Stretch Armstrong's Arch Enemy Is Back - Meet Vac Man

I'm sure you remember Stretch Armstrong, the strong man action figure with the stretchable arms. He's been around since 1976 and made a reappearance last year.

Now his arch enemy, Vac Man, is back as a 14" fully stretchable and poseable Vac powered action figure made by Character Options.

If you pump the air out of him with the vacuum pump (supplied), he can “set” into any pose you put him in! When you release the valve at the side of his head, he returns to his normal state.

You can pull him, stretch him and even tie him in knots - up to 4 times his size.

He's a pretty sturdy toy and at 14" he's quite heavy.  The recommended age range is 5+ which is about right I'd say as kids need to be able to attach the vacuum pump to the side of his head.  This clicks into place easily enough but might take a few attempts to get the hang of.

You pump him around 6 times to get the air out and then you can put him into any fighting stance you fancy.

The ability to vacuum the air out of him and pose him lends an extra fascination to Vac Man, as does his beady insides!  Attractive he is not!

Press the valve at the side of his head and he becomes smooth and normal (relatively) again.

He retails at £29.99 which we thought was a fair price for a well built and decent sized toy which will last for years.  Vac Man is certainly strong enough to withstand the full on force of  boys and girls like Ieuan and Caitlin.

You can find out more at www.character-online.com where you'll also find Stretch Armstrong, Fetch the dog and Octopus to help kids create their own stretchy role play.

And yes, Stretch does have an uncanny resemblance to a certain, um, president.  Here he is, doing his thing.

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Review: Zookiez & Wobbleez - Soft & Cute Play Pets With A Twist

Lots of Caitlin's and Ieuan's friends have pets and, loving mother that I am, I have discovered a fuss free solution that involves no vets bills.

Zookiez and Wobbleez from Sinco Toys are two ranges of plush, cuddly toy animals which will delight anyone from age 3 to 103.



Zookiez are toy pets which can be slapped on to your wrist and they will hold on tight with their furry paws.  Because their paws will grip, they can be carried about on your arm or even attached to a backpack or school bag.

There are 6 Zookiez to collect, 2 cats, 2 dogs, a bear and, Ieuan's new friend, a panda.

Panda is lovely and soft and retails around the £10 mark.

Wobbleez is a range of pets who magically walk when you pull their lead - all without batteries. There's 3 to collect, a Golden Retriever, a Dalmation and a Shepherd Dog.



They have specially adapted paws which rock gently when you pull the toy along giving the illusion that your pet is walking.  You do have to pull gently though - if you pull too hard, your wobbleez will fall over.

We have not taken our Wobbleez dog outside as he is clearly designed for indoor use.

Again, this was a good quality toy with a very plush feel and Caitlin has named hers Apricot.  Ieuan being Ieuan has named his panda, Panda.  Wobbleez retail around the £20 mark.

The dog's lead comes in three parts which you simply clip together and attach to a loop already round the neck of the toy.  It clips on quite securely and even with quite some tugging didn't come off when we got the dog walking.

Wobbleez are recommended for the 3's and over up to about 10 although I found them pretty cute myself.

Here's the last word from Caitlin.

You can find Zookiez and Wobbleez at major toy stockists including Smyths.

*PR samples were sent for the purpose of this post.

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Review: Lego 75153 Star Wars AT-ST Walker Building Set

From a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away comes LEGO Star Wars and with it comes the chance for your kids (and you!) to build all your favourite ships and characters as well as some pretty cool vehicles. Each box provides suggestions for starting the play activity and you can also download the free Force Builder App.

We were sent this particular set, LEGO Star Wars AT-ST Walker (RRP £44.99), to review from www.kidstoysclub.co.uk who provide recommendations, detailed toy reviews, pictures of play gadgets your children will like and articles about anything toy related.

The LEGO Star Wars AT-ST Walker set comes from the Rogue One film and this is the scenario:-

"Go on the hunt for Baze and the Rebel Trooper aboard the All Terrain Scout Transport. Open the top hatch, load up the AT-ST Driver and move the legs to speed into action. When you’ve tracked them down, turn the wheel to rotate the top and prepare to fire the spring-loaded shooters! Can Baze and the trooper escape the advancing AT-ST? That's for you to decide."

The set comes in a medium-sized box with 449 pieces split into 3 bags to help you build the walker in stages. The instruction book is excellent and takes you through the construction piece by piece in with large graphics.  I would have welcomed some written instructions in some places though.

The set is designed for the 8-14 age group.   I hadn't tried my hand at Lego building for a while and found that rather than the traditional way of building by clipping bricks together, there's quite a bit of slotting pegs in holes.

I found this slightly tricky and had to be rescued by the Husband (oh the shame) so kids at the lower end of this age range may need adult help to assemble the walker.

You build the legs and feet first and then assemble the walker in stages.  The body is more of a traditional type of build so that was a bit easier.

There are plenty of moving parts to play with. The front and side cannons are mobile and you can fire the lasers.  The upper body rotates if you turn a dial on the back and both the top hatch and the entire cockpit roof open.

The only negative point is that the walker is slightly wobbly and I think it would easily come apart during any rough play.

The set comes with three minifigures.  There's an AT-ST driver with two facial expressions to choose from, a Rebel trooper and new Rogue One character Baze Malbus, complete with his signature heavy blaster.

Once assembled the Walker is really impressive, if a little fragile.  We enjoyed building this set but I would say that it is suitable for kids toward the higher end of the 8-14 age range.

*We were sent this product to review by www.kidstoysclub.co.uk. 

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Sam's Curious Cars - A Great Xmas Gift For Young Inventors

If you're looking for a present that engages young minds whilst teaching them how to create mini machines that work, look no further.

Sam's Curious Cars is a kit from SAM Labs which teaches kids how to build and programme their own cars and games.

The kit contains 5 cars and a separate booklet which contains even more projects to try once you have got the hang of it.

The Husband writes code for a living so this was the perfect thing for him to try out with Caitlin and Ieuan and, of the two kids, it was Caitlin who was most captivated by the kit.

In fact the Huffington Post describes SAM Lab's kits as "Lego for the internet generation" which is very apt. And, even better, the kit is compatible with Lego itself.

SAM Labs' believe that every kid has inventive potential and their kits are built to unleash it - and their imaginations.

The Curious Cars kit contains 5 SAM blocks which all have different functions - for example a light, a motor and a button.

You turn the blocks on and then charge them (this takes an hour).  Then they are programmed wirelessly via an app which the kids used on an iPad, but which is also available for Android and Windows/Mac.

You have to connect the SAM blocks together to make them work via the app and you do this when you have assembled the base of your car and put the wheels on.

Caitlin connecting the blocks via the app

It's a great opportunity for parents and kids to work together.

There are also 5 press out and assemble cardboard cars which sit on top of a base and each of these can be further customised by a little more programming.  For example there is a bulldozer and you can move the shovel up and down using the SAM servo.

I particularly liked that each project is given a star ranking for degree of difficulty and there is also an indication of the time taken to complete each one.  Once you have mastered the hardest project, the Vintage Hotrod, you can design your own.

Sam's Curious Cars is a really unusual and challenging toy which is genuinely educational.  Caitlin has just turned 9 and I would say that this is an ideal age for the kit because patience is needed, along with the ability to read and understand instructions - and practice.

The separate booklet of projects "SAM Book of Crazy Cool Ideas" contains ideas like creating your own game show buzzer or alarm, or even creating a stirring machine.

The kit retails at £149 and in terms of value for money and the hours of educational fun is can provide I think it's excellent. Even I learned something!

The SAM Labs kits would also make a good pressie for not so young inventors and I can see that they would make a fabulous teaching tool for schools and workshops too.

You can find more information at SAM Labs.

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Toy Review: Timeline:British History - Educational, Historical Fun For Kids by Esdevium Games

We've reviewed quite a few games now and whilst most of them are entertaining and pass the odd hour as a family, we've not found one that challenges the brain cells of kids and adults alike.

Timeline: British History is different.  It's a card game where you have to assess whether one historical event occurred before another and put the cards in the correct chronological order.

The game comes in a brightly coloured tin which is really attractive.  I particularly liked that the packaging is marked with symbols showing how many players, the suggested age range of players and the length of time it takes to play (in this case 15 minutes which is ideal for an 8 year old).

The box contains printed instructions and two piles of cards which are shuffled together to make one pack.

Each player is dealt four cards and therefore has four chances to place the events on their cards in the correct order.

Get it right and you have one less card to get  rid of - and you're closer to winning. A wrong decision means you return your card to the pile and take a brand new one.

The game commences with each player laying their four cards face up without looking at the date on the back.  The first event is taken off the central pile of remaining cards and each player takes turns to put their card either before or after the events on the table.  Cards are then slotted into place as the timeline builds.

The winner is the player who correctly places all four of their cards first.

It's suitable for 8+ children and I guarantee that it will challenge parents and grandparents too.  This gives the game a much more level playing field and the children are less likely to have a major strop because they consider the adults have an unfair advantage.

Let me give you an example.  Which came later? The Peasants' Revolt or Geoffrey Chaucer's beginning of "The Canterbury Tales"?  Answer, the latter in 1387.  The Peasants' Revolt was in 1381.

How about these.  Which came later - Isaac Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation or the founding of The Bank of England?  Again, the latter.  The Bank of England was founded in 1694 and Newton's law was discovered in 1687.

You can see that these are very challenging for a child as young as 8 but still really interesting and all the more entertaining to find out your mother is pretty useless at guessing!

Timeline:British History retails at around £13.99 which, for a game of this quality, is very good value.  My only criticism would be that the playing cards are quite small but on the plus side, the game in its sturdy tin would be great to take on holiday.

I also think it's the kind of game which will get more interesting the more you play it as you will begin to remember some of the dates of the events and get better at placing - and getting rid of - your four cards quickly.

I played Timeline:British History with Caitlin (8) and her cousin Emily (21) and Caitlin was surprisingly good at it!  It's a great opportunity to talk about historical events and to explain who some of the famous people are.  In other words, you could easily use this game as a teaching tool.

We really enjoyed this one and if you're looking for a game which is slightly more challenging but fun at the same time, I'd recommend Timeline: British History.

*We tested this game in our role at Approved Toy Testers for The Rainbow Toy Awards 2016

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Review: Wicked Uncle Toys - Devilishly Easy To Use

When I was young, shopping for toys involved perusing the shelves in your local department store throughout the year or, come Christmas, dragging your parents around the overheated, fake snow and glitter filled grottos for Santa.

It's the heat I remember mostly.  There was always a pensioner having a fit of the vapours parked precariously on a chair just outside whilst the staff fanned them with a towel.  Air conditioning was just a distant dream.

As my sister Sarah and I got older, our relatives just gave up trying to guess what we liked and gave us vouchers.  Now fond as I am of a voucher, it's just not the same as being given a present which tugs at the heart strings because it's just what you wanted and it's right for your age.

Today, more than ever, matching the toy to the child's age requires a mathematical equation not dissimilar to getting the Hadron Particle Collider to work which is probably easier sometimes than finding a child's gift what will keep them entertained for more than 2 minutes.

So I was intrigued when the devilishly named Wicked Uncle wrote to me and suggested a solution. They have a website filled with an amazing mix of gifts for children of all ages, sorted by age, category or gender.

This is not only useful for buying presents for your own and other kids in the family but a very useful solution to that bane of parents' term-time lives - deciding what gift to give at a children's party, what budget is right (without being considered mean) and whether that gift is suitable for their age.

I frequently ask Caitlin and Ieuan "but what does so-and-so like?" to be greeted either by a shrug of the shoulders or 'Shopkins' (the modern day equivalent of the Tribble from Star Trek).

Wicked Uncle kindly gave us a budget of £40 to road-test their site and so Caitlin and Ieuan were given £20 to choose their own gift.

There was, in fact, so much choice that Ieuan was quite overwhelmed with it all and I had to choose for him.

The website is really simple to use -

Simply select the relevant criteria for the child you're buying for to be taking to an appropriate selection of gifts.

Then choose the category of gift you think they might like.  I particularly liked that the girls' gifts included as many science / maths / experiment gifts as the boys'.  Whilst there are enough 'traditionally girly' gifts to delight your average pony / kitten/ pink loving girl, there are equally plenty of gifts to stimulate their minds and help with the school curriculum.

Caitlin chose Shadow, a Lavish Lanky Cat  (£12.95) which is a gorgeously soft, floppy toy cat with baleful green eyes.

She also chose the My Very Own Fairy & Unicorn Torch & Projector (£6.95).

The latter is a fun torch that projects images of fairies and unicorns around your room. It has 24 colour images to project on to your walls and ceilings including fairies, unicorns and their magical homes.

The images project up to one metre wide and come on three slide discs you simply slot in. You can also use it as a normal torch without the slides in place and is useful for keeping on bedside tables to give comfort to children during the night.

I chose for Ieuan and got him the Night Goggles Spy Gear (£19.95).  These have tinted blue lenses to enhance night vision and a switch on full mode which gives directional beams of bright LED light, leaving both hands free to explore.

You can also flip out the scope with it's 2x magnifying lens to spot targets from greater distances.

Needless to say we have had to promise to take him to the woods at dusk so he can scare the living daylights out of any dog walker out for a pleasant evening stroll.

Our gifts arrived really quickly (within 48 hours) of ordering and were securely packaged.  There is even a rather cute postcard included in the box addressed to the gift-giver.

And, as for the acid test, both kids are still playing with their toys 3 days later and Ieuan has not managed to break his Night Goggles yet.



I was impressed by Wicked Uncle and I think their site will be a godsend this Christmas for choosing presents for kids which will pique their imagination without emptying your purse.

You can find out more at www.wickeduncle.co.uk.

*We were given £40 to spend at Wicked Uncle for the purposes of this review.

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A Fast & Frantic Card Game The Kids Will Love - Gobbit

Gobbit is a fast and frantic card game for 2-8 players that demands strong powers of observation, steadfast concentration and the reflexes of a ninja.

It's like a rather violent game of Snap where the winner is the last player to still have some cards left.

The cards feature four animals in three colours, all of whom eat one another based on their colour and a rigid food chain: the chameleons eat the flies, the snakes eat the chameleons, and the gorilla eats anything.

You take it in turns to reveal the top card in your pile but you need to have your wits about you – slap your animal to defend it from a predator’s attack, or slap your opponent’s animal to ‘eat’ it and claim their pile!

This gets trickier the more players there are because you have to work out where to slap.

Once a player’s lost all their cards, they stay in the game in their new guise as a ghost. This means they can slap any matching pairs they spot between the remaining players.  This obviously doesn't work when there are only two of you playing!

The winner is the one with the most cards at the end of the game.

We played the basic game but as you master the rules of the game, there are several other versions which are more complicated and more challenging - for example "Poltergeist" where if you run out of cards, you can become a poltergeist and attach any cards that form a pair.

Our game also came with a beginners' wristband in white which allows us to join the Gobbit Federation.

Caitlin and I were the test team as Gobbit is really suitable for kids aged 7 and over.  Ieuan still doesn't have the patience at the moment, although each game of Gobbit can be completed in about 10 minutes.

We did find that it took us quite a while to understand how to play which, for younger kids, might mean they get a little impatient and Gobbit is clearly a game which is more fun with a larger number of players.

It's also a game that you have to play quite a bit to master

Gobbit, for ages 7+, is priced at £14 and available to buy from www.RulesofPlay.co.uk. Each game also comes with a wristband which permits entry into all Gobbit tournaments taking place in stores throughout the UK.

I think Gobbit is an ideal game to throw in a suitcase to take on holiday with you to keep the kids entertained on rainy afternoons. It would also be a great party game for adults.

I think I'll be wearing the white wristband for quite a while though!

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Review: Disney Princess Colour Magic Brush Rapunzel From ToysRus

We were lucky enough to receive a Disney Princess Colour Magic Brush Rapunzel Doll from ToysRus for Caitlin to cast her expert eye over (when she isn't being a dalmation).

The doll is well made with beautiful silky hair (cue much muttering from mummy along the lines of "well, see now, Rapunzel obviously BRUSHES HER HAIR" since it is a constant battle to keep Caitlin's locks under control). 

And Rapunzel comes with a clever hair brush gizmo which, when full of crushed ice (or, more simply, filled with water and stuck in the freeze compartment of the fridge for half an hour), creates pink and purple colour streaks in the lighter blonde segments of the doll's hair or leaves star shapes when the end of the brush is used.

I have to stress that, tempting as it is to ignore the multi-lingual instructions, unless the water in the brush is ice cold, you won't get much (or indeed any) colour change in the doll's hair which could lead you to think that it doesn't work.  

So be prepared to endure thirty minutes or so of "well is the brush ready yet?"

It's also worth noting that the colour changes may not last that long. 

Once the hair reaches room temperature again, it is likely to return to its original hue, however, we found that the pink and purple stripes lasted long enough to garner interest.  

The stars on the other hand, although clear in shape, faded very quickly.

Using the brush to create pink and purple streaks in the lighter blonde sections of Rapunzel's hair.

Blink and you'll miss 'em - pink stars

Like all toys with a 'gimick', there's a risk that it'll be a two minute wonder but the Rapunzel doll is attractive and well-made enough to outlive the thrill of turning hair pink and purple.

The Disney Princess Colour Magic Brush Rapunzel Doll is available from ToysRus at £19.99. Delivery is from £4.95 or click and collect is free.

Caitlin is already very attached to Rapunzel and hopefully I've found a source of inspiration to make the daily battle of the hairbrush weighted ever so slightly more towards my side.

And I'm making the most of this 'girlie' phase because Ieuan currently wants to be one of Despicable Me's evil purple minions.

*We were sent a Disney Princess Colour Magic Brush Rapunzel from ToysRus for the purposes of this review.

**This is our application to be a Rainbow Toy Awards Toy Tester

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Review: Fireman Sam Advent Puzzle From Jumbo Games

This is a lovely 24 piece jigsaw with nice big pieces for little hands.  

It forms a Fireman Sam picture with each jigsaw piece being numbered 1-24 and each having a little door which can be removed to reveal characters from the show in Christmassy scenes.

The fact that each piece was numbered made it easier for Ieuan (age 4) to complete.  

Caitlin and I turned finishing the puzzle into a race which he loved. 

He had soon grasped how to order the pieces and I found it was a more effective way of getting him to complete a jigsaw than the traditional method of trial and error.

The idea behind the puzzle is obviously that a door is opened each day but, because there are no chocolates involved, I'm not sure how long interest will be maintained if you choose to use it as a traditional advent calendar.  

You'll also need to find somewhere for the puzzle to remain completed - no mean feat with little ones about. 

But it's not difficult to improvise with chocolate, is it?  

One for the kids, one for mum obviously.

The Fireman Sam Advent Puzzle is very well made and if you're canny, you'll get one or two years' use out of it.  Bargain!

Further information at:- www.jumbo.eu.  The Fireman Sam Advent Puzzle is available from Amazon.

*A PR sample was sent for the purposes of this review which contains an affiliate link.

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