ToyTalk: Toy news, reviews and features

Peppa Pig’s Party coming to a theatre near you

E1 Entertainment is bringing Peppa Pig to a theatre near you, as Peppa Pig’s Party gets ready to tour the UK.

Seven UK venues have been confirmed for the autumn run, with a further 60 venues to be announced for 2010. Peppa Pig’s birthday will be the theme of the production, which will mix the loveable characters from the TV show with songs and audience participation.

Booking is now taking place through the Peppa Pig Live website.

Produced by Fiery Angel, which already has LazyTown, The Fimbles and Hi-5 shows to its credit, Peppa Pig’s Party will feature puppetry from Nigel Plaskitt and music from LazyTown composer Mani Svavarsson. Richard Lewis will direct.

“Bringing one of the UK’s best-loved children’s programmes to the stage is both a wonderful treat for her fans and a marvellous opportunity to raise the already high public awareness of the brand even further,” said E1 Entertainment’s Hannah Mungo. “ But we would not have attempted it without a partner that could provide a strong background in high-quality theatre production and an in-depth understanding of the children’s entertainment market.

“Fiery Angel clearly offers these qualities as well as the creative talent and experience needed to bring the fun, warmth and laughter of Peppa Pig to the stage – and we feel sure that children and their parents will agree when they see this delightful show.”

Peppa Pig’s Party 2009 dates
30 September–4 October, Exeter Northcott
7 & 8 October, Preston Charter Theatre
10 & 11 October, Grove Theatre Dunstable
14–17 October, Bath Theatre Royal
21–25 October, Nottingham Theatre Royal
28 & 29 October, Hayes Beck Theatre
30 October–1 November, Hackney Empire

John Crane gets in touch

The new Touch and Feel puzzles from John Crane have a surprise in store for little fingers.

First of all, they will enjoy fitting the four shaped pieces into the corresponding holes in the puzzle boards.

Then they will notice that each hole is lined with realistically patterned fur and fleece fabric for extra sensory stimulation.

There are two puzzles to choose from – a Safari puzzle, with monkey, cheetah, lion and zebra pieces, and a Farmyard puzzle, with cow, sheep, pig and duckling pieces.

The Touch and Feel puzzles are priced around £10 each.

Manhattan Toy brings on the Babees

The Babees are a cute collection of cuddly baby animals from Manhattan Toy, designed to appeal to babies and toddlers. The pastel colours, friendly faces and soft fabrics should ensure these become popular companions.

Brontee leads the way (and thankfully won’t ever grow to full size) and is joined by Stegee, Polee, Duckee and Elee.

Each character stands about 15cm high and is priced around £9.80.

A toy van from Le Toy Van

The long summer holidays are approaching and Le Toy Van has a new Camper Van for its dolls to get away in.

Measuring over a foot long, the van is finished in pastel shades and comes with a set of accessories including a quilt and pillows for the bed, cooking utensils and a surfboard.

The new Camper Van is priced around £29.99.

Relive the Battle of Hoth

LEGO has been producing Star Wars sets for 10 years, and to mark the anniversary you can now recreate the famous Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back.

The Echo Base set includes the first ever LEGO Tauntaun, ridden by Han Solo in Hoth gear. There are also two Snowtroopers and two Rebel soldiers (who look rather pleased to see the Snowtroopers – we’ll see how long those smiles last).

The Rebels have a defensive trench and flick-firing laser battery (which stands 89mm tall and has an opening turret door), while the Snowtroopers have a heavy blaster and sinister snow masks.

In the film, the Empire’s forces blew Echo Base into a million pieces, but in this set you’ll have to make do with 155. It’s suitable for ages 7–12 and is priced around £21.50.

Enemy sighted!

Character’s H.M. Armed Forces figures have had things their own way up until now, but it’s all about to change with the launch of the new Enemy Mercenary Figure.

This 10in. soldier doesn’t fight for queen or country, but for money. That doesn’t mean he isn’t motivated, however, and with a formidable armoury consisting of an assault rifle, pump-action shotgun and pistol with leg holster, you’ll take him lightly at your peril.

A removable tactical vest, stitched fabric uniform and removable helmet with visor complete the high-detail finish. It looks like this figure means business.

The H.M. Armed Forces Enemy Mercenary Figure is priced around £14.99, for ages five and up.

Get hooked on fishing

Learning Resources’ Pretend & Play range has a new addition with the launch of the new Fishing Set.

For anglers aged three and up, the set comes with a fishing rod (with magnetic hook), three worms and three fish, plus a tackle box and adjustable fishing jacket.

A six-page activity booklet is packed with fishing-themed fun, including matching the worms to the fish, which helps to reinforce size and colour recognition.

The Pretend & Play Fishing Set is priced around £28.60.

Happy days with Happy Mais

Eco toy specialist Asobi has brought the Italian-made construction toy Happy Mais to the UK. Launching this month, the environmentally friendly toy comprises colourful building pieces made from Mater-Bi, a corn starch material that is biodegradable and compostable.

Simply by wetting the pieces, they can be made to stick to each other (or to wood, glass and plastic) to create colourful models. The pieces come in three different shapes and you can also cut them to make customised shapes.

“We are particularly pleased that with Happy Mais we are not just introducing a product with outstanding play value, but also one with exceptional ‘green’ credentials,” commented Asobi’s Thierry Bourret.

Sets start around £3.50.

Look the part with the Armed Forces Utility Belt

Young adventurers won’t want to leave home without the new H.M. Armed Forces Utility Belt Set, from Character. The set includes a water bottle and torch (requires a single AA battery, not supplied), plus camouflaged pouches for carrying them.

The belt, decorated with the H.M. Armed Forces logo, is 34 inches long and fastens with a tough plastic clip. It is priced around £12.99.

Scalextric rallies round its latest release

A rally track is not the place you would normally expect to see a Ferrari, but the Ferrari 308 GTB performed well in this demanding environment. Having started out as a test car, the 308 was originally intended to race at Le Mans, but following its introduction at the Paris Salon in October 1975, it moved into rallying.

The new Scalextric model recreates the FIA Group 4 rally car made by Makela Auto Tuning in 1977 and is part of Scalextric’s high-detail classic car range.

A rubber door mirror and aerial enhance durability (important in a rally car!) and it can be converted to digital in 30 seconds with the C8515 Digital Chip. It is priced around £40.