Monster High Ghoul-To-Bat Draculaura Doll

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Fiona Martin

Monster High dolls are ever popular with their grown up looks and quirky features. Draculaura is perfect for this time of year with Halloween on it’s way and she has a special lever on the front of her dress that allows her to transform her skirt into bat wings.

She has a pretty pink dress that she wears when being a normal ghoul with a full, fancy skirt covered in hearts and bat wings. Her hair is black with pink highlights and comes in a high ponytail. I like the pink heart detail on her cheek. She also has pink high heeled shoes which are removable although stay on quite firmly during play.

The centerpiece of her bodice is in fact a plastic lever that can be simply pulled down to reveal a more vampy looking dress as well as lifting her outer skirt to create bat wings. This feature works really well and is easy to do. The wings feel sturdy once in place and gives her a new feature, being able to fly which allows children to further their imaginative play and hold her up, pretending she is flying through the sky. I think this doll is well made, she has limbs that can be bent and moved during play aswell as her transforming feature. The clothes also look good and the whole doll appears durable and of a good quality.

Both my children have enjoyed playing with Draculaura from Monster High and have had fun integrating her alongside other dolls and toys we already have. They have created a lot of fun play scenes and particularly love using her to fly through the air to move around so her dress has had a lot of conversions to bat wings which has kept them entertained!

This is just one of many of the fabulous Monster High dolls and they are well worth checking out if your children are fans, as they are well made, durable and have lots of fun, quirky features and endless play value.

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

Save

U Hugs Customisable Dolls Series 2

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Fiona Martin

U Hugs are customisable dolls each with their own character and accessories, although these can easily be mixed and matched between dolls to create your own character. From Flair, a second series of these dolls has been released with some fun themes and designs. We’ve been checking out a couple of them below – take a look!

There are six dolls to choose from in the second season. These are:

Thorny Flower
Lazy Hero
Cheeky Kitten
Sweety Robot
Snowy Girl
Time-Off Elf

The first one we looked at is Cheeky Kitten who was both mine and my daughters favourite. She is really cute and has some fun features such as a pin on tail to put on the back. The unique part of these dolls are the pins, which are basically the accessories, which all have a simple push in pin like action to push into any of the 16 holes that can be found across the doll. The dolls all have a soft rubbery body, there are no sharp bits and these are so easy to change around almost instantly. Being a cat, she has cute accessories like a fish, bird and mouse as well as a cute collar with a bell.

Time-Off Elf is also really cute and perfect for this time of year. As you can see each doll comes with a selection of small accessories, but also their hair, jackets and skirts are all removable and can be swapped around. There is a diamond style pin for the top of the head which has a hole through it so the dolls can be used for hanging up or carrying with the loop included.My daughter enjoys these and has a collection on her bedroom shelf already, she often shows me her new creations where she has mixed and matched them with each other. A huge plus with these dolls is that they are hollow and there is a removable patch on the back of them, that is easily opened and closed with a pin. This means that inside you can store all the little accessories that the doll isn’t currently wearing – a brilliant idea which helps to keep things all together so less chance of them getting lost.Here is one of the creations my daughter made substituting the eyes for some other fun elements!

These are fun toys that both my children have enjoyed playing with. Even my younger boy has fun customising them in various ways and showing me how he got on. For something different, then these are a bit of fun, and if your child likes playing with accessories on dolls then these could be the toy for them. A fun, durable doll with fun features, available from all major toys shops now.

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

Save

DC Superhero Girls Action Figures from Mattel

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Fiona Martin

DC Superhero Girls Action Figures from Mattel are launched today, and are a fantastic new range of superhero figures based on female characters. The range of poseable, 6 inch and 12 inch figures, along with other role play toys are the first line of action toys aimed at girls from Mattel, making them unique and different and allowing girls to feel empowered to discover their true potential.

The range features familiar icons, with a revamped style, with name such as Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Bumblebee, Poison Ivey and many more. As well as toys, DC Super Hero Girls can be found in new webisodes, TV specials, and dvd movies, all capturing the female characters as teens through high school, and watching them discover their full super power potential.

The 6 inch figures we tried out were Wonder Woman and Poison Ivy. Each are sturdy characters ready for action play with moveable joints and each come with a small accessory, Wonder Woman with her lasso, and Poison Ivy with a piece of ivy that detaches from her arm.

Alongside the toys is the DC Super Hero Girls website, which is packed full of games, videos, meet the heroes and much more. There are also some fun quizzes to find out ‘What is your Super Hero power?’ or ‘Which DC Super Hero girl is most like you?‘. Miss M discovered she is most like Wonder Woman which she was quite happy with.

Why not see what your Super Hero power is or what Super Hero girl you are most like and share it on social media using the hashtag #GetYourCapeOn

You can share your results or find out more about DC Super Hero Girls on the following channels:

Instagram or Twitter or Facebook

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

Save

Monster High Great Scarrier Reef Peri and Pearl Serpentine Doll

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Fiona Martin

The new Monster High film Great Scarrier Reef has a fabulous new range of dolls to go alongside it. We have been lucky to try out the rather interesting Peri and Pearl Serpentine doll. With two heads and a fish tail body she really is very different from your usual doll but adds lots of interest and fun to play with.

Included with the doll is a small paper diary which includes some facts about the girls, such as their age, style, pets, favourite activities, best school subjects etc. There are also a couple of diary entries to introduce you into their world and set the scene for imaginative play.

Peri and Pearl are beautiful creatures and love to wear lots of gems. Another unique things about this doll, other than having two heads, is the fact that it can stand up on it’s own! The tail moves around and if you fold it to 90 degrees, it will balance the doll upright. This means that it is perfect to pose on a shelf in Miss M’s bedroom when not being played with. Also the fins at the side of the doll are luminous and have a slight glow at night, which also helps the Monster High girls swim about in the deep, dark ocean!

The Peri and Pearl doll although different, is well made and will withstand play, it’s definitely caught the interest of Miss M’s friends who are always intrigued when they see it. Don’t forget to also check out the movie which is now out on DVD, Great Scarrier Reef is the latest adventures in the world of Monster High and one that fans won’t want to miss. There are also other dolls available from the film, each with their unique looks and qualities, certainly worth checking out!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

U Hugs Customisable Dolls – Review

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Fiona Martin

U Hugs are a new range of customisable dolls from Flair, that come with interchangeable accessories to create a multitude of looks. The dolls comes with holes across the body to insert the accessory pins onto. Each doll comes with 12 pins although you can mix and match these across any of the dolls.

We receivd Sassy Fashion and Scary Baby to try out. Aimed at children 5+, my daughter was quite excited at the sight of these and couldn’t wait to get them out of their boxes. The dolls are made from a soft rubber, so are easy to play with and place the accessories into the holes.

What is really clever and thought out about with these dolls is that they have a panel on the back of their bodies which unpins to reveal a cavity inside the doll, in which you can store most of the small accessories. This is a brilliant idea as with most toys and small parts, they can easily get lost amongst other toys and it’s hard to find the bits you want.

The U Hugs dolls have interchangeable eyes, mouths, accessories for their hands and holes in the front of their bodies. The shoes can even be turned around for a different look. The jacket on Sassy Fashion can be removed as can Scary Baby’s nappy.

Here are some different looks Miss M created by switching the pins around. She seems to enjoy the dolls and playing with the pins and is often found carrying one of these dolls around with her.

The U Hugs are a new breed of dolls and so far there are six different models to collect. They are fun, can be changed around to reflect your mood, style, feel for the day giving them a new look each morning.

We’ve enjoyed these dolls, why not check out the range now?

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

Barbie Rainbow Hair – Review

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Fiona Martin

Barbie Rainbow Hair is the latest Barbie to be released from Mattel. This fashion forward Barbie looks stylish in her outfit and has long flowing blonde hair, waiting to be styled.

Rainbow Hair Barbie comes in a dress and glamourous pair of black heels. There are a also a selection of hair accessories, a blue brush, 3 hair clips, 2 hair bands and a colouring tool.

The colouring tool is like a mini set of hair straighteners which you insert the coloured palette into. You then press the tool around some hair and pull down the hair to impregnate some of the colour onto the hair.

Miss M really enjoyed decorating Barbie’s hair, although to be honest I didn’t think the colouring tool was that great. You had to press quite hard and the colour is quite patchy. Despite my thoughts, Miss M was happy and also enjoyed the process of giving Barbie a hairwash after to remove the colour and start again. (We turned our bathroom sink into a little salon while Miss M happily sat lathering up Barbie’s head with shampoo).

What really appealed to Miss M about this Barbie, above others, is her long straight hair. It’s really smooth and shiny and with it being so long it was easy to plait and style, something Miss M thoroughly enjoyed doing. She has spent all weekend, brushing and caring for Barbie’s hair giving her lots of funky new styles.

Miss M is 7 and has enjoyed the Barbie Rainbow Hair, and although I don’t overly rate the colouring aspect of this Barbie, I do love her long flowing hair which has provided lots of hair styling fun!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and the toy was sent to us in order to write the review.

Barbie Jet and 2 Dolls Playset – Review

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Argos have a large range of Barbie toys and accessories available and one that caught our eye is the Barbie Jet and 2 Dolls Playset. Miss M is really enjoying playing with Barbie at the moment and has small accessories but longs for some sort of vehicle to move them around in so this seemed like the perfect toy.

The Barbie Jet playset comes in a huge box and Miss M thought Christmas had come early when she saw it. The box contains the jet and 2 Barbie figures, each in a pretty dress, necklace, shoes and carrying a handbag and suitcase each.

The Barbie Jet requires a small amount of assembly from the box but this is simple to do and can be completed within 10-15 minutes. The front wheel needs attaching and the tail end of the plane requires piecing together. The side wings simply fold up vertically against the side of the plane when not in use to save space. The chairs need to be attached to the base of the plane and a sheet of stickers need to be applied in the correct places. I found the stickers simple to attach and they appear to be hard wearing and not likely to come off.

The main body of the Barbie jet folds open creating a playset. Inside the jet are three chairs, all with seatbelts and fully reclining backs. You can slide back the windows to reveal night images and there is overhead luggage storage. At the back of the plane is an air hostess area containing a pull out trolley with three trays and rectangular meal plates that sit on the trays. The trays fit over the chairs and clip in each side. There is also a fridge, microwave, storage area and drinks machines. Also included are three glasses and three sets of cutlery.

There is plenty of scope for imaginative play with the Barbie Jet playset. Miss M was keen to get the Barbies packed up and fly them across the front room to their holiday destination. Her younger brother Mister B was keen to join in making plane sounds and loved pushing the jet across the floor.

Miss M loves acting out the flight journey with the Barbies, packing the plane, serving them food before letting them recline their chairs and sleep before arriving at their destination. The Barbie jet really does provide lots of entertainment value and adds a further dimension to playing with dolls rather than just dressing them up etc.

The Barbie Jet is larger than we first thought it would be, making it a prominent toy and one that has grabbed the attention of Miss M’s friends when they have visited. The jet has a height of 32.5cm, length 84.5cm and width of 28cm (with wings folded up). It is a great play piece that can either be played as a stand alone toy or easily fits in with other toys you may already have.

The adventures with Barbie are endless, I see this as a toy that will get plenty of play value and be used in many different scenarios. Miss M loves setting things up carefully inside ready for a day of play. She loves the jet and can’t wait to show her friends – being the size it is makes it ideal for a couple of children to play with it at the same time as they can easily reach inside and have a Barbie each to take on the flight.

This is a dream toy for Miss M to own to play with her Barbie dolls and I think any other young girl who loves her dolls would feel the same. I think the Barbie Jet will be a much loved toy over the next few years.

This post in written in association with Argos. All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write the review.

Hape Rock A Bye Cradle for Dolls – Review

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Fiona Martin

The Hape Rock A Bye Cradle is a toy that will appeal to every young child that loves to play with dolls. Hape, a German toy company, have created this gorgeous, high quality wooden Rock A Bye Cradle to rock your dolls to sleep in that I’m sure will be the envy of any little girl.

This beautifully crafted cradle is made from wood with painted end panels. It comes flat packed in five pieces that require minimal assembly to create a sturdy, made to last toy. The wood has a really smooth finish which reflects the high standards from Hape.

The cradle is aimed at children aged 3+, and is a toy that encourages imaginative play, creativity and role playing. It also helps to boost social skills through communication and cooperation with others.

My two children aged 5 and 2 (almost 3) have had hours of fun with this already. Using it along with a dolls pram they have taken dolls for walks then brought them back to feed them and rock them to sleep. They done some great role playing, being a family with their babies and although at times they have wanted to do the same thing at the same time with the cradle, they have had to learn to share and cooperate with each other.

The cradle comes with an included pillow and quilt/mattress in a pretty pink, which have added to the play value. There are also some lovely details in the little plastic rattle rings on the bars of the cradle for dolly to play with and also the ability to rock the cradle from side to side.

Please watch our short video of the Rock A Bye Cradle from Hape:

This is a beautiful toy, that I’d highly recommend. The Rock A Bye Cradle from Hape would be a hit with any little girl. (oh and boy – Mister B loved feeding his doll a bottle then tucking her in the cradle for a sleep).

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.