~Friction Benny~

Benny is an excavator vehicle from popular childrens programme, Bob the Builder. As with the other characters, he is available in toy format. There are two friction powered Benny toys available. One is battery operated and features spoken phrases whilst the other is simply a regular vehicle toy. I will be reviewing the speaking version which comes supplied with batteries (I do not believe these can be replaced when they run out). This toy is suitable for children over the age of 3 yrs.

Benny is presented in an open front, cardboard box and other than being removed from the ties that bind him to the box, he requires no assembly and is good to go. Benny measures approximately 20 x 8 x 8.5cm.

~Price and Availability~

If you want the non speaking Benny, you can expect to pay a few pounds. The talking Benny comes in around the £15.00 mark. Stockists include Amazon and eBay UK.

~Our Thoughts~

We have a huge collection of Bob the Builder toys in our home and our 4 yr old son simply adores playing with both the play sets and the vehicle characters. Back in May, we were at the local theme park when we noticed that there was a stall selling Bob the Builder toys. I didn't recognise a few so knew my son didn't already have them - I bought them all (Benny, Gripper and Grabber) to complete his collection! We paid £5.00 for our talking version which is a lot cheaper than the current price it is selling for.

I do believe Benny isn't as Bob regular like Scoop and Muck are. That being said, my son knew who he was right away as he has seen him on his dvds before. Benny is a fairly large toy and made from durable plastic. He looks exactly as he does on the programme - magneta in colour with googly eyes and a cheesy smile! Aside from the comical face, he looks exactly as an excavator would in real life. He is well made but I can understand the 3yr age limit as there are potential dangers with parts which may come off if pulled enough.

Benny features two moveable arms - one at the back with a scoop and one at the front with a grabbing device. Each part moves and looks and sounds fairly realistic. Benny is friction powered. The huge wheels at either end of Benny do not move and Benny is moved courtesy of hidden wheels at the bottom of the toy. Benny is quite loud and a small microphone gives the impression he is speaking through it rather than a random voice out of nowhere. He offers a few select phrases from the show including 'unreal banana peel' and 'hello Farmer Pickles' to name a few - the voice is realistc but drives me crazy!

My son, being 4, has an amazing imagination. Benny is mainly used on his building site and fits on the Bob track perfectly well. He is quite weighty compared to other Bob toys so doesn't seem to speed along the floor 'friction style' as well as other Bob toys do. Boo finds Benny interesting as he has two different purposes (scooping and grabbing) so there is a bit of variation when it comes to using him. Benny serves his purpose of helping in the building yard and has withstood forceful play from two boys. Benny is well played with in our home and is a credit to Bob and Boos building team.

~Conclusion~

Overall Benny is well appreciated in our home. He is quite big when both arms are extended and is fantastic for imaginative play. There is a limit to what Benny can do, as with most toys but for now, Boo is happy to zoom him around his building yard and transport the odd cement brick. I wouldn't pay full price for him though as he is basic - even with the sounds!

Thanks for reading :)