As a family we have a collection of novelty household appliances like candy grabbers, candy floss machine and this lovely duck shaped popcorn maker. This popcorn maker was originally bought for my sister however it was soon adopted by all of the family members and has just become a shared thing over the years. The reason we bought this was mainly because it was a duck and we found that quite amusing, however the price was just £20! This was at a slight discount but I for one think that is a great price for a household appliance with such a great novelty aspect.

The machine is very easy to assemble, mainly because it's practically already assembled in the box! The feet and the body are moulded together with just the top half of the head and the hat which needs to be attached. There are grooves placed wither side of the bottom half of the head which makes it quick, easy and secure to attach the top half. Setting up literally took me about half a minute, which always makes me a very happy girl because I hate waiting around.

Using the machine is almost as easy as it was to set up, you just need to take the duck's hat off and pop your corns into his head. The corn seeds for this machine can normally be found in shops such as Julian Graves and Holland and Barrett if your local supermarket doesn't stock them. Once the corn seeds are emptied into the head you need to get a bowl at the ready and flick the switch which can be found on the side of his foot. I highly recommend that you keep the bowl covering his beak at all times. The beak isn't covered so if the bowl isn't there ready to catch the corn when it pops then you'll have popcorn all over the place, I still haven't learnt this and every time I let my guard down the corn starts popping! I'd also recommend that you hold down the lid if the popping gets too vigorous because there are no grooves to hold it on securely.

It usually takes around 3-5 minutes for the corn to start popping, but this varies depending on how much corn you put in. I find that if I put too much in the popping is uncontrollable and I find it hard to catch it all when I have to switch bowls, so little but lots of batches work better than one big one. The machine itself does tend to get a little hot so if you have children make sure you supervise them whilst using this machine.

Once you've made your popcorn you need to clean the machine. Generally pop corn doesn't make a mess it just leaves behind a few seeds, but if the machine was to get dirty its very easy to clean. Because of the plastic nature of the product you can use a wet wipe for minor dirt and the filth just feels like it falls off. If you have a slightly dirtier duck then I tend to use soapy water and its clean within a few minutes, so overall the upkeep of this nifty popcorn maker is excellent and affordable.

PROS
- Great, fun design. It makes it a good product to buy for children's birthday parties and also makes the whole process of making popcorn more exciting and fun.
-Has never failed to work, I've had no problems with this machine at all, its as good as new every time I use it.
- There's only one button which makes it great for children to use (when supervised) and it also makes the machine fool proof with no need to waste time reading through instructions.
-The power supply is a plug, meaning the up keep is even cheaper with no need to worry about batteries.
-Super easy to clean, no hassle.

CONS
-It can get hot which can be a safety hazard.
-You have to be careful when using the machine that the hat doesn't pop off whilst making sure you catch all the popcorn which comes out.

Overall I'd say this gadget is great fun and to me its more like a game than an appliance, it brings tasty food and great entertainment for the whole family, what more could you ask for? I'd recommend this machine to anyone who likes popcorn, it doesn't matter if you live on your own, with your partner or with your family you're gaurenteed to love this machine and get your moneys worth out of it. I use mine almost every Saturday night! One of the best £20 that has every been spent in this household.