Five is a funny age, especially when you have big brothers. You have one foot stretching two steps up the growing-up ladder, trying to keep up with your older brothers by playing video games and board games way more sophisticated than they did when they were five years old. And on the other hand, you are still easily engaged by “baby” toys — as long as you don’t actually notice they are supposed to be baby toys.
That’s what I found out with the latest shipment of fun toys from our friends at Fisher-Price. As soon as I saw we might be able to get the Imaginext Gotham City set, that went straight to the top of my list. I may have raved about my love of the Imaginext toys a time or two before. And it’s no secret we are superhero junkies around here. So I knew this toy would be an instant favourite with all the boys — and I was right!
The official description from the peeps at Fisher-Price says: “Imagine a world of action and excitement where you decide what happens next! This time, it’s a trip to Gotham City with The Joker and Bruce Wayne. There’s a working elevator that reveals a Bat Emblem when the figure reaches the top of the tower, a bank with a blast-through wall (just turn a figure on the disk!) that gives you an entry into Wayne Tower, a jail cell (for The Joker, of course!) and lots more! Includes play set with foldout stairs, launcher with projectile, The Joker and Bruce Wayne figures with accessories to turn him into Batmanâ„¢. Whatever world you travel to, it’s a whole new adventure every time you play!”
Mom says: “It’s great for fine motor control, big enough for several kids to share, and encourages imaginative and creative play.”
The kids say: “It’s awesome!”
Put this one at the top of your list for superhero fans from ages 3 to 8, according to the Fisher-Price website — but our 11 year old thought it was pretty cool, too!
The next toy in the box was a little bit of a gamble on my part. Lucas is a crafty kid and spends a goodly percentage of his waking hours drawing and doing puzzles. At age five, he’s also young enough to really love his stuffed toys. He’s not very rigid in his assessment of boy toys or girl toys, but I figured when he saw the Doodle Bears he would either love them at first sight or dismiss them as too girly.
Guess which impulse won out?
Much to my delight, Lucas LOVED the Doodle Bears. LOVED them!! In fact, I had to open both boxes the very day we received them, so he could set to work colouring his bears. Have you seen the Doodle Bears before? They’re popular enough to have their own microsite on the Fisher-Price website, but they’ve been off my radar before now. Each bear comes with washable markers and stamps or stencils, and you simply toss them in the laundry machine when your little Picasso is done to clean the slate (erm, bear) so the artiste can get back to work on a new design.
How much do I love this self-satisfied look?
And they really do come completely clean in the wash. I threw mine in with a load of towels with a bit of a cringe, wondering if the marker would come completely off (the box does suggest washing the Doodle Bear sooner rather than later) or transfer to anything else in the load of laundry, but I was pleased on both counts.
The last two toys in the box were definitely baby toys. I was originally going to partner up with a friend who has toddlers in her daycare for this part of the bloggy toy review, but like so many of my schemes, this one kind of fell apart at the seams. But when Lucas saw the Laugh & Learn Smart Screen Laptop (for ages, ahem, 6 to 36 months) he was instantly captivated.
It has buttons! You can push! And they’re colourful! I swear, if I could make green beans electronic with beeps, we’d have a lot less arguments at dinner time every night. 🙂 I have to admit, for such an inexpensive little toy, the Laugh & Learn Smart Screen Laptop packs a lot of fun activities into one little toy. It has nine big colourful buttons, and teaches letters, numbers, counting, shapes, colours, objects and opposites, and it has a dozen lively little songs that are not too grating on the nerves. What more could you ask for from a toy less than $25? This will be my go-to toy for the preschool birthday parties this season, and I’m not usually one to give a battery operated toy.
Last but not least in the box was the Laugh & Learn Apptivity Storybook Reader. Would you like to review this? I’d love to share it with one of you! It looks like a great way to let your drooly little one play with your iPod or iPhone safely. From the Fisher-Price site: “Open up a world of storytime for baby! This sturdy case looks just like baby’s favorite book and will protect your iPhone® or iPod touch® from dribbles, drool, teething and sticky little fingers. Download FREE story apps so baby can enjoy interactive storytime experiences. Just open and close the case cover to turn pages, or touch the screen on the device for fun responses!” Sounds like fun, eh?
If you’d like to take this for a test drive and you have a sufficiently drooly, sticky kidlet aged 6 to 36 months, leave a comment below. It will be yours to keep in exchange for a couple of paragraphs about how you and your little one had fun with it, and maybe a photo or two. I’ll leave the comments open until end of day July 3 and then choose one reviewer at random.
So now I know – the age guidelines on the box are mere suggestions that I promise I won’t take too seriously from here on. 🙂
Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
I have an incredibly drooly toddler who would love to be your test subject! I love your honest reviews.
Strange. Thought I already commented on this & a few other posts this week. Maybe I was dreaming.
I am currently covered in drool (had forgotten how much I dislike teething). My nearly six month old is batting at my phone as I hold it just out of reach (he’s getting close to being able to crawl; when he manages I will be in trouble!). I definitely need to look up that cover!