Toys that just keep on going (Little Tikes)

Member Name: jessyclown

Product:	Little Tikes
Date:	29/04/02 (733 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Built to last, Brightly Coloured, Children love them

Disadvantages: More expensive than some other toys.

This morning there was much excitement at Under Fives, our mums, and toddler group. The new Little Tikes kitchen had arrived and after 20 minutes fixing together and adding the pictures it was ready for use. It was not difficult to put together; I had come equipped with my screwdriver! Children were soon crowding round washing clothes, ironing and cooking meals. I regularly saw 5 children around it having fun.

I then looked around the room at the toys being played with and it struck me that the toys with the longest useful life were all Little Tike toys.

We have a Teeter totter, a rocker that can hold 1,2 or 3 children. We have had this for about 10 years and it is still as popular and apart from having lost it's little Tikes label it is as good as new ready for the next decade’s use.

We have a Tunnel which has been crawled through, climbed on, sat on and generally abused by lots of children over the years which still looks as good as new and I am sure it will be in use for many more years.

There is the Vacuum cleaner bought when a boy who is now 10 was about 2 as he loved using the vacuum cleaner, the floor has been cleaned by lots of children since then and I guess they will keep on doing so.

A popular toy with the girls is the Dolls house. This is quite a big house made of plastic with lots of people, and lots of bits that have been added including a slide and picnic table. Yet again this toy has been played with regularly for years both by the young children and older ones.

I have come to the conclusion that these toys are built to last. We have used them a lot and they are still going strong. The kitchen is replacing an Early Learning Centre one we have had for about 2 years, I hope this new one lasts longer.

The ultimate test for a companies toys must be the way I once saw Little Tikes toys being used. I do not know if this is still going strong but about a decade ago in the Medo
whall Centre in Sheffield they had an area where children could play on Little Tikes toys. The toys were in constant use by lots of children and they seemed to stand up to the test there.

Little Tikes toys are not the cheapest of toys, but they must be among the best value as they last for so many years. They are not too expensive either. Our new kitchen cost £100 full price, we managed to get it for half price in a Toys R Us offer, not bad for a toy which may last a decade or two

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