hasbro

I have always been a huge fan of Playskool toys. I have 4 small children who love all kinds of toys, but Playskool is definitely a brand that we have LOTS of. They are always coming up with fun new ideas and the best test is whether or not they can hold the attention of my kids for longer than 5 minutes.

The latest review opportunity was for 3 different brand new infant and toddler toys: Elefun Busy Ball Popper, World of Wheel Pals Play ‘N Go Barn, and the Tonka Chuck & Friends.

I will start with the Elefun Popper. This was the kid’s favorite. There are five colorful balls that you drop into the elephant’s ears and they then pop out of the trunk or roll into the belly. The elephant’s trunk rotates 360 degrees and the toy plays ten different songs. This kept the kids busy for about 30 minutes – enough time for me to get some work done – yay! The only downside to this toy is that it takes 4 D Batteries, which many people don’t have just lying around. Thank God I had some otherwise I wouldv’e had some cranky kids bothering me all day to go buy batteries. But other than that. The toy was a hit.

The second toy was the World of Wheel Pals Barn. My6 1 1/2 yr old was a big fan of the little animals on wheels. What was really neat about the toy was that the barn folds up with the animals inside. Would be a great toy to take with you somewhere. And what a cute idea to have animals on wheels. As you know boys love ANYTHING that have wheels.

The last toy was the Tonka Chuck and friends. Each set comes with 4 characters and a little book to go along with them. It is neat to be able to read the story and have the character toys to play and pretend with.

So, if you are looking for some fun gifts for your infant or toddler, I definitely recommend these. And if you want to learn more about these toys or other Playskool products, check out the Playskool Facebook Fanpage!

Here are the kids having a blast playing with their new toys:

As we all know, Play-doh is a classic with kids. It has not changed much since I was a kid – still smells the same, which I love. But they are always doing new things by creating fun play-doh activity playsets for kids. I can remember one that I had as a kid with these little people that would grow hair – I loved it.

It is such a joy now seeing my children enjoy playing with play-doh just like I did. And I can play right along with them. I think it is a great tool to help grow a child’s creativity and imagination.

Today, I am reviewing the following Play-doh playsets:

PLAY-DOH FLIP ‘N SERVE BREAKFAST Playset

(for Ages 3 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99/Available: Spring 11)

This playset includes everything kids need to make their favorite breakfast foods. Mold pretend waffles, pancakes, and eggs on the center griddle and watch as the “food” automatically flips over as it “cooks.” Swirl out “smoothies,” make “whipped cream” topping, and create pretend extras like bacon and strawberries! Set includes four 2-ounce cans of PLAY-DOH compound. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.

PLAY-DOH COOKIE MONSTER’S LETTER LUNCH Playset

(for Ages 3 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $16.99/Available: Spring 11)

Kids can help Cookie Monster make a delightful PLAY-DOH alphabet soup complete with pretend noodles, veggies, and letters; then they can “feed” him a spoonful and press down his mouth to see him gobble it all up! After the “meal,” they can easily store the letter molds inside the bowl until next time. Set includes four 2-ounce cans of PLAY-DOH compound. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.

As soon as I opened the box containing the playsets, my kids went wild. My children are ages 6, 5, 2, and 1. They could hardly sit long enough for me to take a picture.

Let me start by saying that opening the boxes and getting the playsets set up was really simple. I like the fact that you can set them up and take them apart so that they can be stored right in the box (which has a handle by the way).

This is exactly what comes in the playsets:

My kids had a blast. My 2 older ones started out by playing with the breakfast set. They were making waffles and eggs and icecream shakes (which I am not sure how that fits in to breakfast) LOL, but it was their favorite part about the whole set (go figure). In honor of that, I made them strawberry banana shakes for breakfast.

My 2 yr old absolutely LOVED the Cookie Monster playset. He was making cookies and letters and once he figured out that you could actually FEED Cookie Monster – he was addicted. My older ones wound up leaving their set and started fighting with their little brother to play with the one he was playing with. So, it was a hit all around.

They were entertained for a good hour (yes, happy mommy here) :). The neat thing is that they did not get sick of it fast because there was so much to do. They would find something new like make spaghetti or make a little miniature banana. I have to admit, I made a couple waffles myself from the breakfast set. And I did feed Cookie Monster on a couple occasions.

I did have to teach my 2 yr old HOW to feed the Cookie Monster though, because he kept pushing the playdo into his mouth and it was getting stuck. But once I showed him that you have to set it in his mouth and then close the head down – it wasn’t getting stuck as much.

The clean up factor was pretty much the same as with any other Play-doh activity. It does get everywhere, so I would suggest doing it at the kitchen table and not in a place that has carpet.

So, we give these products a definite A+. We recommend them to anyone that has small children and anyone who loves play-doh!

Here are some pictures of my children enjoying themselves with their new toys: