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.

Transformers: Power Surge Optimus Prime Review

If like me you are old enough to remember Transformers the first time round, then you’ll remember the excitement of watching them transform from a vehicle to a robot and back again. It was like nothing we had seen before and having a brother and two male cousins meant I often had to choose whether to be an Autobot or Decepticon.

My son has also become a fan and has enjoyed watching some of the newer films, so when we were asked if we’d like to review the Power Surge Optimus Prime I knew he’d love it (I was a bit excited too).

Optimus Prime is for me one of the best Transformers, with Bumblebee coming in a close second. I love the new films too and it is great to have a toy and character from my childhood that I can enjoy talking about with my son.

So, onto the toy itself, after undoing the packaging (which I will say was a lot better than usual toy packaging, with hardly any plastic) we got to trying to transform it. It did take us a few tries, even with the instructions, which to be honest we just put to one side and used the picture from the box instead.

It just came down to us not being tough enough with it and once we had done it the first time it was a breeze after that.

It has some great realistic sound effects and some awesome light effects too, with lots of add on weapons that really make it come alive. It also comes with a battery already in place, so for something like Christmas (sorry I said it) there is no need for extra batteries and the toy is ready to play with straight out of the box.

You can also purchase additional Mini-Con Weaponizer figures which activate different sounds, so it can be added to at a later date. It also stands at 11 inches tall, so it isn't a small toy.

My son has really enjoyed playing with Optimus and was excited about it from the moment he saw the box. I have to say it is a bit flimsier than I remember it's 80s counterparts being, however that is just how it is these days. It has stood the test of being driven around and changed from truck to transformer though, so hopefully it will be something we can pass on in the future.

I love Transformers and I think they will be here to stay with another film currently in the making, the RRP for this toy is £49.99 which is about what i'd expect for something this size, it is currently on offer in Smyths at £37.49.  

NB: We were sent this toy for the purpose of this review, all words and opinions are my own.

Barbie Dance & Spin Ballerina Review

We were recently sent the Dance & Spin Ballerina Barbie to review, this colourful and eye-catching doll jumps, spins and pliés with ease.The wand clips easily on to her waist and and as you push her leg down she leaps into the air and spins, her leg spinning round like a real ballerina, her dress spinning out out in all it's glittery glory.

I am not sure who loves this more, myself or my daughter well obviously its my daughter...just! For any little person that loves ballerinas, this Barbie is perfect, her pirouettes and pliés are very close to the real deal and even simple for little hands to operate.


With a pretty two tone dress and bodice this doll has everything you could want in a Barbie friend, putting on their own swirly, twirly dress they can dance and spin around together like ballerinas.

My only slight issue with this doll and possibly the frustration of my daughter is that both legs don't straighten and so for when she wants to play with her as a normal doll, she can't. I completely understand why it doesn't but I do feel that if this could be different it would make it more useable with her other Barbies.

This doll would make such a wonderful present for any ballerina loving Barbie fan this Christmas, with an RRP of £19.99 this fabulous doll is a toy that will get played with time and time again.

NB: We were sent this doll for the purpose of this review, all words and opinions are my own.

Meet Finn, the Doll for Boys (or Girls)

I don't really like the idea of guns and things that shoot, my son loves Lego and Playmobil and using his imagination with castles, cars and similar toys, so when I was asked if he'd like to review the Finn doll from the makers of the fabulous Lottie dolls I knew he'd really enjoy it.

Arriving with everything you need to get started, Finn comes full clothed and a with rather lovely kite to fly, we were also sent an extra set with fishing gear.

I love that the outfits are fun and age appropriate, my son loves that he has a gilet on just like the one he has. The first thing he did was ask to me to get his Fisher Price house down, he then got to work putting the fishing rod in the garage and finding other things to play with alongside Finn.

The doll itself has posable arms and apart from the hair, which has a rather drastic haircut (the hair at the back is cut quite close to the head), it is well put together, his clothes withstood being taken on and off by a six year old boy.

I really like the idea behind the whole range of Lottie & Finn dolls, they allow children to be children and play with toys that don't promote violence or are overly sexualised as some dolls can be.

Finn is priced at £16.99 which I don't think it too overpriced, the Gone Fishing set is £7.99, it is suitable for ages three and up too so the perfect toddler present.

If you like what you see, then the lovely people over at Lottie are offering my readers 20% off purchases over £20 (Offer code is LOTTIE10 and works at the Amazon checkout only (not on the LOTTIE website cart) offer allows 20% off orders over £20 across entire range.  Offer ends Midnight on Sunday, 14 December 2014)

NB: I was sent the Finn doll for the purpose of the review, all opinions are my own.