Madhouse Family Reviews: Flying Fairy Flutterbye review

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Flying Fairy Flutterbye review

A few weeks ago, we were asked if we would like to receive a Flutterbye to review. The press release mentioned that this is something brand new and unseen on the toy market before : "the only magical fairies that really fly". This left me a bit confused as we've had flying fairy toys before here at The Madhouse - one that you attached to an invisible thread on a hair clip that you made "fly" with a "magical" stick and another one that you twisted in a holder to wind it up before releasing it. I was keen to see what would make Flutterbye so different.

Well, I have to say, I was impressed. It does really fly, reminding the girls of the remote controlled helicopters that we've been reviewing but without the controls ! The fairy relies on battery power - it needs a whopping 6 x AA batteries in the launcher-base to charge - then makes clever use of a fan motor and an infrared sensor so that it hovers above your starry-eyed little girl's hand. But I'm killing the magic - the best thing is not to try to understand how it works and just marvel at the fairy magic ! The best way to get a feel for the toy is to watch the video below :

That's the theory anyway. She's supposed to delicately waft around in the air above your hand like a dandelion seed blowing in the wind. In practise, the first few times, she shot straight up to the ceiling like a rocket and wouldn't come down, which had us all in hysterics ! After a few more tries, we did get the hang of it though (and also discovered that pressing the launch button will coax her down from the ceiling). The fact that she is a bit "wild-willed" just added to the charm - Juliette said she's a bit naughty like Tinkerbell ! (I'm not totally sure but think she might sometimes shoot up to the ceiling when she needs recharging.)