Something Special is coming to a toy shop near you in time for Christmas - literally and figuratively ! A new range of toys featuring Mr Tumble from the Something Special kids' TV programme have just been released and they're really rather good. We received three different toys to review from the range and have had great fun investigating them.
First up was this ultra cute activity toy. The Madhouse Mini-testers thought it didn't really look much like Mr Tumble - it's definitely harder to get a resemblance to a real person than a cartoon character! - but they loved it nevertheless.
He has incredibly soft hair that you can't help but stroke and that is absolutely perfect for snuggling up to in bed or on the settee at naptime. We loved the little details like the tiny pocket - not sure what would actually fit in there though !
He has textured feet that little fingers will love stroking and the Madhouse Mini-testers were delighted to discover that he can speak "with the real Mr Tumble voice" ! He says a selection of sentences - about five or six in total, I think.
But that's still not all - his nose lights up too, with a lovely red glow ! Juliette pointed out that you could use this as a nightlight if you got scared in the dark or needed to go to the toilet and couldn't find your way to the door !
The next toy we investigated was the Mr Tumble phone. It's bright and colourful and, as you'd expect, when you press the buttons, you can hear the characters saying different sentences. But again, that's not all it does. You can swap over the discs to hear the different characters but also see them on the screen.
Now, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to be particularly impressed with the Pick 'n' Match Pairs Game. How exciting can a pack of cards really be ? But actually, they're brilliant !
The brightly coloured cards are already appealing to fans of the series but they also have an educational twist to them, showing you not just the written word to help with reading skills but also the sign language equivalent, which is a great way of getting kids to recognise a few signs but, above all, learn about the special needs some kids may have and what they can do to help them. Here at The Madhouse, this led on to a discussion about deaf people but also the Paralympics and other "special people" (the Madhouse Mini-testers' words, not mine !) that might need a bit of help day to day.
We played pairs and snap, then I left Juliette practising her reading and teaching Pierre the signs ! Definitely a brilliant stocking filler. In fact, I can see all three of these being best-sellers for Christmas.
star rating : 5/5 for the activity toy and cards, 4/5 for the phone
RRP : activity toy £16.99, phone £12, cards £4.99
Disclosure : I received a selection of Something Special toys in order to write an honest review.
Other reviews you may be interested in :
star rating : 5/5 for the activity toy and cards, 4/5 for the phone
RRP : activity toy £16.99, phone £12, cards £4.99
Disclosure : I received a selection of Something Special toys in order to write an honest review.
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Love mr tumble, never seen any of these toys! They look great!
ReplyDeleteI have purchased the Mt Tumble activity toy 48 hours ago and I am very disappointed. His waistcoat is made of a velvet material and the fluff off this fabric has covered the dolls head and hands therefore it's already looking very dirty eventhough only been played with for 2 Days!
ReplyDeleteThat's a shame, no problem here, but ours is more felt than velvet - is it the same one? Could you use a damp flannel or sellotape wrapped around your fingers to wipe/pull off the fluff ?
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