Ben and Holly Magical Playground Playset - Swing with Holly Review

In the Little Kingdom, Holly is having fun swinging on her magical swing set.  The swings are attached to the stems of flowers making a colourful playground scene for the fairies and elves to enjoy! 

This swing playset is one of three interlocking sets, which connect together to create a bigger play area for the Ben and Holly figures.  The other two sets are a slide playset and a roundabout playset, each including a Holly figure. (It would have been nice to have each set come with a different character for variety, or you'll end up with three Hollies if you buy all three!  Freddy would have loved to see a Ben figure included.) 

The swing playset, is leaf shaped and features two flower swings and a toadstool.  Holly can sit in the swings and be pushed.  Holly also has a removable base, so when she is not being swung, she can stand up independently.

The quality is good and the playset is well made, colourful and perfect for fans of Ben and Holly, bringing the magic of the Little Kingdom to life.  I applaud the inclusion of a character so kids can play with the toy straight from the packaging.

It is priced at £9.95 and can be found alongside lots of other lovely Ben and Holly toys at Character Online.  

Freddy received the playset to review.

Milkshake! Stars DVD Review

Freddy loves watching some of his favourite TV shows to relax after a day at school , so the new Milkshake! Stars DVD is perfect for him.  With episodes from favourite shows such as Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly, Thomas and Friends, Tickety Toc, Jelly Jamm and Chloe's Closet, there is 149 minutes of fantastic fun for kids to watch and enjoy. They can dip in and pick favourite episodes to watch or can watch the DVD in its entirety, especially useful on long car journeys or when away on holiday to keep little ones entertained.

The DVD is out on September 8th.

Freddy is a big fan of the show Igam Ogam about a little cavegirl and her adventures.  The episode "I'm Bouncing" sees her on a veggie hopper that won't stop bouncing about.  It really makes Fred giggle!  Other favourites of his from the DVD are the Peppa Pig episode where George loses Mr Dinosaur and "Fun and Games" with Ben and Holly.  Altogether there are 15 full episodes from 15 different Milkshake! shows on the disc.  Freddy discovered some brand new things like Bert and Ernie and Pip Ahoy! as well as enjoying some old favourites.  It's a great value DVD, perfect for keeping little ones entertained.  At the moment you can pre-order it at Amazon for just £7.00.

If your kids are big Milkshake! fans, why not look out for the Milkshake! Live Party Party tour.   The theatre show features a number of the characters that feature on the DVD such as Bananas in Pyjamas, Tickety Toc, Chloe's Closet, Pip Ahoy!, Little Princess, Toby's Travelling Circus and Jelly Jamm.

You can find more information on the tour here.

http://milkshake.channel5.com/pages/milkshake-live

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Thistle Castle Playset Review

 Freddy is a big Nick Jr fan and Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom is a real favourite of his.  So when he was sent the Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom Thistle Castle Playset by Character, he was very excited to re-enact some of his favourite scenes from the show.

Thistle Castle is a magical toy with lots of hidden secrets that little ones will enjoy exploring. The playset comes complete with a Holly character, so children can play straight away.  It also comes with a bed and a treasure chest for added play value.

The playset can be attached to other playsets to build a bigger, more elaborate toy, but works well as a stand alone item.  The open plan design features Holly's bedroom and part of the kitchen downstairs.

The Holly figure comes complete with her crown, wings and magic wand. Holly's feet can be attached to a base so she can be free-standing.

Holly has a bed for her sleep in.  It isn't a fixed feature so it can be moved around.  There is a Holly shaped cut out in the mattress so she lies in the bed securely!

The toybox in Holly's room has a secret slide hidden beneath the lid.  Little hands can drop her through the hole.

The slide whizzes Holly down so she appears behind the door in the kitchen.  Perfect for a midnight snack!  There is a magical floating throne on the wall behind the door for more magical fun.

A secret door in the floor hides Nanny Plum's Book of Spell, perfect for when you need to turn somebody into a frog.  The treasure chest has disappearing treasure inside.

The cauldron has a spoon in it which can be stirred to mix the potion.

The spoon magically opens the store cupboard to show the food inside, and King Thistle's portrait disappears.

The attention to detail, such as the pictures on the walls and the magical features make this an exciting playset for little Ben and Holly fans.  Freddy wished it had come with his favourite character Ben Elf, but was happy enough making Holly the lead character in his imaginative games.

                        

You can add extra playsets and buy additional characters from the range, which are all scaled to be compatible.  They are suitable for children aged three and up.

The Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom Thistle Castle Deluxe Playset is available for £24.99 from Character Online and from other toy retailers.

http://www.character-online.com/products/Ben-and-Holly/Thistle-Castle-Playset/

Nickelodeon and Nick Jr available on NOW TV #NickelodeonNOWTV

Nick Jr and Nickelodeon are two of my children's favourite channels.  Home of shows such as Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom, Spongebob Squarepants, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol, they provide hours of entertainment for little ones. Nick Jr and Nickelodeon are now available to watch at anytime without a contract via the NOW TV Entertainment Month Pass.

To celebrate this they are launching the NOW TV Nickelodeon Swap Shop on Twitter and Facebook. Kids are being asked to draw pictures of their favourite Nick characters and mums and dads can Tweet their artwork with the hashtag #NickelodeonNOWTV.  It's a lovely excuse to get out the crayons and let the kids get creative as they draw one of Nick's colourful characters.

Every submission will receive a digital activity pack and will be entered into a competition to win one of fifty Nickelodeon goodie bags and a NOW TV Entertainment Month Pass.  Winning pictures will be showcased on the NOW TV Facebook page.  The Nickelodeon Swap Shop ends on August 17th.

Freddy has had a go at drawing his favourite characters from Nick Jr, Ben Elf, Princess Holly and Oona and Nonny from the Bubble Guppies.

Ben Elf

Oona and Nonny

Princess Holly

Big sister Ella didn't want to be left out from the fun of drawing Nick Jr characters so she drew Peppa Pig and family!

The NOW TV Entertainment Month Pass already lets customers watch hit shows on 12 of the UK’s best TV channels including Sky 1, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts 1, Discovery, MTV, Comedy Central, GOLD, Disney, FOX and now Nickelodeon & Nick Junior. It’s available on the NOW TV Box, PS3™, Roku, LG Smart TV, Xbox®360, Android™, PC and Mac, iPad® and iPhone®. 

For more information on NOW TV visit nowtv.com or follow on Twitter @NOWTV and facebook.com/NOWTV.

The Nick Jr Card-o-Matic - Free Festive Fun!

Little ones can make their own e-cards for the special people in their lives with the new free Nick Jr Card-o-Matic.  The  wonderfully animated Card-o-Matic machine is so easy to use and features all the Nick Jr favourites including  Ben & Holly, Dora and Peppa.  Kids will love watching as their designed card goes through the virtual online machine before being delivered onto the festive mantelpiece.  From there, they can be emailed or printed out and given in person.

It's as simple as this to make your own personalised e-card with the Nick Jr Card-o-Matic!

1:  Go to www.nickjr.co.uk/create/cardomatic.

2:  Choose between creating your own card, picking a ready made design or a picking colour in card.

3:  Select the character you want in your card.. Peppa Pig, Dora, Ben & Holly, Team Umizoomi or Bubble Guppies.

4:   Enter the 'to' and 'from' details and pick a font and colour scheme.

5:  Upload a photo and pick a frame.

6:  Personalise the card using the character kit.  Choose characters and scenes to personalise the front of your card.

7:  Watch as it wings its way onto the mantlepiece ready to be printed or emailed.

Here is one that Freddy made with me including a photograph on the front cover!

Have some free festive fun with your little ones with the Nick Jr Card-O-Matic....they will love it!