HEALTH WARNING NEEDED (Tomy Pop Up Pirate)

Member Name: indigojade

Product:	Tomy Pop Up Pirate
Date:	17/07/02 (3411 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: huge fun value, family can play as well as children

Disadvantages: when he pops it is startling, make sure it is placed on a table to play, as he comes up fast!

James had been pestering for 'Pop up pirate' for a couple of weeks so when we saw one at a car boot sale we thought 'why not' specially as it only cost us fifty pence -usual shop price is £9.99 so we thought this a bargain.

The game is made by Tomy Active and is for up to 4 players, aged four and above. Well to be truthful James is only three - but has never been one for 'chewing' things, so we thought we would be ok with this.

Inside the box you get a plastic blue disc decorated with stickers of sharks and octopus plus a 'desert island' scene. There is a slight raised area on which the barrel sits on. The barrel is quite heavy and the weight of it holds it in place on the plastic disc. The barrel has two rows of slots around the sides, into which the 'swords' fit. Swords? Swords? In a child's game? What kind of mother is she? DON'T panic folks please! The swords are small 'sword shaped' pieces of plastic, which slide into the slots around the edges of the barrel. They are made from whole pieces of plastic and are thick and sturdy - with no chance of any parts being broken off. There are no sharp corners on them and the end is as blunt as a butter knife.

It would be wise to enforce to your little darlings however that these are TOYS - only the barrel receives the edge of the sword and NOTHING else!

Now for the pirate, this again is made from plastic, three pieces in this case and is quite lightweight. He wears a rather funky pink bandana, has jug ears, an eye patch and a 'mouse tush' as my son calls it (?). There is nothing remotely scary about the looks of this little chap - he looks quite jolly to be honest and certainly stopped James' fears about pirates.

To play the game each person chooses a colour and picks their swords - red, blue, green or yellow. Push the pirate firmly into the barrel until he clicks.Setting the pirate is very simple, even for c
hildren. Then taking it in turns, push in your swords and hope like crazy you don't make the pirate pop up!

A little bit of advice here, DO NOT lean over the pirate whilst inserting your swords! Should he decide to pop up nasty injury could occur - I have only once mind, had my glasses knocked clean off my face whilst playing this game - not from over excitement on my part either, more the speed and height with which the pirate 'pops'. Although not a serious injury I did have a rather bruised eye for a couple of days afterwards. I do think that the box should carry a warning to this effect as many children like to play on the floor as there is more room. Although the pirate is quite light, it may result in a nastier injury to a child.

Whoever makes the pirate pop is the loser, the remaining players remove their swords reset the pirate and play starts again.

We have played this game countless times and it still remains a firm favourite, with kids anyway! Make sure your dogs and cats are out of the room at the time of playing, when he pops he goes with more of a bang than a pop - which can be quite startling - likewise with older grandparents/relatives!

We have had pop up pirate a long time now, and as I said bought him second hand - he is still in good condition and his spring-loaded 'popper' is still as strong as ever.

All in all a fabulous toy with huge play value, just make sure you don't play this game on the floor. Keep it on the table and everyone will be safe from this popping pirate!

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