It's Tracker & Zoomer Marshall to the PAW Patrol Holiday Rescue!

   

PAW Patrol is on another roll with their latest toys this holiday season! Zoomer Marshall, The PAW Patrol Monkey Temple Playset and their PAW Patrol Paw Terrain Vehicle are sure to be PAW-riffic gits this Christmas!

PAW Patrol began with Chase, Marshall, Skye, Rocky & Rubble, and eventually branched out to include a few other pups. Their crew has now expanded even further to include Tracker, the jungle loving jeep-driver. Spin Master has ensured that kids can re-create their favorite more recent PAW Patrol scenes, thanks to the PAW Patrol Jungle Rescue expansion.  

First up, is the PAW Patrol Terrain Vehicle. If you're going to venture into the jungle, you'll need a decent set of wheels that can handle the rough topography. Join Ryder, and parrot Mateo as they drive through wasteland to rescue a baby panther. Whether on this particular mission, or others, you can use the crane to lift and move the animal carrier, which is included, to safety. Similar to the PAW Patroller Vehicle, you can also depress the PAW badge to emit real lights and sounds as you return to your command centre. Like most other PAW Patrol toys, the PAW Patrol Terrain Vehicle is geared for those 3+, and comes with the terrain vehicle, a tent, a gas tank, Ryder, Mateo, the baby panther and its carrier.  Whether played with as a simple vehicle, to rescue baby panther as designed, or to play out a scene of your own, it's a cool addition to the pre-existing PAW Patrol line-up. It's sturdy enough for those 3 years and up, and what kid doesn't like playing with a crane? I have an 8yr old and a 3yr old and they both enjoy this vehicle. It requires three LR44 batteries, which are included, and retails for about $39.99USD/$59.99CAN. 

The PAW Patrol Monkey Temple Playset continues with the Jungle Rescue theme. It comes with Tracker, his Jeep, and Mandy the Monkey. Other accessories included with the set are a radar dish, and a search light.  During the rescue mission, you can move the characters up and down the real working elevator, and up and down the vines. You can drive vehicles through the temple, and it has a top secret trap door. It can also be converted from the temple, into a command centre! This is perfect for increasing versatility of the toy, especially as they age and become more creative. You can press the banana to incorporate real jungle sounds into play time, and can also ignite the statue's glowing eyes. Like the PAW Patrol Terrain Vehicle, this playset is also geared for 3+, and also comes with the required LR44 batteries. The PAW Patrol Monkey Temple Playset retails for approximately $49.99USD/$69.99CAN.

Christmas would not be complete without interactive toys. Enter Zoomer Marshal! Similar to the other aforementioned toys, this interactive pup is geared for 3 years and up. Zoomer Marshall will have you believing that he has come to life right out of your television screen. With a simple press of the head, you can get him to say over 150 phrases taken from the television series. You can even tickle him! He will also actually follow you around when you wave your hand in front of him too! This is particularly great for younger kids like my 3 year old, who doesn't always initially understand technological steps in utilizing a toy to its fullest.  Zoomer Marshall comes loaded with dozens of missions and is chalk full of cool maneuvers that'll make your child's heart skip a beat. From talking and following you around, he can spin and move to the Pup Pup Boogie! He even has water cannons to help you come to the ruff ruff rescue. Zoomer Marshall requires 4 AA batteries which are not included, and retails in the U.S. for about $69.99, and in Canada for $89.99. 

All of these items are available at a variety of toy retailers and big box stores. As with other PAW Patrol toys we've reviewed in the past, these are sturdy, interactive and really great at fueling children's creativity. While my 8 year old wouldn't admit it to his friends, he enjoys playing with each one of these toys, just as much as my 3 year old does! But do not tell his friends! :) 

The only thing I would change is to include batteries with Zoomer Marshall. Not having them come with the package automatically, could make for some disappointment on Christmas morning if you don't have correct batteries on hand. 

Spin Master, makers of these and other PAW Patrol toys, offers a wide variety of PAW Patrol products. If these items don't fit your budget, you are sure to find a number of items that do. For those that wish to expand their Jungle Rescue crew, other PAW Patrol Jungle Rescue characters can be purchased separately. 

To read my take on some other PAW Patrol toys, please visit the following links:

PAW Patrol Air Patroller

PAW Patrol Paw Patroller

PAW Patrol Mission Chase

PAW Patrol Lookout Playset

Now... this pup's gotta fly! 

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post. *****

Girls' PAW Patrol Bedding Has Arrived and is as PAW-Rriffic as the Boys'!

   

My followers know that those in our household are avid PAW Patrol fans. Ok, well really it's the kids. But if they love it, at some point we have to embrace it too.

We were thrilled to hear that girls' PAW Patrol bedding is now available in the U.S. & Canada, and that more will be released later this fall. Many a Skye & Everest fan would enjoy traditionally feminine bedding, and it's nice to see that it's been added to the line. If I were younger, I'd want it for myself! 

You can now find girls' PAW Patrol Twin Sheets, a Twin/Full Reversible Comforter and a Plush Throw Blanket at Walmart, both in store and online. The sheets are cute as a button! The fitted sheet has a whole bunch of different pink and purple PAW Patrol decals. The flat sheet is lined with pink and purple stripes which feature PAW Patrol lingo. For kids with a double bed, the girls' version of the Full Sheet Set and Blanket is expected to be released this October. In the meantime though, the Twin/Full Reversible Comforter would a great first addition. The Twin/Full Comforter would be many a girl's dream with its polka dots, flowers and pink and purple colours. Not to mention that Sky & Everest are the main power pups prominently displayed. Girl power! The Plush Throw is soft, fluffy, and oh so cozy. We have the boys' version of all these, and my both my boys love it.

Speaking of the boys' version, it's just as PAW-riffic!  My youngest nearly flipped his lid when he saw the bedding for his room. The boys' sheet sets already come in both Twin and Full sets. In addition, they have a Twin/Full Reversible Comforter, a full sized Puppy Rescue Plush Blanket, and as previously mentioned, the Plush Throw. 

The Twin Sheet Sets retails for approximately $19.88USD/$29.94CAN, and the Full Sheet Sets for $29.98USD/$39.94CAN. The Twin/Full Reversible Comforter is about $29.88USD/$49.94CAN. For the full sized Plush Blanket, you're looking at $22.88USD/$39.94, and for the Plush Throw, $14.88USD/$24.94CAN. 

While I do think that children's licensed bedding in general is getting to be a bit expensive, the pricing of these items are competitive. Bedding should be a bit of an investment, given that one typically spends 8-10 hours a night in bed. You'd want it to go the long haul. When you factor in that PAW Patrol is a newer cartoon, as well as, the bright, bold patterns, it's practically a given that these will stay trendy for, at the very least, a few years to come. 

There are even more PAW Patrol items in select stores, and widely available at Walmart.com & Walmart.ca, such as the Mink Sherpa Throw and Cozy Hat & Throw Wrap Set.

In the U.S. specifically, they've also just launched a whole PAW Patrol bath decor & essentials line. They've got some great stuff in that line as well. No word yet on when the bath items will be available on Canadian shelves.

If your kids are fans of the PAW Patrol crew, then they'll love snuggling with them - all night long!

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post. *****

The PAW Patrol Air Patroller Flies Straight to your Heart!

   

Spin Master has recently added another great toy to their PAW Patrol line up! 

The PAW Patrol Air Patroller is a 2-in-1 rescue mission vehicle which goes from plane mode, to helicopter mode, simply by changing the direction of the engines. It has real working lights, and also has aircraft sounds that change based on which mode it's in. It also has propellers on each side which you can manually spin. Included with the Air Patroller is Robo Pup! Quite simply, the toy just wouldn't be complete without its pilot after all.

On the top, it has a carrying handle which allows greater manoeuverability for little hands. The handle is also particularly helpful when you bring it in for landing onto the ground, or on top of the PAW Patroller truck. Spin Master was smart, and knew exactly what they were doing when designing these toys. The Air Patroller will fit right into custom slots on top of the PAW Patroller truck so that it's secure when you need to utilize the Paw Patroller to transport the aircraft. 

Inside its cockpit, Robo Pup has a predetermined area that will secure him when in use. There is space for Ryder, or one other lucky pup, to be the co-pilot. In the cargo bay, you can fit up to 4 other pups to bring with you on your mission. For lights and sounds, simply depress the button on top of the plane.

The Air Patroller is designed for kids approximately 3-5 years of age, and weighs about a pound from what I can tell. 

Overall this toy is cool! The kids love it. My 3 year old in particular plays with it a fair bit, creating quite a few imaginary scenarios.  I love that you can incorporate this toy with others from the PAW patrol series, or simply play with it on its own. 

We did find the cargo bay to be a bit tough to open at first. After using it a few times, it has loosened up a bit, making it much easier to access. My oldest son said it would be nice if the batteries also made the propellers turn. While this may be true, we as parents, know that having that feature would drain batteries real quick! 

Speaking of batteries, they are included with this toy. It takes three LR44 batteries, which you can sometimes find at the dollar store. They can also typically be found where other regular household batteries are sold. 

The PAW Patrol Air Patroller is currently available at most toy vendors. It retails in the U.S. for approximately $35, and in Canada for approximately $50. 

Now, I'm off to the ruff-ruff rescue!

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post. *****

Be the Sidekick with PAW Patrol - Mission Chase!

      

As most of you know, we are huge PAW Patrol fans. Chase has been the top dog for my boys from the get go, and they were pretty pumped to learn that there was a new interactive Chase toy on the market!

The PAW Patrol - Mission Chase toy is geared towards kids ages 3-6 years of age. The toy affords them the opportunity to work interactively with Chase on 24 different rescue missions which are based off real PAW Patrol episodes. While on these "missions", children are encouraged to assist Chase by using a variety of gadgets in his transforming backpack, while following Chase's 130+ phrases and instructions. 

To activate a mission, simply depress his badge. Chase will announce the mission and then provide instruction and direction on how to help him solve the issue. Inside of Chase's transforming backpack is a spring loaded net launcher. Simply depress the proper button on his backpack and it will release and shoot the rescue net, which flies a few feet. The other side of his backpack contains a real working searchlight which doubles as a megaphone. For those worried about noise from the megaphone, fear not - it isn't loud like a real one is! The searchlight is pretty cool during night-time play. Like the net launcher, the searchlight and megaphone are mobilized by pushing the appropriate buttons for activation. The gadgets can then be easily folded back into their slots, and secured by gently closing the backpack hatches.

Chase moves his head while talking and will sit and stand up. He also likes to howl in approval and excitement throughout play. Chase will help your child by telling them which gadget to choose if they initially choose the wrong one. This is great if your child gets easily frustrated. Chase encourages them to try again and succeed.  The toy also has an on/off switch, which most parents appreciate on children's toys. 

Some young children who have limited dexterity might have a bit of difficulty reloading the net until they get the hang of it. The searchlight is not super bright but I suspect that it was done that way to conserve battery power. Seeing as it's geared for kids ages 3-6 years, for me, it's not an issue. It would be nice if it came in a bilingual version but that might already be on the table for the next generation of this toy. It is quite large in size, comparable give or take, to the proportions of an adult basketball. 

Overall, the PAW Patrol - Mission Chase toy is pretty awesome! It is unique and interactive, and I'm sure kids will love it. PAW Patrol - Mission Chase requires 4 AA batteries to operate, and the batteries are included with this toy. It retails for approximately $79.99CAN/$59.99USD and is available at most toy and department stores.

While it is definitely not the cheapest PAW Patrol toy on the shelf, you can save yourself on the cost by watching out for holiday sales. This is the perfect time of year to save money on toys! 

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****

Race To The Rescue With the Paw Patroller!

   

My kids love Paw Patrol, and like many, love to re-enact Paw Patrol rescue missions.  We previously received the Lookout Playset as well as Chase's Cruiser, Marshall's Firefightin' Truck and Rubble's Digg'n Bulldozer. They still enjoy playing with those items, but were particularly excited to get the new Paw Patrol Paw Patroller so that they can transport the pups and their vehicles to the next assignment! 

The Paw Patrol Paw Patroller is geared for children 3yrs and up. It does require 3 LR44 watch batteries, which thankfully are included. The only assembly required was to place the 2 front seats into the cab of the truck, and affix the stickers.  

The Paw Patrol Paw Patroller allows for up to 6 vehicles and pups to be displayed when the patroller is fully opened into a command centre. When closed and in transport mode the patroller can hold up to 3 vehicles and their pups. It comes with a sticker sheet to embellish the Patroller, as well as Ryder and his ATV. The Paw Patrol Paw Patroller features 5 sounds from the show that change each time the button is depressed. It has the sound of a vehicle backing up and running as well as honking, and also the tone Ryder sends to the pups' collars to mobilize them. It also has the sound of a hoist being elevated, which can go alongside the Paw Patroller's real working elevator used to lift the pups to the upper level of the Patroller. On its upper level, you will find a landing pad for Skye's helicopter, as well as a holder for Zuma's hovercraft propeller fans. The cab of the truck has 2 front seats allowing for Ryder to drive, and for some of the other pups to ride up front with him.  The elevator could be a bit difficult to latch on the upper level for the younger ones, but I'm sure they would get the hang of it quickly. Overall, it seems well constructed and fairly sturdy, particularly when it's in transport mode. The only thing I would add to the Paw Patroller vehicle itself is volume control, so that you can adjust how loud or how quiet the sounds are. 

The Paw Patrol Paw Patroller retails in Canada for approximately $79.99, and in the U.S. for about $59.99. It is available at various retailers such as Toys R Us, Walmart and Amazon. At this price point, particularly with regards the Canadian MSRP, it would have been nice to have all of the characters and their vehicles, or at least RoboDog, included as a complete set.  Though it does specify on the box that it includes Ryder and his ATV, the packaging could be a little bit misleading, as the images on the box show all of the characters and their vehicles inside the Paw Patroller. This could easily lend to someone assuming they were all included if they weren't carefully looking at the box and its contents. I suspect that the toy company likely didn't include all of them because the individual vehicles have been on the market for quite a while now and likely wouldn't be needed for most consumers. With that being said, the Paw Patrol Paw Patroller is an interchangeable toy and can also be used with just about any smaller sized vehicles such as dinky cars, which can further expand your child's creativity. And they will love it! In my mind, this is like Barbie & her camper. They go hand in hand and belong together. I suspect that it will be on many a child's Christmas list this year! 

For those in the U.S., the Paw Patrol Tour might be coming to a city near you this summer! The Paw Patrol Tour will be visiting state and county fairs from California, to Wisconsin, to Texas and many other stops in between from July 25th to October 4th, 2015. The tour will feature the Paw Patroller truck and trailer along with visits from Chase & Marshall. There will be giveaways, activities for the munchkins, as well as visits from popular Spin Master and Nickelodeon characters like Sick Bricks, Little Charmers, and Chubby Puppies!  Unfortunately this tour is not yet available in Canada, but I can promise you that if it does, I'll spread the word! My kids would be over the moon for it! 

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****

Sick Never Sounded So Good! Sick Bricks 3-in-1 Power-Up Playset Review

   

When I first heard about Sick Bricks, I wondered what on earth my son was talking about. Turns out that Sick Bricks is a free unique mobile app game that uses Optical Beaming Technology so that you can take your real-world Sick Bricks character figurines into the digital world of the app on your smart phone or tablet. The digital game app itself features Jack Justice as the hero who, along with the player and other characters, attempts to rebuild Sick City after being attacked by the wicked Overlord Omega. You can scan your real-world characters, which brings them into the actual digital game app!

The Sick Bricks 3-in-1 Power-Up Playset allows you to build 3 different configurations with the 57 Sick Bricks pieces that are essentially Legos. In addition to the bricks, you will find the stars of the show: 5 character figurines, 3 of which are exclusive to the playset.  Also included are a plastic Sick Bricks storage case, a Sick City backdrop and an instruction booklet for the 3 builds.  

The real-world characters included in this 3-in-1 Power-Up Playset are Rusty Nuggets, Tightpants, Fraken Studz, Testy Monkey and Doc Devio. The last 3 of which are the exclusive ones. You can mix and match the heads and bodies of these characters, along with the other characters, to unlock a variety of unique combinations, powers and abilities in the app. These also help to upgrade and reach new levels in the game. 

The bricks can be used to build 3 different structures. The 1st is the Throne of Power. Place your Sick Bricks character on top of the Throne of Power and beam them into your game with their increased powers! The 2nd configuration is the Sick Portal, which generates random characters. The 3rd is the Warped Gate. Once built, you can scan it into the app as well to unlock an exclusive section of the game! As previously mentioned, the bricks are exactly like Lego pieces. You could easily build up or add on to the 3 configurations with Lego pieces that you already have. Or you could incorporate these pieces into your child's existing Lego collection once built & scanned in. This is a huge plus, knowing that the pieces have a dual purpose. Even if a child doesn't have the app, they would enjoy building the sets and playing with the characters. 

To scan in a character, or the Warped Gate, all you have to do is tap the camera icon on the right hand side of the screen while the game is in session. Line up the digital outline of the character with the real one and scan it in to the game. While it might sound complicated to those that electronically challenged, it really isn't. If you click this link, it will demonstrate the concept of scanning them in.

It should be noted that the set does include small pieces. This is especially important if you have toddlers or infants around as they could pose a choking hazard. The game app itself is free to play, but the app does offer in-app purchases. While this is great if you actually want to purchase extra bricks, it's not so great if you have little ones who may accidentally purchase something without intending to. This can easily be remedied in advance by disabling in-app purchases on your device.  The game app is rated 9yrs+, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is only for those 9 years of age and older. The next rating down from 9yrs+ is 4yrs+. Like anything, you have to use your judgement to see if the app is appropriate for your child. I'm relatively conservative with our apps and very rarely allow our children to download apps that are rated 9yrs+. We usually stick to games that are rated 4yrs+. This, however, is one that we do let them play.  For specifications and details on the app itself, visit this link. 

All in all, I think this is a great product. I love the fact that you can incorporate some tactile fun off of their devices without them even realizing it. And being able to reuse the bricks with other Lego pieces adds additional value to for me. The only thing I would change is to have an improved storage case made of more durable plastic.  

The Sick Bricks 3-in-1 Play-Up Playset is best suited for kids 6 years and up. In Canada, it retails for approximately $21.99, and in the U.S., it is approximately $17.99. Some independent toy shops may charge more. 

Sick never sounded so good!

Happy scanning! 

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****

Magical Flying Tinkerbell Fairies are Fluttery Fun for Everyone!‏

   

InfoMommy is giving away 1 Magical Flying Tinkerbell on Twitter and one on Facebook! Giveaway ends mid-February 2015, so enter now! Good luck!

I love unique things, and the Disney Magical Flying Tinkerbell Flutterbye Fairy is definitely that! At first glance, this toy is geared towards girls. We don't care at all if our sons want to play with girl toys and/or vice versa. But now that my oldest son is in school, he thinks that girl toys are gross.  When he first learned that I was acquiring this toy for review, he was excited! And we joked with him, teasing "I thought you said 'girl' toys were gross?!" His response? Whispering.... "It's ok Mom, I'll just hide it under my bed when someone comes over!" LOL After trying it out, I really don't think he's going to hide it under his bed when someone comes over. I seriously think he would get his friends in on the action as he love, love, loves her! So much so that we sometimes refer to her as his girlfriend and he blushes. 

The toy is cool! It's practically a doll helicopter! It literally lifts off of the base similar to what a chopper would do. She will fly and you can "help" her to move up and down and around by putting your hand underneath her feet. She can sense your hand underneath her, so you don't need to physically touch her. You just need to place your hand a couple of inches under her feet and she will go up! 

To see a detailed video on how the fairies work, simply click here: Instructional Video.

The instruction sheet indicates that this toy is for indoor use only, as she will sometimes get "stuck" on the ceiling. While she's not physically attached to the ceiling, her head will float along the ceiling, and you have to push the base to get her back down again to re-launch her. After seeing this, I can totally picture her flying away on the person using it if they were outdoors and respect that recommendation completely. If you think that seeing a child's helium filled balloon floating away is heartbreaking for them, imagine what it would be like to have their Flutterbye Fairy fly off into the universe! It would be catastrophic to say the least, so definitely keep this one inside! 

As with many toys on the market, I would recommend monitoring your child while they play with it, as it is designed for kids 5yrs+. The packaging also advises to keep long hair tied back and away from the toy. It would be very hard to get your hair caught in this thing, as you would know it's coming near you. But I supposed if there was a younger sibling around who didn't know to block her with their hands, then the slight risk might exist. My toddler was startled a bit by it initially, but once he realized that we were ok with it and enjoyed it, he was fine and enjoyed it too. Once again, just like with most toys, monitor your child playing with it.

Once you open up the package for the first time, simply place six (6) AA batteries inside the charging base, which looks like a royal pillow. Turn the base on and put the fairy on it. The initial charge takes approximately 5-10 minutes, and subsequent charges take about 30 minutes or so. When you first put her on the base, the light will be red in colour. This means that she is charging. When the light goes out, she is fully charged. 

When it is time to fly her, be sure to do so in a decent sized room, free of any breakables.  Most of the time, she flies up and down. But there were a few times that she flew a bit off centre and seemed like she was flying away from you across the room. This makes for a good laugh, but if you have knick knacks or other breakables and this happens, it could knock them over. If she flies into a wall or other surface, she will stop flying and fall to the ground, where you can simply pick up her and put her back on the base to fly again. To bring her down once she's up in the air, you can press the base one time to get her to come down slowly or press it twice to get her to drop immediately. 

The toy seems pretty sturdy, and though sometimes a wing can get knocked off when she falls to the ground, they are very easy to re-attach. Once you get the hang of her and how she operates, it becomes easier to manage her so that she doesn't come crashing to the ground. If one of her wings do fall off, simply put it back on as shown in the instruction video, and be sure that it's pointing down, not up into the air.  

In my experience, within the last 7 days of use, you can usually get approximately 30 minutes of flying time before you need to recharge her again. For the week, we flew her about 1-3 times daily, meaning we charged her once to three times per day. With that flying time, our original AA batteries lasted for approximately 6 days. The more your child plays with her, the quicker the batteries will drain. Note: The instructions advise not to use rechargeable batteries in this product, and the regular batteries required to operate the toy are NOT included. So be sure to buy some and include them with the toy!

Overall, we love this toy. We all get a kick out of it! It would be nice at this price point if it came with the first set of batteries. I hope that their future generation fairies will require less batteries, as they can get to be expensive. Plus, you might typically have 1 or 2 extras lying around sometimes, but it's harder to come up with 6 batteries for the base unless you are prepared for that. I'd love to see them come up with a typical boy version as well. A Transformer, Spiderman or Ninja Turtle one would pretty awesome too! 

These Magical Flying Fairies retail for approximately $40-$45 here in Canada. The Tinkerbell Fairy in particular is sold exclusively at Walmart, but you can find other styles of fairies at other department and toy stores. I noticed in this week's Walmart flyer, that the Tinkerbell Fairy is on sale for $33.77. If you are planning on snatching one up, get it while you can save over $10! 

Happy fluttering y'all!

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****