CBeebies star Justin Fletcher is a household name in any home that includes a toddler or pre-schooler. No-one could fail to be charmed by his larger than life personality and infectious grin! His hit show Something Special encourages children to explore the world around them and uses the internationally recognised sign language Makatron to enhance communication. Justin's alter ego Mr Tumble sends things for Justin to find in his magical Spotty Bag and adds laughter and surprises to this colourful and fun-filled show.
Golden Bear are launching a brand new range of Something Special toys aimed at fans of the show. Children can now have their very own Mr Tumble toys and interact further with his on screen antics. Freddy received a selection to see what he thought of them!
He received a cute and cuddly Mr Tumble Activity Toy that has a smart waistcoat and bow tie. Press his hand and he speaks one of six phrases. His nose also lights up with a rosy glow! Freddy enjoyed cuddling his new friend.
The Pick and Match Pairs Game consists of 36 different pairs of large size, sturdy cards. Each pair includes a picture of a character, icon or object from the show along with an illustration of its Makatron sign demonstrated by Justin. The cards can be used to play match pairs using an appropriate number of paired cards to suit the ages and ability of the child. It is a great memory enhancing game that children can play with their parents. Freddy enjoys finding matching pairs (even though a little bit of peeking goes on!) The cards can also be used to teach Makatron signs and improve vocabularly.
The Mr Tumble Phone is a snazzy yellow spotty mobile with three different character discs that can be inserted into a slot in the handset to allow the different characters to talk. They speak different phrases allowing the child to interact with them. Freddy chatted to Mr Tumble and accepted an invitation to go for tea and cake with Aunt Polly and Grandad Tumble! The discs can be stored in the back of the handset and their is a handy clip to attach the phone to a child's pocket. The volume on demo mode is quite loud, but removing the plastic tag reduces the sound level to protect little ears.
As you can see from the photos above, Freddy loved playing with the Something Special Toys. He recognised them as being Mr Tumble and immediately interacted with the toys. I wish I could have had the cuddly Mr Tumble when he was younger. It will be a lovely toy for a very young child to have. His plush body, woolly hair, textured fabric clothes and opening waistcoat are really tactile and the light up nose and spoken phrases make it perfect for multi-sensory play. For an older child, he is a fun companion to hug!! The phone is great for pre-schoolers, offering scope for imaginative roleplay. The cards are excellent for language development, memory skills, learning Makatron and for playing games. They are very versatile.
Golden Bear has done a great job in bringing the fun, colour and humour of the show to the range. Something Special fans and fans of Justin alike will love these toys. I'm sure they will be very popular and find themselves on a lot of Christmas wish lists this year.