Our Favourite Toys from Chad Valley plus Giveaway

We have had an awesome time as part of the Chad Valley Play Panel and have been given the opportunity to review some great toys.

Here are a few of those we didn't review on the blog as well as our Top 5 of their current spring selection.


First up they sent us this amazing 6 in 1 Multi Games Table,  the kids have loved playing with it and to be fair the adults have enjoyed a few games of pool too.

With darts, a bean bag toss game, push hockey, football and a target game this for me will be the perfect summer toy, we can easily take it outside and play with it well into the evening.

We were sent a rather wonderful Designabear Bunny who comes with clothes you can dress them up in, my daughter loves it and it is super soft and cuddly.

On to our Top 5 from their new 2018 ranges though....

1. My children absolutely love playing out in our garden, my daughter especially loves making potions and mud pies so this Mud Pie Kitchen would be perfect for her. I have seen people make these kinds of things but if you are a bit inept with a hammer and nails like me then this may be for you. - £99.99

2. And for summer picnics and a place to hide and play with toys how about this fab Wigwam Playhouse, at well over a meter and a half tall it is the perfect size for little and not so little children. - £29.99

3. My children are maybe a bit old for this now but I know once upon a time they'd of spent hours playing with little farm animals, building a farm and making all of the animal noises.  A set of 50 pieces means you have everything you need to create your own farm scene. - £11.99

4. Should we get some sunshine this year (crosses fingers, toes and everything possible) then this fabulous water sprayer will come in handy, the kids love being sprayed with the hose pipe but I must admit it gets a little tedious after a while holding it. This is great to get them jumping about whilst spraying them too.

5.  And finally we love this table top football table, great fun for all the family in all weathers. Not only is this the perfect rainy day activity but it also would make a great party game too.

And finally, you can win £75 to spend on making your own spring fun by entering the competition below. T&Cs apply

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Star Wars Toy Collection from Hasbro - Review

Star Wars has long been an obsession in our house, with my son loving the movies and getting most excited about the latest release. With the arrival of Episode VIII in Deecmber just gone, these toys couldn't have come at a better time.

Star Wars Forces of Destiny: Rey of Jakku and BB8 Set - £24.99

My daughter immediately bagged this doll and she absolutely loves it, especially as it comes with BB8 who is a great little character. The doll has a twist action similar to some of her Barbies which means she swipes her lightsaber just like in the movie.

She is very realistic and my daughter has been so in love with her that she came to watch The Last Jedi with us.  I love this character and it is great to have another strong female lead in a film. Princess Leia lead the way in the original trilogy and now we have Rey to carry on the torch of the Light Side. 

This figure is part of the Forces of Destiny range which accompanies a series of animated shorts showcasing heroic women from a galaxy far, far away. It's great to see these female characters from the Star Wars universe being given equal standing with their male counterparts.

Star Wars Forces of Destiny Rey of Jakku Extendable Staff – £29.95

My daughter instantly fell in love with the staff and has been wielding it just like Rey in the film, it is great she can battle against her brother with his lightsaber. The staff is sturdy to say the least, some might even say quite solid and heavy.  You would definitely know about it if you got thwacked during a energetic recreation and I've heard a few yelps to prove it.  The staff also connects with other items from the Bladebuilder range, which I also feature here.

Star Wars Bladebuilders Path Of The Force Lightsaber – £49.99

This Lightsaber switches between blue for the Light Side of the Force to red for the Dark Side, meaning you can fight for good or evil depending on what mood you’re in. I like that it converts and allows the role play to encompass all of the different elements of Star Wars.

Easily interchangeable even for the smallest of hands, it is super easy and comes with batteries already supplied so you can just start playing straight out of the box.

The lightsaber is part of the Bladebuilder system so it can be attached to the staff too to make one really huge lightsaber....um thing. 

Star Wars The Last Jedi Kylo Ren Interactech Figure - £24.99

I have to admit I am slightly disturbed by the voice on this toy, however after seeing the film it is true to the character. The removable helmet revealing Kylo Ren's scarred face is very realistic too, he is a really sturdy doll .

I love the fact then when you shake him the lightsaber glows red and makes those familiar swooshing/buzzing/humming sounds. My daughter and son have been having face offs with the two dolls, it has been great to see them playing together with all of these toys.

Star Wars The Last Jedi Force Link Starter Set – £24.99

The Force Link is described as an interactive play system, which in simple terms means it interacts with various figures vehicles and playsets within the Star Wars toy range that feature the special Forcelink technology.

The wearable wrist-mounted unit plays a variety of sounds and phrases that are triggered by the wearer's motion whilst playing with the linked figures. I can't pretend to understand how this works, but it really quite a unique feature they adds an extra dimension to creative play.

A huge thank you to the guys over at Hasbro for this selection of toys, they have really got the children excited about the new Star Wars films and have ignited their imaginations.

We were sent these toys for the purpose of this review, all words and opinions are my own.

Chad Valley 3 Storey Glamour Dolls House Review

I vividly remember tearing the wrapping paper from the dolls house my Grandad lovingly made for me back in the 80s.  I still have it today, and despite my daughter repeatedly asking about it, I have been a little apprehensive about passing it on to as it is very precious and small hands sometimes get a little bit too excited.

So when we were sent the 3 Storey Glamour Mansion from Chad Valley at Argos, my daughter was ecstatic. I'm not sure what I expected the finished article to look like, but it certainly a grand affair. It stands taller than my daughter and each floor is the perfect size for an upright Barbie.

The detail is great, each room comes with decorations and it even has little dangling chandeliers. Unlike some dolls houses this one comes with furniture, big enough for a reclining Barbie and for me this is a huge plus.

Handily, despite its height, the house isn't particularly deep and so fits neatly my daughter’s bedroom and isn’t too obtrusive.  The colour scheme is modern and bright and coordinates well with any child's bedroom.

My daughter was overjoyed as she oversaw the dolls house being built; it took my partner about an hour to build maybe a bit longer including the furniture and his general confusion (!). But as it stands at over a metre high, this was expected.

The doll’s house is currently on offer at £32.99 which I think is a excellent price for something so big and sturdy.

We were also sent a slot car set and a classic board game set which has been great fun for my son as he has been playing chess at school, it is also perfect for our games evenings.

I can’t express how impressed I have been with the dolls house, it's been a real hit and is light and easy to move around.  We've had it set up in the lounge, in the dining room and is currently taking pride of place my daughters bedroom.

This is a collaborative post, all words and pictures are my own.

Reliving the 80s with Chad Valley at Argos

So you may wonder how I could possibly be reliving the 80s with the Chad Valley range, without leafing through a vintage Argos catalogue?

Well in this months Play Panel bundle, they sent us a toy which I had in the 80s and one which my friends and I used to spend hours playing on.

The pogo ball (or Lolo ball as it was known back in the 80s) is a great way for children to learn about balance, get them to use their core and generally have fun whilst falling over and laughing.

With it being winter, it hasn't been easy to get outside and use this, so we have been playing with it on the landing and in the dining room.

The kids have really loved it and even I have had a go on it (photo withheld!)  I am pretty much as good now as I was back in the 80s for those wondering; like riding a bike you never forget how to bounce on a pogo ball!

I wish I had a picture of me with my 1980s pogo ball, it was purple and yellow and the day it broke was such a sad day :(

Thankfully though I can relive those memories now with the children and show them the kind of toy I had when growing up.

It comes deflated and you use the helpfully supplied pump to blow it up; once it is fully pumped up you are ready to bounce. The platform has two textured footprints for grip and to show you where to place your feet, so even though my 6 year old daughter struggled to bounce on it, she knew exactly what to do.

There are some other fab toys in the bundle too, my daughter loves the Designabear and it hasn't left her side, we've had lots of fun being chased by the lights and sounds elephant whilst trying to get the hoops on his trunk and although we haven't played with the others yet, my son is eager to have a punch about with the inflatable boxing set. Winter sadly doesn't make for great outdoor playing conditions.

As for the scooter; we already had one of these, so we donated this one to charity.

This is a collaborative post, all words and opinions are my own.

Chad Valley Designafriend Amelia Doll & Fluffy Friends Sitting Dog Plush Review plus Win a £75 Argos Voucher

The children and I are excited to announce that for the next few months, we are part of the Chad Valley Play Panel and will be reviewing some of the fabulous toys they have to offer.

Chad Valley have been part of our lives for many years so we are really excited to have them on the blog. 

"Chad Valley is 150 years old, with a range of over 400 toys exclusively available at Argos. The majority of toys are for babies, toddlers and younger children. 

The really special thing about Chad Valley is that all the toys are designed and developed purely with play in mind. That’s it, just pure play and imagination! So, you’ll see hero products such as the Tots Town Pirate Ship and the incredibly life-like Chad Valley Tiny Treasures New-born Doll , which are incredibly popular as they allow younger children to submerge themselves in pure imagination, creating their own little worlds to play in. That said, older children are important too, which is why you’ll also find ranges like Designafriend and Chad Valley Double Sided Easel offering imaginative fun for children up to the age of nine."

We were sent a wonderful selection of toys to play with but the ones we are going to focus on are the Designafriend Amelia Doll and Fluffy Friends Sitting Dog.

My daughter gasped when she opened the box containing the doll, with long blonde hair it looked just like her, dressed in a super funky pair of leggings and leather jacket it looked the part too. It came with little accessories, including some super snazzy sandals, sunglasses and a little bracelet for my daughter to wear.

The box itself tells you all about the range which is a lovely touch and wrapped in tissue paper she reminds me of a doll from a book I had growing up.

The fact the dolls hair is just like my daughters is great and she was so excited to have a doll that looked just like her, the Designafriend range has dolls with all different looks and styles so whatever your little one is in to there is a doll to suit them.

The Fluffy Friends Sitting Dog has been a favourite with both my son and my daughter, it's been shared between the both of them, it has worn a hat and been covered in a blanket at bedtime. We have more soft toys than I care to remember, but this one has been loved and shared like no other before it. It is exactly as described... fluffy, so very fluffy!!

The whole Chad Valley ethos is "that just 15 minutes of imaginative play a day can make an enormous difference to a child's development". I love this sentiment and certainly feel that all of the toys we were sent enabled the children to do just that.

If you like what you see, then you too can get in on some toy action.  I have a £75 gift voucher to giveaway. The perfect little extra to put towards, dare I say it, Christmas this year.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a collaborative post, all words and images are my own.

My Little Pony My Magical Princess Twilight Sparkle - Review

My daughter is a huge fan of My Little Pony, much like I was at her age and with the release of the new My Little Pony film later this month, I have a feeling that everything MLP is going to be on the Christmas lists of lots of mini folk this year.

The Magical Princess Twilight Sparkle is without a doubt one of the most extravagant toys we've ever had, it reacts to touch and sound and is as bright and colourful as you'd expect a pony named Twilight Sparkle to be.

My daughter practically squealed with delight when she got home and saw the box waiting for her, the fact I had forgotten to buy some batteries did dampen the excitement somewhat but also meant she got to just stare at it for a day which built up the excitement even more.

I feel that this toy is going to split opinion; on one hand for a child it is the epitome of cool. A pony that talks and moves, lights up and is generally everything they want, some adults on the other hand may see it as a little bit robotic as it blinks and talks at you and it detracts from the magic somewhat.

Twilight has over 90 phrases, tells stories and sings songs. If you touch her horn, which lights up and flashes, she talks about her magical spells. You can also change the mode via a button on her hoof, this changes between Friendship, Story, Singing and Spells.

With posable legs you can make her sit down or stand up, although it was a bit tough for my daughter to do and I felt like I was going to break her, though it does state on the instructions to expect some clicking sounds.

Twilight Sparkle has a long colourful tail and mane which you can style and brush and she even has her own tiara to complete the look. I think what sets this apart though is the fact that it responds to your voice and when you stroke her cheek she also giggles.

My daughter has enjoyed playing with Twilight and she is a welcome addition to our vintage and non vintage pony collection, her only one little gripe would be that Twilight seems to repeat herself and I have heard her saying to the pony, "you've just said that".

Magical Princess Twilight Sparkle has an RRP of £134.99 which is quite a lot of money, however with Christmas fast approaching I see this as the big one. For a My Little Pony fan it is the perfect gift and if you can find her whilst she is on offer then she'd make the perfect companion.

We were sent Magical Princess Twilight Sparkle to review, all words and opinions are my own.

Touched at Nottingham Playhouse - Review

Last weekend I was invited to see Touched, the latest production at the Nottingham Playhouse. Starring some very wonderful Nottingham talent, including Vicky McClure and Aisling Loftus.

It was a play I was excited to see since it represented moments in history that I know are still clear in the memory of some of my family. A section of society forgotten during the horrors of war, not on the front line but suffering none the less.

Image by Robert Day for Nottingham Playhouse

Sandra is torn apart with grief after losing her son during the blackout, we see as her character is torn apart by the loss of her son and the prospect of her husband coming home. Her character goes through some very emotional trauma, portrayed wonderfully by Vicky McClure who brings across that fabulous Nottingham accent.

Following VE Day there is so much hope in this brave new world, the not knowing what lies ahead or what the future holds, the story follows the young women as they find themselves and help each other through the toughest of days.

Image by Robert Day for Nottingham Playhouse

Image by Robert Day for Nottingham Playhouse

The ay up me ducks and other colloquial dialect filtered through like a big warm hug. It reminded me of the way my grandparents talk and when I am sat listening to the stories from my Great Aunty who all lived in the area during the war.

The acting was superb and it was truly a wonderful look into the life of Nottingham women and some men during what was no doubt one of histories defining moments. Women had as much of a part to play in the war as men, working tirelessly in factories back home. It gave women a sense of being and that they were more than just homemakers, it made them feisty and independent and I love that this is shown through the characters in the play.

Image by Robert Day for Nottingham Playhouse

The play is currently showing until the 4th March so do check it out.

I was given two complimentary tickets to form this review, all words and opinions are my own.

DreamWorks Trolls Hug Time Poppy Doll Review

If you were a child of the 90s then you might remember these fuzzy headed little creatures, in fact I still have some the original ones from when I was younger. What am I talking about? Trolls!

Back with a new film they are a bit different from the first-time round, less scary to be honest, but with the same fuzzy hair and button noses. Although I haven’t seen the film yet, I have heard good things from my daughter about it and she absolutely adores Poppy.

This perfectly pink friend comes with a matching wrist band, which when activated lights up to the beat of the music, perfect for any troll fan and great for getting them to interact with the toy.

The songs and phrases are cute and my daughter loves chatting back to her, a little repetitive but then again what isn't to us adults.

A bit like my daughter Poppy loves to hug, so she is the perfect companion for my little girl and standing at 35cm tall she is a good size, she speaks 25 phrases when you press her tummy or the button on the light up bracelet.

The bracelet on the doll, her hair and the matching bracelet all light up when she talks and sings and it is a colourful and bright doll to have as a friend.

With an RRP of £49.99 I think this is a little on the pricey side, but it is a chunky toy and if your child loves Trolls then it would be perfect.

We were sent this item for the purpose of this review all words and opinions are my own.

Fun Family Games from Tomy - Review

We love a good games night and with the evenings getting darker even earlier now, there is no better time to shut the curtains, grab some snacks and setup camp in the living room playing board games.

We have a good selection already but you can never have too many, so when we were asked to try out some new games from Tomy we of course said yes.

We were sent Pop-up Darth Vader and Greedy Granny, both perfect games for younger children and also if you just fancy a quick few games before bedtime.

Pop-up Darth Vader is based on the classic Pop-up Pirate, a game I loved playing as a child but with a new twist of one of my sons favourite film characters. The mini Darth Vader sits inside the barrel and you place tiny little light sabres in slits around the sides, eventually one of the light sabres makes Darth Vader pop up, sending squeals of laughter and slight heart palpitations through the three of us.


It even has its sound effects including the Star Wars theme, light sabre sounds and Darth breathing, it is lots of fun and great for any Star Wars fans out there. It is a great twist on a game loved by generations and is something children of today can relate to, I love it and so do the kids. It is one of those games that doesn’t take long to set up and can be played just a few times as a boredom buster.

Unlike the original Pop-up Pirate this version is only for three players, although this is perfect for us it may not be for everyone, it also requires an AA battery (not included) to play the sound affects.

Greedy Granny works in a similar way, you balance Granny’s biscuits on her tray and you have to spin a spinner with a number on it, you take a biscuit and then press a button next to Granny’s chair the number of times on the spinner, if you are lucky she stays asleep if you’re not she wakes up, throwing her biscuits everywhere and in a rather comical fashion her false teeth. The winner is the one to collect one of each biscuit without waking Granny up.

Greedy Granny is a really funny game with the same heart stopping finale of Pop-up Darth, you don’t know when she is going to pop but once she does it makes you jump out of your skin.

These games would make great additional presents for Christmas, the perfect something extra to play on Christmas Day and beyond.

Pop-up Darth retails at about £14.99 which is more than the Pop-up Pirate version but if you have a Star Wars fan then that little extra is worth it, Greedy Granny is £19.99, this is a little more than I would normally pay for a game, however, if you can find her on offer somewhere then she is a fab fun game which will have the family laughing out loud.

We were sent these items to form this review, all words, opinions and pictures are my own.