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Hasbro My Little Pony Singing Minty
by biskybrain
I bought this because it was the last one Left in TK Max and I felt sorry for it. I'm not a big fan of generation three ponies. But the plushie is nicely made, there is a electronic song recorded on a white recorder (easily removed via Velcro stomach) that sings a very minty Christmas song, which is a very high pitched song about minty ... (the pony who has peppermint swirls on its flank) (sounds like pinkie pie, but I don't know if it is the same voice actor.) It goes with the DVD a very minty christmas, but it doesn' t come with the toy. Its cute, and I like that it has a Christmas hat on, so it sits out at Christmas. The song has lasted the three years that I've had the pony, being squished a lot by me when we have had children around. Its hair is pink wool and when you take out the recorder it is actually quite huggable! There isn't that much my little pony themed Christmas things out there so it is a nice addition to my mantel piece, the only problem I could say is that there is no white bobble on the end of the Christmas hat!
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Pokemon Beanies Poliwhirl
by chrisandmark
This beanie toy was Charlottes favourite, as a self-confessed Pokemon addict she had a lot of the character merchandise (as well as a massive collection of the cards) and although she passed most of the toys down to four year old Hollie recently she kept hold of Poliwhirl herself.
This is a 6" beanie toy, shaped and ... featured to closely resemble the Poliwhirl character from the game. I remember this one cost £7 when I bought it in around 2002, the same toy can currently be found online for £12.99 - which is extortionate for a small beanie, but a veritable bargain compared to the prices some of these mad little characters are going for.
The toy is made of a soft velvet-type material and structurally has stood the test of time well, for an almost ten year old played with toy it still looks in immaculate condition. The toy is a deep purple colour, something that has always irrationally irritated me as every other Poliwhirl I've seen is slightly lighter in shade - this purple hides a multitude of stains and marks, which would make it the perfect toy if it wasn't for the huge white panel on the front (which obviously doesn't hide ANYTHING).
Being of the 'Tadpole' clan (honestly, where do the Japanese get this guff from?!), Poliwhirl is decidedly frog-like in appearance - I mean, he doesn't exactly look like a frog but the resemblance is there once you know to look for it. The black 'whirl' that makes up his stomach is a separate piece of fabric that has been securely stitched to the toy, not a print as it appears in the piccie above. This was something I remember being concerned about when I first bought the beanie as I'd been worried that it would start to unpick itself and eventually unravel to nothingness - this didn't happen and the whirl remains stubbornly attached to the toy, a relief as I think Charlotte would have been mortally upset if her six year old self had had to deal with a falling-apart Pokemon!
The toy is very well stuffed by Pokemon beanie standards, it's kept its rounded shape really well over the years and has not suffered from compacted stuffing or floppiness as many of these small characters have. The eyes look a tiny bit misshapen now but a quick roll between finger and thumb brings them back to (what passes as Pokemon) normality - I suspect Alice may have had a crafty chew on them as a teething baby as I definitely recall rescuing Poliwhirl from her cot one night when Charlotte wasn't looking! There are a generous amount of beans in the toys bottom which has made him ideal for shelf sitting when not being played with, he's the sort of rotund shape that will almost fall into a sitting position when put down and the deliberately floppy legs help this to happen.
Despite its silly design, ridiculous name and blatant Pokemon money making role I do think this has been a worthwhile toy. The stitching is perfectly done so that every single seam and stitch is still strong and in place; admittedly it wouldn't have been my toy of choice as a child but Pokemon fans around the globe would love their very own Poliwhirl to play with. The appeal would mainly be for Pokemon lovers, at four Hollie doesn't really see the point of any of these characters as she's never come across either the game or the television programme - some of the beanies and larger soft toys she does like, but these tend to be the cuter characters as opposed to no-mouth Poliwhirl.
So it's a good job this is one of the toys Charlotte has decided to keep for herself, as left to Hollie I think it would quickly reach the end of its era and end up in the charity shop.
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Hasbro In The Night Garden Mini Plush Iggle Piggle
by katyj10
This is a review of Iggle Piggle (mini) from the TV show In the Night Garden (ITNG). I vowed never to buy this sort of item when I was pregnant with my daughter but I soon caved in knowing how much she loved the programme.
Price
I bought the mini Iggle Piggle from Sainsburys for around the £7 mark. In hindsight this was ... quite a lot of money for the size of toy but it was one of her presents for her first birthday and I liked the look of the toy.
Buying
At the till, my daughter wouldn't even let go of the toy she was so much in love with it. The checkout assistant skilfully scanned and de tagged the toy for us so it became a slightly early birthday present!
Description
The toy is made of a soft fleece material and is bright red and blue, an identical version of the one we can see on the telly. Iggle Piggle has a red blanket too which if you are a fan of the show, you will know is actually the sail for his boat too.
Shortcomings
The one failing of this toy is that the blanket / sail is attached by a tiny square of Velcro so our toy and sail immediately became detached and I could see us losing it so I put a small stitch in to make sure the two stayed together. The toy is also quite small so I am reluctant to take it out and about with us as my daughter is becoming a bit of a 'flinger' unfortunately so I think we'd quickly lose it.
Plus points
The toy is soft and nice to cuddle, the blanket's a great feature that most young children will love to stroke too. Whilst I had misgivings about taking the toy out and about, the size of it is good for fitting in a bag without taking up too much room so if we were visiting friends I would take this with us.
In play
Since getting home with the new Iggle Piggle toy my daughter has virtually ignored it! She really isn't that bothered about it despite loving it to death in the supermarket. I keep hoping that she will become more interested in it eventually but to be honest, it hasn't been that great a buy.
Final word
My daughter loves the stone-like character on ITNG called Macca Pacca so perhaps I should have bought this one instead. I chose Iggle Piggle as he was bright and cheerful and came with the blanket / sail feature. He is nice and soft though and I'd gamble on him being machine washable. These toys come in larger sizes as part of the merchandising range and I think a bigger one would have more appeal with my daughter. It is well made and a nice toy but clearly isn't going to be her number one choice.
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