Special Delivery! (Born To Play Postman Pat Friction Van)

Member Name: mumto3

Product:	Born To Play Postman Pat Friction Van
Date:	15/08/09 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: chunky - good quality - easily recognisable

Disadvantages: The characters are fiddly to get into the van

About three years ago my husband had been away somewhere and on his return he bought our daughter the Born to Play Postman Pat Friction Van. Our daughter was about two at the time and loved Postman Pat.

The van is made of hard red plastic and has nice chunky solid black wheels. The front doors open but the back doors don't and as it is a friction vehicle you can whizz it along the floor.

With the van you get two characters from the TV show namely Postman Pat and his black and white cat Jess. Both these characters are made of plastic and are quite squashy. They are very true to the characters depicted in the television programme and instantly recognisable. You can fit both characters inside the van by opening the front doors and there is even a little lump on the seat that you can fit pat onto so he doesn't slide out again.
My daughter loved this toy and it became an instant favourite. She used to enjoy revving it up as much as she could before letting it go and seeing how far up the hall way it would go before it stopped or crashed. Another game she enjoyed was with either me of my husband sitting opposite her and whizzing the little van to each other. I have two younger sons and they also love this van and play with it regularly. The van works just as well on a carpeted floor as it does on a tiles or wooden floor so there are no limits to the enjoyment.

I found that the two characters aren't played with as much as the van itself and they tend to be left behind in the toy box. I think this is partly because they are quite fiddly to get in and Jess does slide around quite a bit.

The van is just the right size for preschool children and doesn't have any sharp bits or pieces that would come off easily. The characters are also big enough not to present a choking hazard or to be lost too easily. The van is recommended for children aged three years and over but I would say that a child of approx eighteen months would enjoy this just as much. I think that although Postman pat is popular with young children by the time they are three he is starting to lose his appeal a little but this obviously depends on the child.

I would recommend this little van to anyone with children who like Postman pat. We have had the van for about three years and it is still in wonderful condition with no obvious damage or any need for repairs.

Summary: Long lasting and well loved