LIV Maple Lodge

LIV Maple Lodge

Andy has spent the last year trying to get me to go camping or 'roughing it' (well I hope he was talking about camping anyway!) ... I wasn't convinced.  I need a proper bed, a fridge and my own loo .. I can't be doing with all this finding a big bush or tree to wee behind or heading off into a forest with a torch and a roll of Charmin. 
So Andy brought me a caravan :) I love my caravan so much that its clean and tidy (now if you can see my house you wouldn't expect my caravan to be tidy!).  

Anyway... so where is this going? or am I just prattling on about nothing?
Well LIV have brought out the "Its My Nature - Maple Lodge" which is slightly different from your normal play doll house.  For a start there is no pool, or wardrobe, or shoes, or real flushing toilet! this is because Maple Lodge is all about camping and living with nature.

The lodge folds out to create a good sized play house, but folds away to be able to store it easily.  This is a breath of fresh air (see what I did there? nature/fresh air!) for in our house as we had years of tripping over play doll chairs, beds, castles! and other HUGE equipment ... this one just folds away.

So what do you get with the Maple Lodge? There are 25+ accessories included in the set:
1 Sleeping Bag, 1 Hammock with stand. 1 Campfire that really lights up (how cool is that!), 2 Skewers, 2 Pots, 1 Pot rack with 2 hooks, 2 Plates, 7 Silverware, 1 Bowl, 2 Mugs, 1 Coffee pot, 2 Tree stump chairs, 1 Table, 1 Camera, 1 Muffin tin, 1 Milk/Egg carton, 2 Magazines, 1 Game board, 2 Placemats, 2 Hands of cards.

Now this is what confuses me ...... there are 2 placemats, 2 plates etc... but only 1 bowl! What if both dolls want cereal for breakfast?  Then you have things like 2 tree stump chairs (very authentic) but only 1 sleeping bag!! Do they have to play a board game or poker with the cards to work out who gets the sleeping bag? Does one doll get cold and hungry?  Then there is a muffin tray ... that'll be for whacking bears over the head with I suppose :)  My favourite accessory is the magazines ... well you need to wipe your dolls bum on something don't you ... did you see loo roll on the accessory list?

The lodge contains a fridge, cooker and cupboard, great for storing all the little bits and pieces that come with it :)

I do actually love this Maple Lodge, its really sweet.  Also goes really well with Nutmeg the Horse which I have also reviewed.

Available from Spinmaster in all good toyshops.
RRP £24.99

GloDoodle

GloDoodle

This toy is actually a very simple idea, yet really clever and imaginative. Sounds a bit contradicting but let me explain.

The GloDoodle is a see-through box, but the top layer is the drawing screen. You can put anything underneath it and using the special pen (or your finger) trace the outline of the picture or object underneath.

You can copy your favourite colouring book pages, practice your writing, trap and trace your pet hamster (not recommended) ... even trace your best friends face. The possibilities are endless.

So unlike the etch-a-sketch toys you don't have to think of something to draw, you just find something and draw it.

There are 3 colour settings to draw in, an erase function, a stylus pen and an instruction manual. The unit requires 3 x AA batteries to work (not included).

Great for the car, plane, train, afternoon at Grans ... no mess, no fuss, easy to pack and carry.
The GloDoodle is brilliant suitable for ages 3+, with supervision younger children could use this product to practice hand/eye control.

For more information please visit:
http://www.spinmastertoys.co.uk/
www.glodoodle.com

RRP: £19.99

Bendaroos

Bendaroos

Wax ... magical wax that you can bend, twist, mould and form to make different shapes - no paint, no mess, no worries .... totally brilliant !!

I am impressed, when I first looked at the set I thought "Oh no modeling clay!" but it isn't. Bendaroos are thin strands of coloured wax that stick to each other, won't stain your hands or clothes and won't get stuck in the carpet. Very clever stuff.

Each kit comes with everything you need to make at least 4-8 items depending on the size of the kit. Templates are included to help you copy the shapes required and also a set-by-step instruction book for making more complicated items. The templates are picture based so no reading required ... this is great as with the kits being 5+ younger children can play without Mum's help (although supervision is required).

But whats the most impressive feature apart from the wax being family friendly? It is re-usable! You can create and re-create ... so if it all goes wrong the first time, try again.
Bendaroos are a good classic craft kit with no-tears formula. Great stocking fillers for all ages from 5 years upwards.

RRP: £14.99 a set
http://www.spinmastertoys.co.uk/

My rating: 9/10

LIV Fashion Dolls

LIV Fashion Dolls

Daniela, Sophie, Katie & Alexis BBF's in the land of fashion dolls.

So whats different about LIV dolls compared to other brands?

The main exciting feature is their hair.

Remember when after a few months your beloved fashion dolls hair got really ratty, the nylon strands sort of go fluffy from over brushing and you were forever cutting hairbands out of the tangled mop of fuzz? Well LIV fashion dolls come with 'spare hair' :)

Each doll is packaged with the actual doll, accessories (for example: hairbrush, bag, clothes, ear rings) and 2 wigs. One 'hair to wear' on the doll and another to style, trim and generally do what you want with without Mum screaming "Don't cut its hair! Oh!".

Everyone knows that little girls like to cut hair, LIV doll hair doesn't grow back ;) but I am sure you can probably purchase 'wig kits' for LIV girls to replace their chopped locks.

When my husband was little he chopped all the hair off of his sisters Barbie Dolls, she wasn't impressed ... so was further upset to discover that her other brother had wee'd in her Barbie House toilet and flooded the bottom floor.

LIV dolls are are Barbie -size, their bodies are fully-articulated. They do not have massive misshaped heads or look like aliens, it looks like they have inset "glass"-style eyes as well which is a really good quality.

In comparison to other fashion dolls they are quite pretty, with a slogan of 'Real Girls - Real Life' they aren't too far off of the mark. Obviously if they ever made a doll based on my life the clothes would have to be much much wider but the pretty facial features are spot-on (I wish!).

With each doll you also get a code to access LIV World http://www.livworld.com/ a website dedicated to LIV dolls. Apparently there is each dolls diary online and some interactive features.

The VIP access code seems from what I have researched to only last a year, after a year to gain access you will need a new code, so will have to buy another doll. Maybe they will introduce codes onto accessories in the future?? who knows??

Liv fashion dolls, Daniela, Sophie, Katie and Alexis, will be available from the 1st of November from Argos, Toys R Us, The Entertainer and all good toy stores

RRP £19.99 per doll.

Age 5+ ... aimed at girls aged 6-10 years

For additional information please visit: http://www.spinmaster.co.uk/

My rating: 9/10

Emma's rating: 10/10 especially Sophie as that's her favourite.