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Toy Reviews |
 Find
It - University Games £19.95
“Find it” is quite simply a game
that you never need to put away, because you’ll never want to put it
down! Play against yourself or as a team; whichever you choose it’s
guaranteed fun for all ages, is totally addictive. All you have to
do is twist, shake or spin, find an item in the capsule, tick it off
your sheet and then pass the game onto the next person (or have another
go yourself if playing alone!).
The great advantage of “Find it”
is that there are no rules - so you can create your own or have none at
all! ”Find it”, which launches in the UK under license to University
Games UK, can be a test of time or patience, or both!
It’s simple, highly addictive
and there are three versions to choose from – Glitz & Glamour, Sports or
Kids. It’s a perfect game for rainy days, fun-filled holidays and
journey time. Another bonus: no batteries required! Simply grab it,
go and then play!
It’s suitable from aged eight
through to ninety-eight, but is also great fun for the even younger
imaginative minds of children learning to define objects and write (with
parental assistance).
“Find it” is licensed by
University Games UK and available from all good retailers including
Argos, Debenhams, Amazon, Toys R Us and WH Smith, priced between £15 and
£20
Totz2teens Review: Find It is actually a simple game but it is
brilliantly done. You are given a tube full of hundred and
thousands style pieces - within these are different objects to find.
some come to the surface quickly, others are demons to find. I
left it on the side and was amazed at how many people pick it up to try
and find the hidden items. We tried the kids version which has a
variety of almost 50 objects so there is plenty in the pot. Its
lovely and secure too so no breaking it open to find the bits.
They had asked when they were finding it touch. There are so many
different ways this can be played with. Adhoc just finding bits,
timed - perhaps having a timer included may encourage this. I
reckon this would be a perfect thing to give granny/grandpa to do on a
Sunday afternoon to keep them occupied too. I know my Nan would
have to do this because its one of those things. We were trying to
find the penny for a very long time. When my son found it the
shouting for glee was phenomenal you would have thought something was
wrong. The Find it is big enough to have plenty of fun with.
I reckon hours of fun can be had reinventing games with Find It.
We have really enjoyed testing out Find it and I would love to see the
others in the range too. I think that although you have found the
items once you can go over it again and again so repetitive play is
plausable. I like that this can be played by an individual or in a
group.
Totz2teens Rating: 4/5
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 Smart
Ass Board Game - University Games £15.99
Have you ever played a
game and been bursting to yell out the answer even when it's not your
turn? Well here's your chance! Each Who, What and Where am I? card has
ten clues, and the first player to yell out the correct answer moves one
step closer to being the ultimate "Smart Ass." Move forward by correctly
identifying people, places and things before any of the other players.
The first player to reach the target in the centre of the board wins.
This fast-paced party game requires no specific knowledge base so even
if you're a "dumb ass" you can win! Contents include game board, 8
"Smart Ass" playing pieces, 490 questions, 1 jumbo category die, 1 jumbo
movement die and instructions. For 2 to 8 players. Ages 12 and
up £15.99
Totz2teens Review: Smart Ass - Thats ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I found this game so enjoyable. Not often I find a game that I am
quite good at - but here it is. Smart Ass comes in a bright yellow
box and is very simple to set up. Reading the rules was nice and
quick too. Really appreciate this fact when playing a new game
with friends. There are different categories which you throw the
die to find out which one your card will be. They are who, what,
where am I? and hard ass. One player is the reader and the
others have to guess from the clues read out. If you shout out too
quickly and get it wrong, you cant guess anymore on that round.
Getting to the middle doesn't take forever which actually was a really
lovely part of this game. Plenty of opportunity for everyone to
become a winner. We all enjoyed playing Smart Ass and we all said
that we would recommend it to others. We played it as all
adults but older children should be ok with it.
Totz2teens Rating: 4/5
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 Mr
& Mrs Board Game - University Games
£15.99
- A game for
all partners, young and old
- Based on
the hit TV show All Star Mr & Mrs
- Simple, fun
and guaranteed to cause a lot of laughs
- Includes
questions tailored for children aged 10 and up
- For 2 or
more players
Totz2teens Review: I was so
excited about getting this game to play as was my
friend. So we hatched a plan to bring our
partners together and have an adult only game.
The instructions say that children can play too
making it a family game. The board game sadly
is nothing like the TV programme. It seems
severely over complicated making this actually quite
tricky to play. We gave it our best shot but
to be honest we ended up scrapping the rules and
playing our own version. The paddle game was
very interesting. You are each given a set of
numbers as your paddles. Sitting back to back
we were offered up a question which we had to answer
the same. for example, how many coats do you
own, When was the last time your partner bought you
perfume. They were funny. Both couples
were obviously well aware of each other although
some errors in judgement resulted in some very
strange looks and explanations. Just the
paddle game on its own would have given to a good
game so it was a shame that as a whole Mr & Mrs
wasnt the game I had hoped it would be.
Totz2teens Rating: 2/5
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 Smart
Trike Deluxe – Price £96.99 – Suitable from 10 Months through to 36
Months
- Steel construction,
especially strong and thick to ensure extra stability.
- Textured rubber handle
bars.
- Rigid safety harness,
removable at a later stage.
- Press-out clutch for pedal
power or free wheeling whilst the parent pushes, to prevent child's
feet from injury.
- Rubber strip on all wheels.
- Foldaway, retractable
footrest for the very young.
- Rear rounded bucket.
- Adjustable seat with safety
belts.
- Parent steerable push bar
is easy to dismantle.
- Detachable backrest and
sunroof.
- Weight of product 8.1kg.
- For ages 10 months to 3
years.
- Easy to assemble.
Totz2teens Review:
After putting the deluxe trike together we were eager to
try it out. Shame it was evening time and he was fast asleep -
which was probably a good thing as it took as a little while to get it
together. It wasn't difficult to follow the instructions and we
got there - just wanted to double and triple check we had done it right.
The trike is a solid trike with a nice metal construction with bright
green plastic. The set comes with a sun canopy and a bag too.
The sun canopy didnt really cope with a strong breeze very well but its
a nice idea. The bag was very handy when nipping to the shops.
The handle is really strong which we both liked as we felt that as our
child grows but still needs this it will cope with his weight. He
loved the bucket on the back and continually filled this with all sorts
of toys ready to be pushed around again. We liked the way this
trike will change with our son. Its most certainly a great
purchase it is very practical. We loved the way that people seemed
pleased to see him in the trike. I think he felt a very big boy.
Totz2teens Rating: 5/5
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 Smart
Trike 3 in 1 Steer & Grow Price £52.99
The Smart Trike
3 in 1 is made with a full metal frame as well as an
adjustable seat and seat belt, ideal for children
from a young age.
3 in 1 push and play!
Ideal for young children of 10+, 15+ and 24+ months
by adjusting and removing the push handle and feet
supports. Use the adjustable seat and seat belt to
secure your child and open out the folding foot rest
for their feet. Unlock the pedals so parents
can push the Trike safely or lock the pedals so
children can independently move forward and
backward. It runs along on three rubber wheels
and is fitted with a removable steerable/adjustable
parent handle. The Smart Trike 3 in 1 is a
versatile vehicle for young children to build their
confidence and independence as they grow older.
Totz2teens Review: Brilliant. Thank
you so much for letting me and my son test out the
Smart Trike Steer and Grow trike. My son is 15
months old so I felt it would be perfect for him to
try. I was definately right. We loved
being able to push him along whilst he remained
secure. The foot rests are a great idea.
The trike is designed so well. It seems so
much is thought of and the quality of workmanship is
superb. Everything fits together well and is
very robust. We really liked the fact that you
can stop the front pedals going around - much easier
than 'normal' trikes. He thoroughly enjoyed
playing with this trike and Im sure it will make
picking up his big brother from school so much
easier too. I am very confident that this will
last the test of time and will be able to be adapted
to the next stage when the time comes.
Totz2teens Rating: 5/5
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 Peppa
Pig Rock 'n' Ride 5 in 1 Price £37.99
Peppa
Pig Rock n Ride grows with your child. A 5 in 1 rocker ride on and
push-along toy with rocking base for younger children, parent handle,
removable safety frame and footrests, play phone with dial and a horn.
Totz2teens Review: This is ideal for 12 months plus.
You start with a unit that is really supportive both sides and back.
Then you can take the supporting frame off leaving the handle. You
can remove the handle when required. This clever little ride then
can become a walker too - so much fun. I loved having the handle
to use when my little boy would let me guide him LOL. A very nice
adaptable ride on toy which is good value as can be adapted for quite
some time to give maximum use. This is a sturdy, bright ride on
toy.
Totz2teens Rating: 5/5
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Peppa Pig
Scooter - Price £24.99
- 3 wheeled tubular frame
scooter with blow moulded wheels, sturdy plastic extra grip
footplate and easy grip handles.
- Adult assembly / adult
supervision required.
- Weight restrictions 20kg.
- Size (H)64-71, (W)48, (D)74
cm.
- Made from coated steel, PVA
plastic and rubber.
- For ages 3 years and over.
Totz2teens Review: The scooter arrived and my daughter
was very excited. It took us a while to put it together
although it wasnt difficult it certainly needed the instructions
which were clear enough thankfully. It has a nice sized foot
plate which is great for the small feet using it. The wheels
are chunky allowing more stability too. The Peppa Pig Logo
made it perfect for any Peppa Pig fan and we all loved sticking the
stickers on to this great first scooter. Hours of fun.
Totz2teens Rating: 5/5
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 Peppa
Pig Playground Ball
Large – Price £14.99 - Suitable 2 years Plus
Totz2teens Review:
The Peppa Pig Ball is a fantastic size much bigger than a normal ball -
it can be rolled on, sat on, thrown around. It appears to be made
of a really durable material which can be used on all surfaces.
The ball is fun to play with and we had great delight in bouncing on it
whilst watching tv. We also had a good game at throwing it at each
other which was a bit vicious with the older children but the younger
one (who is obviously the right age for it) had enormous fun whilst the
others were out the way. She loved that it has Peppa Pig on it
too. Definite hit.
Totz2teens Member Review: 4/5 |
  
Bendaroos™ are magical, flexible building sticks (available in rainbow, neon
or glow in the dark) which offer a unique combination of moulding and
construction and adhere to all surfaces but lift away without any mess.
Bendaroos™ can
be made into 2D shapes and characters which you can use to decorate picture
frames, ceramics, glass and other surfaces. Alternatively why not make your
own 3D models by twisting Bendaroos™ together or scrunching tinfoil to
create large body shapes and then winding Bendaroos™ around before adding
extra features and decoration.
The Theme Sets
include instructions for three project levels - basic, intermediate and
advanced – are available in a variety of themed assortments (Animals,
Flowers & Butterflies, Fun Food and Creepy Crawlies) and contains lots of
Bendaroos™ sticks in a selection of colours. Alternatively the Activity Pack
is available in two themed assortments (Farmyard and Ocean) and contains
lots of Bendaroos™, stencils and are also available in Neon colours.
Once you’ve
mastered the technique, why not get your hands on the Mega Pack which has
everything you need to get really creative – 400 Bendaroos in rainbow
colours, stencils and a special cutting and joining tool for really neat
finishes and make something truly unique.
Bendaroos™ are
bursting with endless fun RRP £4.99-£19.99 Target
Age: 5-9 years www.spinmastertoys.co.uk
Totz2teens Review:
These strangely addictive wax strips
are amazing. Thin strips of waxy sticks are offered in different
colours. The Ocean Creatures set I tried had 9 colours and has 4
templates plus some more designs to copy in the instructions. This
really are fun to play with. You can roll them around a pencil to
create curls and then just straighten them back up again afterwards.
My son made the shark head and it now has pride of place on his shelf.
Although its not actually fiddly if you are following a template you need to
concentrate a bit to get it right. We found the benderoos interesting
and we all reckon they make a good addition to a Christmas list!!!
Totz2teens Rating: 4/5
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Glodoodle
Glo
Doodle™ is the first ever mess free drawing toy with a transparent surface
which uses bright coloured light to draw and trace.
Kids can draw
with three bright colours (red,green,yellow) during the day or night by
using the special stylus on the re-useable drawing surface. Trace over a
picture or copy a portrait, play Noughts and Crosses or write messages,
there’s no need for paper, markers or refills – you can even draw with a
finger – and your artwork is automatically illuminated as you draw.
The image won’t
fade but when you want to remove your picture, it instantly erases by the
press of button, ready to start over again.
Its portable,
sleek design means you can take it anywhere, anytime – day or night.
So illuminate
your illustrations and get doodling! RRP £19.99 Age: From 3+
www.spinmastertoys.co.uk
Totz2teens Review:
How clever is this? I gave this to my
daughter to play with. She says its really cool. The actual
screen is clear so you can see anything underneath. You can
therefore copy and trace the item underneath. We loved playing
with the glodoodle. As with the old etchasketch its always a shame
that you cant keep your picture but it doesnt really matter. We
went on a long journey and took the glodoodle with us. We played
noughts and crosses and hangman with the glodoodle which proved great
fun And we took it into the restaurant too and two of the children
played with it very happily which meant we could eat and chat!!!
Its a great toy.
Totz2teens Rating: 4/5
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Paper Perfection!
You can design and build 2D and 3D creations without the
use of heat, glue or mess! You can peel off the adhesive paper from the
template, stick the special Paperoni® paper rolls to it by following
the coloured patterns and create imaginative animals, flowers, jewellery
- then decorate them with the accessories to give them your own
individual finish.
Paperoni is available in
assortments, the starter kit includes 250 multi-coloured Paperoni®
pieces, 4 pre-printed self adhesive templates, foam pieces, gems and
tweezers for you to create 2D a choice of Butterflies, Frogs, Puppies
and Kittens and the three intermediate sets have everything you need to
create cute 3D models of either a pig, monkey or elephant, while the
variety pack contains a combination of both assortments and 900pieces of
Paperoni®
The Paperoni®
Studio is the all-in-one cutting, storing and organizing workstation
complete with 2D and 3D templates, over 900 Paperoni® pieces and
everything required to make and create a myriad of masterpieces.
RRP £4.99-£19.99
Ages: 4-8 years
www.spinmastertoys.co.uk
Totz2teens Review:
My 10 year old and I had enormous fun creating the mouse
and lion with the Paperoni. The kit comes with the cutting machine
- no batteries required which was nice. The pack contains a good
amount of the paper which is rolled up paper. There are some
smaller cut pieces already done and some eyes and jewels to add to the
finished piece. Patience is required as you need to use the
tweezers to pop the cut paper onto the template you are using.
This was a bit tricky but not TOO difficult. My younger son was
only interested in the cutting of the paper and not actually making
anything which was a shame but my daughter was happy to create her
masterpieces. She sat for ages making this and I would say it is
excellent for those children that love something crafty to do. I
had a look and you can buy extra bits and pieces for this set which is
great and Im sure my daughter will be wanting more. There is still
plenty in this lovely set for her to do some more creations. At
first I thought oh not much in the set but once you set to work WOW - it
goes a long way. Very surprising. This is definately one of
those things that kids love.
Totz2teens Rating: 4/5
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Yo Gabba Gabba
It’s
fun. It’s infectious and it’s creating a frenzy!
Yo Gabba Gabba™ is a
fun, interactive music and dance tv programme which not only appeal to kids, but have
established a cult following with DJ’s (Scott Mills – Radio 1),
celebrities (Jack Black) and adults, Yo Gabba Gabba™ is quickly becoming
one of the most popular new preschool shows, and loved by a whole new
generation of parents drawn to its pop culture appeal and simple yet
important life lessons, whilst encouraging kids and parents to dance and
sing along.
Children will love
the soft Plush Pals, wiggly jiggly Silly Heads which bounce
uncontrollably and whilst the Songs and Sounds Plush are activated by
squeezing the hand and feature one character song and three voice clips,
the ultimate Dancing Brobee sings and dances by pressing his foot, waves
his arms in the air in time to the music and tells you ‘you were
awesome’! Alternatively you can ‘Jam with the Gang’ on the Groovin’
Guitar, whilst strumming along in time to one of the five character
songs.
Yo
Gabba Gabba™ is currently showing on T4 on Saturdays and Nick Jr Daily.
RRP
£5.99-£34.99 Age: 2+
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  Gab
'n' Sing Brobee
Squeeze his hand and Gab
'n' Sing Brobee talks and sings. He sings There's a Party in My
Tummy!! and says lots of phrases all at random.
Totz2teens Member Review:
Brobee is the green stripey character and is so so so incredibly soft.
I found myself continually stroking him so I know that ANY child will be
very pleased to have him. He has 3 horns on his head and a
beautifully embroidered mouth. The quality is fantastic Even to
the detail of his monobrow! Pressing the hand produces some fabby
Yo Gabba songs and phrases. - All absolutely suitable for any Yo
Gabba fans so you can Boogie on down with Brobee.
Totz2teens Member Rating: 4/5
Muno's Groovin' Guitar £19.99
Munu loves to play.
And now, you can play Muno! With 10 of your favourite Yo Gabba
Gabba songs, you'll be a rock star. Or at least a Muno Star!
Totz2teens Member Review: A perfectly sized guitar with lots of
buttons to be pressed by your youngster. Muno's eye is pressable
offering a variety of different sounds some guitar related. There
are a set of buttons with each Yo Gabba Gabba character giving us the
pleasure of their little songs and sounds. Very groovy sounds to
dance to and pretend you are a rock star. The guitar is made well
and seems quite robust. My young son was able to walk around with
it without damage to the guitar. I think this would make a
fantastic birthday/Christmas present for a niece or nephew.
Totz2teens Member Rating: 4/5
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