The Roaring Raa Raa Review

Back in July Leo and I were invited to mi-commsPR Christmas in July event. Unfortunately as much as we would have loved to attend and see all of the exciting new toy's that Santa's Elves have been busily preparing throughout the year...We had already made arrangements and could not be in attendance. 

However I have had the pleasure of having a look through all of the press releases, and I can say that Christmas 2012 is going to have some fabulous new toy's for those special little people in our lives. 

My firm favourites were:

- JCB Kids - My First Talking JCB Assorted Vehicles

- Roaring Raa Raa

- The Mookie ScrambleBug

Leo has recently been sent the new Tomy Roaring Raa Raa to have a play with, and to put through it's paces. Raa Raa is the big star of the popular Cbeebies television programme and there is a wide selection of new Raa Raa goodies on there way.

Roaring Raa Raa is a big plush lion with the ability to roar! He has a big plastic nose and two button size plastic eyes. Raa Raa's mouth even has 4 plastic teeth, which have gone down a treat with Leo, as he thinks it is so funny when Raa Raa bites Mummy!

If you push down on Raa Raa's head he will reward you with a roar. If you hold his head down long enough for Raa Raa to say 'Get ready for my loudest roar!' Raa Raa will let out his biggest and most triumphant roar from the very pitt of his belly. He will then question whether or not he made you jump! Which I have to admit...The first time Leo and I heard his loudest roar, I was not expecting it and yes he did make my heart beat a little faster than usual.

When Raa Raa roars not only does he put all his effort into the roar it's self, he also flails his arms around to correspond with his almighty king of the jungle presence. A really great aspect of Raa Raa for me is that the voice over is used consistently between the television show and the toy. Older children can always tell when a voice is not authentic to the one they have become accustomed to, and it makes all the difference for them.

I know when I was younger, if the characters voice did not match the programme...I was not a very happy little girl.

Raa Raa has flat feet (this is where you insert the battery's and turn Raa Raa on and off) but this aspect is great, as it means you can stand him on the floor or on the table, and he will withstand some knocks before he falls backwards. Raa Raa's head is easy to push down for little one's, teaching them all about cause and effect. 

What does Leo think?

When Raa Raa arrived with us, I was just popping back in to see Leo on my lunch break from work. Of course I could not resist getting Raa Raa all opened up and to show Leo exactly what this little lion could do. From that very first roar Leo was in awe, and kept attempting to push Raa Raa's head down himself. Leo found this a little tricky but I put that down to age, the toy is recommended for children 18 months plus, and Leo is now 13 months. 

We have had older children around who happen to be that little bit older than Leo, and they have been very pleased with Raa Raa. They have even been able to make him roar all by them selves.

Despite Leo not being able to push Raa Raa's head down independently, he still loves me to do it for him, so he can hear the roar and watch him flail his arms around. Leo also loves to pick up Raa Raa and carry him around the house. He is obviously very impressed by his new friend from the jungle.

Roaring Raa Raa is sure to put a smile on many children's faces this year. I have been very impressed with the quality and most importantly the play value of Raa Raa, and seeing Leo play happily with it is what it is all about for me. I highly recommend this little lion and his abundance of fun this Christmas.

Roaring Raa Raa can be purchased from Toys R Us, Amazon and other online retailers for a RRP of £29.99.

It's Christmas at John Crane!

I have a love for traditional wooden toys, everything about them is just brilliant. They look great and they last allowing years and years of fun for future generations. I know so many people who have such toys from their own childhood that their own children now play with today. 

John Crane invited me along to their press day last Thursday for the un-veiling of their Christmas range, and to say I was excited is a bit of an understatement. John Crane were one of the first people I followed on Twitter and who took the time to welcome me into the Twitter community, and it was lovely to finally meet Helen and Amy, the people behind the Tweets.

I have to admit that with my return to work on Wednesday this week, I am already setting my sights on Christmas and all of the festivities. So with my heart in the right place and Luke's credit card firmly in my pocket I set off to Northampton to see what Santa may be leaving under my Christmas tree this year. 

I arrived at John Crane's new premises and followed the John Crane sign's like a yellow brick road up to the show room, completely aware that I was just a few moments away from toy central. Being the big kid that I am I could not wait to open the double doors just ahead of me and look right into what could very easily be classed as Santa's grotto.

The show room was everything and more than I had imagined it to be. There were wooden treasures all over, set up in the most marvellous displays. Pirate ships out at sea, farm yards with all of the animals and great castles in all their glory. I quite honestly did not know where to feast my eyes next. 

I was greeted by Amy and Helen who both took the time to show me around and answer any questions that I had about the toy's. 

John Crane's own range is Tidlo but they also stock:

- Lilliputiens 

- Pin Toy

- Sevi

- Trudi

- B

Amy took me on a very welcome guided tour around the show room. I found my eyes wondering all around at the fabulous toys, and when I was instructed to have a play I did just that. I saw many toy's that are a bit too old for Leo this Christmas, but over the next few years they are exactly what I will be hoping Santa will bring for him.

Here is a selection of some of my favourites:

The Pirate Ship from Sevi: As soon as I laid my eyes upon this I thought 'Wow'. It is detailed with a crows nest, port holes, an anchor, captain's helm and goodness knows what else. I could in vision future Leo playing with it in my mind's eye and saw the play value jump right out in front of me. It is a beautiful toy that comes complete with all of the crew and contains 23 pieces in all. The Pirate Ship encourages imaginative play which I feel is essential.

The Pin Toy Ride on Digger: Amy showed me this great working toy, that even allows you to scoop! It has been developed over 18 months and has been put to the test to make sure it does exactly what it says on the box. It is every little boy's dream to have a working digger, in fact it was even my dream as a child, being the tom boy that I was. The digger scoop can turn left, right and also move up and down. I would love to find this under my Christmas tree this year! I mean....with Leo's name on it of course!

The Tidlo Kitchen Station: This has been on my Christmas list for Leo for months now. I fell in love with this kitchen as soon as I saw it. It includes a hob, oven, sink and all the utensils you need to cook up a storm. It is an ideal size for young toddlers and the smart red design oozes appeal to all budding young chefs. It is for 3 years and over so again we have a little bit of a wait before he is really ready for it. However this is something that I will be buying sooner rather than later. Leo will love this with the doors and all of the utensils there are to play with.

The Pin Toy City Police Station: It was all set up and ready for action, little wooden police men were all in form ready for a busy day in the station. It features a large front window offering views of the reception desk and waiting room area. There is also a jail to allow the little one's (or the parent's) to make sure all the trouble maker's are behind bars!

The Tidlo Acorn Garage: As a child I used to love playing with car's and I even had my very own garage. I spent hours pushing the car's up and down the ramps making up games as I went along. I could see that the same play value would be met by my little man and he could start enjoying something like this from now. The garage is spread over Three levels which you can get to using the slopes or the lift. It also has it's own filling station for when your cars are low on fuel and a car wash to keep your cars looking nice and shiny! This great set includes seven different coloured cars and a ‘garage and car service' sign.

I could quite easily go on and on telling you all about the amazing range of different toy's that are available for your little one's to add to their Christmas List's this year, but I know you would be much more excited by the collage of photos I have created of the magical John Crane show room. 

So without further adieu here are some more of my favourite toys available this year!

I would like to thank John Crane, Helen and Amy for hosting a lovely event and for putting on such a lovely buffet lunch after allowing us to have a look around the magical show room, and finally for letting all of us Mummy bloggers have a sit down and a gossip.

It was great to meet Roz at Life, love and lollipops, thank you ever so much for allowing me to give your gorgeous little man a big squeeze! Clare at Emmy's Mummy, I hope you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy with your little man, and Leta at Attachment Mummy it was great to meet you again and thank you ever so much for dropping me back at the train station after such a lovely day!

Christmas at John Crane is set to be very exciting and judging by all that I have seen, the Elves have been very busy so far this year! 

What will you have under your Christmas tree?