Having a Henry Hugglemonster Day

I must admit that my little boy, Dylan, is usually busy building things these days but he does still find some time for other toys.

Recently, we were sent a Henry Hugglemonster Roarsome Scooter from a new toy collection by Golden Bear.

The friendly little monster from the hit Disney show was instantly recognisable and Dylan's eyes lit up when he saw the scooter. Dylan loves anything with wheels.

The toy sparked off enthusiastically noisy renditions of the Henry Hugglemonster theme tune from Dylan and big sister Addy and once they discovered that pressing Henry's tummy made him speak six of the show's fun catchphrases, we really did start to Have a Henry Hugglemonster Day. They couldn't get enough of pressing the tummy and imitating the catchphrases - always a winner!

There was lots of fun to be had when they took Henry for a spin on his scooter outside.

The figure is detachable and Dylan might argue, kissable! It is quite difficult to balance Henry in a standing position without his scooter but apart from that minor niggle, it is sure to be a hit with fans of the Hugglemonsters.

This toy operates using 2xLR44 batteries (included) and is not suitable for children under 3years.

Lego

Over the years, my children have accumulated a sizeable collection of Lego between them, including a fantastic Lego City Train Set I reviewed as part of the Toyologist programme I was involved in. The Lego was very well played with but inevitably, as adult pursuits occupied more time and attention, the collection remained mostly in a jumble of bricks in a large plastic crate in the corner of a room waiting for the moment that my two little ones discovered the treasures within.

As my youngest daughter, Addy, reached an age where she could appreciate Lego, she remained disappointingly disinterested. Her construction ambition was limited to making patterns with the different colours. It was a different story with my son, Dylan. At three and a half years old, he was already showing a keen interest in how things work and making things. He was also becoming increasingly fascinated with the Lego adverts on the TV - in particular Lego Chima and Lego City police. He could recite entire adverts word perfect.

When I saw two Lego City mini sets reduced to half price on Morrisons, I popped them in with my weekly grocery shop to see how he got on with them.

How did he get on with them? He absolutely LOVED them.

It was wonderful to see the big sisters getting involved to construct the little toys from the instructions provided and equally wonderful to see how he played with them - fixing and modifying as well as acting out scenarios.

It was time to dust off the collection.

Although fascinated by the huge crate of interesting components, it was all too much. Too disorganised, too overwhelming. Something needed to be done to restore some order to the chaos and the first step was to tip it all out onto a table.

I'm sure most people agree that the lapping of waves, a child's laughter and the glug, glug, glug of the first glass of wine being poured from a bottle are beautiful sounds. I would like to add another beautiful sound  - the sound that Lego bricks make when you rummage around in them looking for a particular piece. I have to admit though, the sound of that quantity of Lego being tipped from the crate onto the table was rather loud. Dylan covered his ears until it was all over.

Seeing the Lego all layed out before me was nostalgic. Star Wars and Harry Potter mini figures littered amongst pieces of alien space craft and Aquazone Discovery Lab brought  memories flooding back.

My eldest daughter was quite a bossy child with a strong sense of propriety. She would have never tolerated any carelessness or misuse of toys with her younger siblings. For that reason, I was not surprised to find all the instructions for the various Lego kits intact and suspected that there would be very little in the way of missing components. The task ahead of me was to sort the mass of Lego into the different sets.

I wasn't sure how far I'd get with it but once I started, it became strangely compulsive. I was late for school pickups, housework was neglected, dinner failed to be made. The lure of the Lego was powerful.

My eldest daughter went out of her way to come round and help (much to the bemusement of her 'isn't this supposed to be for kids' boyfriend). We built, we reminisced, we laughed, we got ridiculously excited about finding elusive components that we needed.

On the subject of hunting down a particular piece, one thing I have become convinced of is that Lego pieces do not obey the normal laws of the physical world. You can search for a piece until you are sure that it must have long ago been a casualty of the vacuum cleaner, and then lo and behold, there it will be right in front of you. I would be willing to swear that it hadn't been there five minutes previously. They simply materialise... when your attention is elsewhere of course.

I did make several attempts to sort and categorise different pieces to make searching easier but when the little ones came home from school wanting to 'help', my systems would be quickly undone. Dylan would at least build things but Addy would just enjoy swirling the bricks about. Perhaps she shares my love of that very special sound or maybe it was malicious sabotage because she just couldn't understand our enthusiasm for all that was Lego.

The Lego mission was never going to be quick to complete but I wasn't expecting it to still be monopolising the conservatory (and my time) the best part of a week later.

I had to tear myself away from my obsession to go and collect my daughter, Taylor,  from University for the start of her long Easter break. Driving along the M6, I kept noticing the lorries, tankers, vans and cars and seeing them as Lego constructions. My mind would deconstruct them into the Lego components. It did make the journey less boring but I was beginning to think I needed to get this project finished and reconnect with my real life as quickly as possible. Luckily for me, Taylor has exactly the sort of logical brain and methodical way of working that would prove an invaluable asset to the task.

Between us, Taylor and I made sure that each of the different play sets was completed. Some were left out to be played with. All of the Harry Potter sets were put away until such a time that the little ones understand who Dobby is and why socks are important to him. I have just bought a new plastic storage box for the Star Wars Lego to be packed away until it can also be fully appreciated. There is a big plastic bucket full of bricks for Dylan to satisfy his freestyle building urges and I am delighted to report that Addy has found her own little Lego niche with pink blocks, windows, doors and flowers.

Something I have learned about Lego is that if you drop a model onto a tiled floor, it doesn't just break...it explodes. We have had a few disasters but the sheer joy of Lego is that you can gather up the pieces and build it again.

One more thing I have learned is that you can never have too much Lego. My little ones have birthdays coming up and I am planning which sets I can buy them to enhance their overall Lego experience...

(... and I cannot wait for the Lego movie to be out on DVD!)

Palace Pets

Like a lot of people, I am a big kid when it comes to Disney. I love the romance and the heroism and best of all... the villains. I don't think any evil villain ever comes close to the wondrous evil that is Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent (and I have a big soft spot for The Little Mermaid's Ursula). Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to review a toy that bore the Disney logo - Palace Pets.

When I opened the box expecting the magic of disney to come pouring out, I was sadly disappointed. All the things I love about Disney were obvious only by their absence. To me, the Palace Pets were trying too hard to be adorable - aspartame sweet and a bit tacky. Of course my five year old daughter absolutely LOVED them! More surprisingly, my three year old son hasn't stopped wanting to play with them since the moment he saw them.

We were sent the Palace Pets Pamper and Beauty Salon which is very ornate and has plenty of little shelves and places to store the pamper accessories.

My son spent ages making it neat and tidy (he'll make someone a great husband one day!) I have to admit that the golden bathtub looks very inviting - I would love a scaled up version for my own pamper time. I like the fact that the Salon has two open out portions to make more room to play but folds back neatly for putting away.

The set comes with an exclusive pet, Rapunzel's kitty Summer, that has a cold water colour change feature.

There are three different categories of Palace Pet to collect: Furry Tail Friends, Primp and Pamper Ponies and Talking and Singing Pets. We were sent one of each.

My daughter loved their removable tiaras and enjoyed swapping them around. As the name implies, the Furry Tail Friends have impressively fluffy tails - very tactile and brushable. The ponies have long hair tails perfect for grooming and decorating with the clips provided.  My favourite was the Talking & Singing Pet. Larger than the other collectibles, this pet delivers cheesy one liners about friendship and meows a catchy tune. It took no time for my son to learn and repeat the phrases. I just love hearing his gruff little boy voice with a girlie lilt saying Let's collect things together! As well as the furry tail, this pet has real eye lashes framing her impossibly huge 'please love me' eyes.

This is not the sort of toy I would normally buy for my kids (unless possibly a new range of Evil Villain Pets was launched) but I cannot deny how much they have loved playing with it. It must be that Disney magic after all!

Doc McStuffins Mini Clinic Playset

We have been lucky enough to receive lots of lovely toys for review over the past month. On top of the toys the children were given for Christmas, I have had to get creative with storage to find homes for everything. There was no problem finding a home for the latest review product we were sent - a  Doc McStuffins Mini Clinic. We were also sent a separate collectible character.

As the name suggests, once removed from the packaging, the Mini Clinic takes up very little space. It may be small but it is beautifully detailed and brimming with play value. Both my children are big fans of the TV show and couldn't wait to start playing.

The set contains a doctors bag that opens up to give an idea of the clinic because of a printed backdrop on the interior. Inside is a lift out bed for patients, doctor's tools, two casts and instantly recognisable to my Doc McStuffins fans, Lambie, the Big Book of Boo Boos and the toy practitioner herself, Doc.  The pieces have the pink sparkly touches just like on the TV show.

My children jumped straight in with the imaginary play and soon brought some other toys into the clinic for a checkup and diagnosis. They have already started their wishlist for adding to the collection of characters.

Compact toys like this are great for travelling or for popping in your handbag when you think a distraction might be necessary. The down side, of course, is the tendency for the little pieces to become mislaid. Ever the optimist, I am hoping that it will teach my children a valuable lesson in caring for their belongings (as well as possibly sewing the early seeds for a future career in medicine!)

Tree Fu Tom Adventure Castle Playset

My little boy, Dylan, really enjoyed playing with the Ultimate Tree Fu Tom that we were sent to review in September, so when I showed him our latest review item - a Tree Fu Tom Adventure Castle Playset - he was more than a little bit pleased. In fact, he literally jumped up and down and said: We gettid anover Tree Fu Tom fing. I'm incited!!!

We took a break from our Hallowe'en activities to have a little play with the Castle Playset. There was a small amount of adult assembly required which I always find more challenging than I should.  Dylan was kept entertained playing with the little Tree Fu Tom figurine supplied.

I'm not always a fan of the plastic 'playsets'. They can be fragile and designed to be played with in a very specific way that does not allow a child's imagination to be let loose. I have to say that this one seemed fairly robust with enough features to make it interesting but also plenty of space to just 'play'. And play Dylan did - with big sister Addy.

Dylan particularly liked the little Trap Door feature while Addy was keen on a Wind Up Lift.

Some intervention was needed to help them to get their Tree Fu Tom to 'fly' around the top of the castle. Luckily there was a big sister and someone in need of a manicure and hand cream willing (a little too willing!) to help.

I rather liked the Leafboard onto which Tom fits securely so he can perform daring stunts down the Leafboard ramp. It looks as though he may be just about to jump onto his Leafboard in the following photo.

Another interesting feature is the multifaceted Seeking Crystal that can be seen in the previous photo. It can be illuminated by pressing a button on the castle floor or on the crystal holder (batteries included). The holder is removable which enables the light to be used to seek for 'splats'.

After a while, one of our Hallowe'en props became incorporated into the game...

Tree FuTom is hiding under the pile of green crinkly paper shreds. Can you spot him?

... and then took over completely.

Conclusion: Tree Fu Tom Castle Playset - great little toy for fans of Treetopolis and a lot less messy than green crinkly paper shreds!

Skwooshi

Skwooshi. What a fabulous word.

When I was sent a Skwooshi Activity Set to review I didn't expect it to be very much different to the modelling materials my kids had played with in the past. Don't get me wrong, I would have been quite happy with that. We all love squishing, squashing and rolling.

Skwooshi satisfied all our squishing, squashing and rolling desires but also gave us the Skwooshi Effect. More about that later.

The set we were sent contained 3 x 2oz pots of the Skwooshi compound along with a variety of activity tools all in packaging that looked like it had been squished in slightly at the sides.

The tools were brightly coloured and interesting. My little ones played  happily with them for quite some time on their own before we opened the pots of Skwooshi...

...which themselves were nicely quirky.

The Skwooshi compound was soft and squishable straight from the pot but less vibrantly coloured than other modelling materials we were familiar with. This lack of vibrancy was forgiven instantly when we discovered the Skwooshi effect. 

The kids had great fun rolling and stamping and cutting and everything else you'd expect from  a modelling material...

...but when you pulled it, something weird happened. I tried and failed to capture in a photograph exactly what this weirdness involved. 

I'm not sure that words are really adequate either. My daughter described it as like cake and it was true that there was a sponginess to it. My husband said it reminded him of wet sand. It would have to be the finest, softest sand for this to be true. For me, the closest I could get to describing the phenomenon was somewhere between magnetised iron filings and candy floss. This was the Skwooshi effect. The compound went from a pliable solid to something that seemed to flow - not quite liquid, not quite a granular solid. It was.... sort of 'Skwooshi' really!  It was definitely strange and intriguing and eminently tactile. I loved it.

The kids enjoyed experimenting with mixing the colours and creating beautiful marbled designs which sadly means that much of our Skwooshi compound has now merged into a dull brown colour. Even dull and brown that Skwooshi effect transforms it into something magical.

The inevitable 'bits that dropped onto the floor' swept up easily lending weight to the Skwooshi 'mess free' claim and despite much handling, showed no signs of drying out.

Skwooshi is wheat and gluten free (although I'm not sure why this matters because at no point were we ever intending to eat it!)

For more information, news and competitions follow Skwooshi on Facebook

Suitable from age 3+

HABA 75th anniversary - Sleepy Princess

Sleepy Princess from HABA is a game based on the classic fairy tale The Princess and the Pea. The set consists of a double sided playing board, a pretty in pink wooden princess, a royal bed, a dice, a pile of mattresses, blankets and cushions and of course, a pea.

There are two versions of the game detailed in the instructions. In the simple version, players take it in turns to throw the dice (starting with the youngest) and work together to collect bedding items to pile into a stack on the bed in the correct order of mattress, blanket, cushion. If players land on a washing machine symbol on the game board, a bedding item has to be removed from the bed. The game is over if the stack topples (all lose) or you succeed in placing all the items in the pile (all win).

In a competitive version of the game, a maximum of four players each choses a bedding set of a particular colour. Taking it in turns to move around the board, the players pile their bedding onto the bed (or off!) according to the square they land on. The winner is the first to place all their pieces. If the pile topples, the player whose turn it is must take all the fallen items and begin again.

I love that in the second version, the instructions state that the player with the longest hair goes first - very princessy!

This is a game that encourages turn taking, correct use of a dice, a certain amount of hand-eye co-ordination and of course learning to be a gracious loser.

The bedding is gorgeous - bright and cheerful, well made and appeals to a love I have of all things miniature. The bed is made from four pieces of cardboard that slot together. I do worry slightly that it will be prone to damage (on standby with the sellotape!). As it is in my nature to worry, I will also worry about losing the pea which is small and rolls.

My children were just as happy (happier even) playing with the pieces and making a nice comfy bed for the princess as they were actually playing the game.

See also:

HABA Biofina playfood Sliced Cheese Variety

HABA Mini Memory

HABA 75th anniversary - Biofino play food

As a mum, it comes completely naturally to me to disregard my own wants and needs for the sake of my kids.  The last bag of crisps or the biggest piece of cake would always go to them, not me. That may be a very simplistic example but it illustrates the point.

My ex husband did not prioritise in the same way. He always put himself first.

To use the food example again, I distinctly remember an argument about the children eating all the cheese. He was furious that there was none for him. I was incensed that he was once again proving his own selfishness.

Horrified as I am with retrospect that we would have such arguments in front of the children, we did. My little Taylor was there. Taylor was timid and wide-eyed. She never really said much. It was so unexpected and hilariously funny when she interjected in a sing song play ground taunt sort of way (naa, na na, naa, na style) with theatrically wagging finger, you got no chee-eese!!

Taylor's 'you got no cheese ' comment has become the stuff of family legend with me and my girls. I don't recall my ex husband being particulalry amused by it.

Anyway, we DO got cheese. We got cheese courtesy of HABA's 75th anniversary blogging project.

We were sent a selection of HABA goodies to review, the first of which, from the Biofino play food range, is Sliced Cheese.

  

My children love preparing picnics and feasts with their pretend food and it is definitely something I like to encourage.

The Biofino Sliced Cheese Variety contains three different sliced cheeses (the identity of one I can hazard a guess at being something like Emmental because it  has holes) and a rather nice tomato slice as a contribution towards your five-a-day. It was a bit of a fiddle to separate the slices as they were firmly attached to each other to keep them looking neat and well displayed inside the packaging.

Once that mission was complete we had enough yellow and orange felt squares and circles (I mean cheese) to make sandwiches for all our hungry teddies!

Unfortunately, to re-use that phrase coined by my daughter many years ago - we got no bread!!

(The HABA Biofino play food range is suitable for children 3+)


See also:
 HABA Mini Memo
HABA Sleepy Princess

Chocolate Biscuit Dispensers and other Machines

When I was a little girl, my imagination transformed a panel of the garishly patterned 70s wallpaper that adorned my bedroom walls into a Chocolate Biscuit Dispenser, from which I was able to keep my collection of teddies, gonks and dolls lavishly bestowed with sweet treats. I remember it so well.

This is not the exact design of my wallpaper but it had a similar colour palette, a floral theme and  a repeating circles pattern. My parents must have thought it quite attractive! To a child's eyes (this child's eyes at least) it was a control panel and dispensing hole for imaginary biscuits.

I was reminded of this yesterday when my 4 year old (nearly 5 actually - where does the time go?) daughter called me into the conservatory to see a 'machine' she had made. Various household items and toys had been carefully arranged to create a rather interesting construction. Nothing was randomly placed. Everything had a function and she proceeded to explain in detail what it was all about.

I love her creativity. I love her imagination. I love that she has taken my "Chocolate Biscuit Dispenser" to a whole new level. I didn't love so much that I was instructed not to dismantle the machine. The strange collection of objects now dominates my conservatory.

If it was summer, this would be more of a problem but as the conservatory does not get used very much during the cold weather, I am happy for the machine to remain. Perhaps there is something to be said for those 70s wallpaper designs though. My plain walls painted with emulsion clearly do not fire any sparks of imagination.

A School Christmas Play

As I opened a bleary eye this morning to see that the numbers on the clock were telling me it was 8:10 - the time we would normally be up and dressed and having breakfast - I didn't panic too much. I remembered that the kids had been fiddling with the buttons on it yesterday and had probably changed the time. When I turned over in my lovely warm bed and saw that the clock on my radio also said 8:10 - then I panicked!

I managed to drag myself out of bed with the cold cup of coffee on the bedside cabinet seeming to say in a mocking tone - It's your own fault. You should have woken up when I was brought up to you by a faithful husband an hour ago.

Both little ones were still fast asleep.

The reason for their exhaustion and need to sleep was that last night was my little Addy's first school play - an evening performance taking place in our local community owned Festival Drayton Centre which meant a proper stage, tiered seating and an air of great importance. Personally I would have been happy with a makeshift stage and rows of tiny school chairs crammed too close together in a school hall but there was no denying the sense of occasion.

The play was called "Children of the World" and showcased how children all over the world celebrate Christmas. Addy was cast as Poland.

The costume requirement was a bit vague. If I had had the time, I would have googled the Polish National Dress, scoured charity shops for something suitable and even dusted off my sewing machine. Needless to say - I didn't. With what we had at home and big sister Taylor picking up a little waistcoat from Primark on a well timed shopping trip, we cobbled together the 'boy' interpretation of the costume.  Addy looked absolutely delightful but she was not overly impressed.

Neither was she overly impressed with the idea of rehearsals. I was taken to one side by her teacher to be told that she was refusing to join in. When I questioned Addy about it she said that she didn't want to be tripped up on stage. Trying to get inside the mind of a four year old I surmised that it must be quite overwhelming with the whole school involved in the production and lots of movement on and off stage. I reassured her. I told her how proud I'd be to watch her. I tried bribery. I played the Santa card - I bet Santa will leave you an extra special present under the tree if you join in. I waited to see what would happen at the next rehearsal.

She still didn't join in.

Although she was not actually taking part, she was watching and learning. She knew the dance routines. She knew the songs. She had one last chance to overcome her reluctance at the dress rehearsal before the actual performance. I wasn't holding my breath.

Last year, I turned up at the festive setting of Addy's nursery school to delight in my little angel singing Christmas songs with her tiny classmates. The reality was a grumpy Mini Grinch who sullenly refused to sing a single note. Last night, these memories flooded back as I sat in C13 awaiting the start of the show.

She was sat at the back (maybe deliberately) and looked very tiny surrounded by older children. After the introduction, Poland was the first country up on stage to share their Xmas traditions with an eager audience.

Addy awkwardly joined the back of the line of children representing Poland. Each child collected a glittery star from the props lady as they climbed the steps onto stage. Each child except Addy. As she held out her little hand, there were no more stars to hand to her. I guess that as she had not been joining in with the rehearsals, she was not counted and therefore not enough stars were made. I could have cried. I sensed her discomfort as she stood on the stage, starless. The other children launched themselves into their lines and song and dance as Addy stood apart from them fighting back tears. She lost the fight. She didn't just burst into tears - she exploded.

I felt powerless. From the second row back I was so close to my distraught little daughter... yet so far.

Thankfully, the headmaster did his best to sneak discreetly onto stage (he is not a small man!) and scooped her off. He calmed her down and gave her the job of assistant to prop lady.

As 'Poland' she was a disaster. As 'Assistant to Prop Lady' she was fantastic. I could see how much she loved being involved and handing out the various props to the next set of actors waiting for their moment in the spotlight. No more awkwardness and reluctance - just enthusiasm and efficiency.

She was persuaded to go up on stage for the finale - a heartwarming whole school rendition of a song called We are the Children of the World. For a brief moment she joined in with the singing and the actions and I was given a glimpse of the little star she could have been - but mostly her interest lay in what was going on offstage and behind the curtains.

As we made our way back home I asked her if she had enjoyed herself and she answered with a resounding yes. I suppose that is all that really matters.

A late night and much excitement with a little raw emotion thrown into the mix did result in the over sleeping next morning.

It was a rush to get to school but we made it just before the start of registration. I breathed a sigh of relief. Today of all days, an OFSTED official loitered in the classroom with his clipboard of doom. I gave Addy a quick kiss goodbye and was about to make my hasty retreat when the same look descended over her face as I had seen last night when she stood empty handed on stage with the star waving children of Poland. I willed her to hold it together, to sit calmly on the carpet, to wait for her name to be called and answer with a upbeat and 'ready for the day' - Yes, Mrs Buckley.

She didn't.

Bananas in Pyjamas

The Bananas in Pyjamas characters were inspired by the annoyingly catchy song originally composed in the sixties which talks about the yellow fruit dressed for bed and chasing teddy bears with a view to catching them unawares! I find it quite amazing that something created purely out of the beauty of poetic rhyming can have evolved into a top pre-school children's TV show and I have to admit (excuse the pun) I find B1 and B2 (the banana stars of the show) most a-peel-ing.

We were sent a Bananas in Pyjamas Funhouse Playset from Golden Bear to review.

The fold out plastic playhouse comes complete with B1 and B2 figures with hinged legs enabling them to sit and make good use of the colourful furniture accessories. Best of all is the musical staircase (batteries required) which plays (if you haven't already guessed) the famous Bananas in Pyjamas song, also used as the theme tune to the show.

The set was very cute and ideal for my two little ones as they had a banana each to play with. It has kept them happily entertained and inspired a bunch (sorry!) of make believe games. They particularly liked putting the bananas to bed beneath their plastic duvets and true to the spirit of the song, making them come down the stairs.

As the whole thing folds up it does not present any problems from a storage point of view.

RRP £34.99

Bananas in Pyjamas do not contribute to your 5-a-day

Poppy Cat

Although my 4 year old daughter Addy has never seen the children's TV show 'Poppy Cat' which airs on Nick Jnr, it did not stop her from instantly relating to the cute little plush, talking Poppy Cat toy (suitable from 10+ months) from Golden Bear that we were sent to review.

We were also sent a set of Poppy and Friends Figurines (suitable from age 3+ years) which immediately caught her imagination and inspired some delightful make believe play.

The toys are very well made and lovely to handle. I always think that the best way to demonstrate a toy is in the hands of a child so here is a video of Addy getting to know her Poppy Cat characters.

Addy likes to take the talking Poppy Cat to bed with her. This did cause some confusion during the night when my husband and I could hear a little voice that we didn't recognise coming from one of the bedrooms! In our sleepy state, the confusion lasted much longer than it ought to have!

Poppy Cat Talking Soft Toy and

Poppy Cat and Friends Figurines 

both retail at £9.99

For sale...

Desirable, fully furnished residence - one bedroom, well fitted kitchen, luxury bathroom, three good sized reception rooms, walled courtyard. This unique property is full of interesting features including magic. Would suit elves and fairies.

Ben and Holly's Little Castle Magical Playset is a delightful interpretation of the home of King Thistle et al from the popular animated kid's TV show, Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom. The set comes with six tiny figurines of the key characters and a magic wand that uses magnets to create 5 magic spell effects in different rooms.

Ben, Nanny Plum, Holly, King Thistle, Gaston and Queen Thistle

A magic wand just like Holly's

There is a small amount of assembly required but allow plenty of time (preferably without an impatient child trying to 'help') to attach all of the stickers. This was a real fiddle and as I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to this sort of thing, I got quite cross once or twice!

My little girl, Addy, was totally captivated by the playset, instantly placing the figures in different rooms and acting out scenarios with them. She was particularly delighted when a real live "Gaston the Ladybird" landed on the castle and started climbing up the tower!

The set is intended for the 3+ age group but my two year old son wanted to play. He was far too heavy handed with it, broke one of Princess Holly's delicate little wings and started peeling off the stickers (I was not best pleased about that!) Sadly, I have had to place it on a shelf out of his reach which means it isn't very accessible now for Addy.

Addy loved discovering how to cast the 'magic spells' and loved even more that the magnetic wand stuck to cutlery.

This set was a Winner in the 2011 Right Start Best Toy Awards and I can understand why. I found myself drawn into the Magical World with the same glee as my daughter. Even my teenage daughter and her 18 year old boyfriend couldn't resist a little play!

(Ben and Holly's Little Castle Magical Playset was provided free of charge for the purpose of this review)