Best Ride-On

Kiddimoto won our Ride-On category in the inaugural ToyTalk Awards, back in 2009, and the balance bike-maker is at it again with the new Kurve. Once more, quality of production is evident on these gorgeous ride-ons, which are available in a huge range of designs that will appeal to boys and girls alike.

The balance bike philosophy is that it’s pointless to teach a young child to rely on stabilisers when they first make the move to a two-wheeler. The Kurve has a comfy saddle and chunky handlebars, but nary a stabiliser in sight.

Instead, youngsters develop their balancing skills by scooting themselves along with their feet. On downhill sections they will soon be confident enough to pick their feet up, whereas with stabilisers they would never develop the balance necessary for this.

The upshot is that when they are ready to move up to a ‘proper’ bike, they will find it much easier to learn how to ride it – in the meantime, they’ll look pretty smart riding around the park on their beautiful Kurve, whichever colour scheme they opt for.

Award Winner
Kurve
Company: Kiddimoto
Age range: 2–6 years
Approx. price: £59.99
Online retailers: johnlewis.com, evanscycles.com, whywoodworks.co.uk
Retail outlets: John Lewis, Jojo Maman Bébé, Evans Cycles
Online video: kiddimoto.co.uk/content/video

Reviewers’ comments: It looks fabulous… Attracted a lot of attention in the park… Looks great and helps with learning to ride a bike.

 

Highly Commended
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Light Up Scooter by Ozbozz
Company: Ozbozz
Age range: 5+
Approx. price: £29.99
Online retailers: play.com, amazon.co.uk
Retail outlets: Toys R Us, The Entertainer, Toymaster

The Clone Wars theme is well-nigh irresistible to boys in the target age group for this bright, eye-catching scooter, but that’s only part of the story, because it’s also an excellent product in its own right.

 

Highly Commended
Trunkisaurus
Company: Magmatic Ltd
Age range: 3–6 years
Approx. price: £37.99
Online retailers: trunki.com, amazon.co.uk, play.com
Retail outlets: John Lewis, Selfridges, Harrods
Online video: youtube.com/watch?v=4eZhb8_4Z0I

The Trunki concept has been given a makeover of (pre)historic proportions with these great dinosaur-themed additions to the range. You can also buy sticker sheets (around £1.99 each) to make your Trunkisaurus even more eye-catching.

 

Highly Commended
Neon Mini Micros
Company: Micro Scooters
Age range: 3–5 years
Approx. price: £59.95
Online retailers: micro-scooters.co.uk
Online video: micro-scooters.co.uk/category/ages-2-5/

These cool mini scooters are bursting with character thanks to their bright neon colour schemes, inspired by Stabilo highlighter pens. Research has also shown that the different colours evoke very different emotions in youngsters. Yellow imparts energy, orange promotes sharing, while blue has a calming influence, so if you pick the right colour for your child, you might never get them off their new scooter!

 

Highly Commended
Play ’n’ Scoot Pirate Ship
Company: Little Tikes
Age range: 1–3 years
Approx. price: £39.99
Online retailers: argos.co.uk, amazon.co.uk, direct.tesco.com
Retail outlets: Argos, Mothercare
Online video: youtube.com/watch?v=vDJHdBNTxms

Piratical pre-schoolers around the country will enjoy this multi-purpose toy – it’s a ride-on that will have any youngster dreaming of a life on the ocean waves, but it’s also a pirate ship playset, complete with figures, cannon and pirate flag. It even has built-in storage under the deck hatch.