and you needed to start moulding it straight away or you'd need to work it again. It is also really crumbly, and made a huge mess everywhere. We all found it hard to fill the moulds properly so that you got the nice pretty figures you see on the box. Overall, the children loved it, but as a mother, I didn't. I expect some mess from craft activities but this was too messy. I would be far happier if it was reformulated to be less crumbly and messy, whilst keeping its lightness and bright colours.
Finally, we have the Ocean in My Pocket Coral Reef Playset (£19.99) and accompanying Newborns pack (£3.99). Missy Woo's eyes lit up as soon as she saw this and she wasn't disappointed once we had finally wrestled it out of the multiple wires holding it in the packaging (a pet hate of mine!). The Playset is a play park for a mummy whale and her three babies that are included in the set. There is a slide, a swing, a merry-go-round and a swing for them all to play on. It's great for imaginary play and Missy Woo was fascinated with it, taking it off to the playroom to sit down and put everything through its paces. When I asked her, she seemed to enjoy the swing for some obscure reason but she got a lot of pleasure out of it all and was totally absorbed. In short, she loved it and I think it was worth the money for that alone.
The Newborns pack contained three tiny figures - in this case, a baby seal, a jellyfish, and an oyster. And they really are tiny - I can hold all 3 of them in my fist! I think parents would feel better about the price if the figures were slightly bigger and they came in less packaging. Missy did like them but only because she could use them to play with them alongside the playset and she is not yet inclined to carry them in her pocket as intended. The baby seal is a favourite, but there's not a lot you can do with a jellyfish and an oyster. I would buy these for a child that already had the playset, because they would provide further options for playing with it.
