Postman Pat and his (only suitable for supervised play) Cat (Born To Play Postman Pat Friction Van)

Member Name: lulu2004

Product:	Born To Play Postman Pat Friction Van
Date:	09/01/09 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: My son loves this toy, it has become a favourite. Keenly priced

Disadvantages: Back doors dont open, toddler can fit cat in his mouth

I never thought Id see the day when my children were watching the same programmes I watched when I was little, but it has happened. My little boy watches Postman Pat, Thomas the Tank Engine Fireman Sam, he even loves a DVD that my brother owns of Rainbow. And with Christmas just passed we now have a house full of toys that bring me back in years myself.

It was my brother who bought the Postman Pat Friction Van to my little boy. He picked it up in Boots and knew that Pat was a popular choice for toddlers. It is a 3+ toy but my brother saw no reason why it wouldn't suit my little boy at two and a half. On Christmas Eve he came to visit and handed over a brightly wrapped parcel which was torn open and hoots of excitement came from my little boy when he saw Pat and Jess.

"I want Pat Out" was the first thing my son said. Being two and a half he has an obsession with putting people into cars and taking them out again, so out came Pat and out came Jess through the side doors. He put them in, took them out drove them around a bit, drove over the top of them, pushed the van across the kitchen tiles for quite some time and then decided it was time for an inspection of the van.

I am quite sure most people are familiar with Postman Pat from days of yore, and in many ways he hasn't changed- he looks the same, and his van looks the same although there are quite a few changes to the show now (How many of us knew his name is Pat Clifton!? , He's married with a son Julian and now runs a Special Delivery Service where parcels need to be signed for!)

The Friction Van is about an adult hand-height tall, so it is a good size for a toddler to get to grips with. The number plate says Pat 1, just like the show and it also has the Royal Mail stamp on the side. Its all very true to the show and that is why my son loves it, he completely identifies it with what he sees on television.

The windscreen is open and my son tends to put the figures in that way although the side doors open he just doesn't really bother with them. He does ask me approximately six times a day to open the back doors for him, but they don't open. He can get a bit annoyed about this but I think it's starting to click with him now that they are only a decoration. He has even gone as far as starting to peel off the decorative stickers at the back in his attempts to open the back doors.

Of all the toys that he got over Christmas time, this has been a huge favourite, However I did catch him with Jess in his mouth a few nights ago, so it does perhaps deserve the 3+ age recommendation. At two he is still cutting his back molar teeth and when they hurt he does stick things in to chew at and unfortunately it was Jess this time. If you are giving this toy to a younger child then they might require supervised play. I've "Lost" Jess for the time being and he will get it back when he is a bit older. Pat and Jess are both Moulded, they have no moveable parts and while Jess looks great, Pat looks a bit odd, you would just want to straighten him out a bit! But he doesn't have any joints. Not that this matters to my son, it is just me who thinks it is strange.

I would certainly recommend it as my son loves it, there are a few ways that it could be redesigned to make toddlers happier but all in all it is a great little toy and at £8.99 was a great price too. If they made it "better" it would probably cost a lot more in parts but the price was great for the amount of play that its getting at our house.

Summary: Postman Pat still in fashion years later