Bob The Builder - A Toys R Us Toyologist Review

Do you remember I told you that Top Ender and Baby Boy had been asked to be Toyologists by Toys R Us? Well we have tested all the toys to the best of our extent from our first parcel and the first review we are posting is a Bob The Builder Dancing Bob toy which retails at £19.99.

The Dancing Bob sings and dances to a song which is turned on and off by pushing Bob's hand and for the first week, we only ever got the intro to the song as Baby Boy loved that he was able to control it by squishing Bob's hand! As soon as we got Baby Boy to realise that there is a dance associated with Bob's song then we managed to get Baby Boy to dance along.

So I present to you Bob The Builder, with backing dancers (who are actually in the foreground) Top Ender and Baby Boy and a guest appearance from Geoffrey the Toys R Us Giraffe!

If we get enough requests, we might even post the video of Daddy and I dancing along...

Toyologists? What on earth is a Toyologist?

In the run up to Top Enders being born, Daddy and I would often go out of an evening and wander round a shop or two. Top Ender loved to be up late, and watching TV and staring at the same four walls whilst being kicked from the inside just wasn't cutting it for us. We used to drive to Toys R Us in Bedford as it had late night Christmas Opening times and walk round looking at all the toys and seeing what we would like.

Eventually in 2005 Toys R Us found a site for a store in Milton Keynes and Daddy and I were thrilled that we could start going to a local store instead with our baby. Several years later and we still love the Milton Keynes store, not only because it is HUGE but because all of us (Baby Boy included) love to walk round and look at the toys and what we would have if our house was bigger!

It was with great interest that I replied back to the email from Geoffrey (you know the Toys R Us Giraffe, of  "there's millions of Geoffrey's all under one roof" fame) about becoming a Toyologist. And after some careful consideration I agreed that Top Ender and Baby Boy would become Toyologists and Daddy and I would be their assistants!

We were invited down to Bucklebury Farm Park in Berkshire to meet the other Toyologists and to have a bit of a tea party and as Daddy was at work I took my Mum (AKA Granny). I had explained to her what it was we were going to and why and it was then that she exclaimed;

"Toyologists? What on earth is a Toyologist?"

"Not a what, a who. Your Grandchildren are going to be Toyologists for Toys R Us" I explained

"Is it to do with that blog thing you do?" she said (I could hear her eyes rolling)

"Yes Mum" I sighed

"Your going to put this conversation on there aren't you?" she said resignedly

"Yes Mum" I said Smugly (Love you Mummy!)

Top Ender and Baby Boy had a great time and Top Ender even discovered that TB (GlowStars and Urbanvox eldest) isn't evil despite being a boy! They played in the playground, in the sandpit, on the slides, sat next to each other and even talked in Horse to each other. As I was the only one who could translate Horse it might of just been me making things up, but they didn't care. Well, not until I announced that TB had just asked Top Ender to marry him...

Whilst we grown ups had a little question and answer session about how the Toyologist programme is going to work, Granny took Top Ender and Baby Boy to play on some of the fab things at the Farm (such as a huge jumping pillow, a lot of slides, a zip slide sort of thing and a playground) and also they went and talked to a few animals and snacked on the cookies and muffins that had been laid out for us all to share.

After this we were all brought back together as it was time to open our first box of toys. Top Ender and Baby Boy got Granny and I to remove the tape and then they dived in pulling toys from the box and working out what was the best thing to look at first. There was a lot of toys and both Top Ender and Baby Boy exclaimed "COOL!" more than once as they examined the contents.

After this we went on a Tractor ride to see the Japanese Sika, Axis and Fallow deer that are at the Farm. We were allowed to feed them and as you can see from the photos they weren't shy!

We went home, happy but tired and with a huge dollop of excitement over playing with some new toys. I hope that you will enjoy the reviews that we do over the next few months and remember that anything we say is the truth, we aren't being paid to be nice (we aren't being paid at all, but you know what I mean) and hopefully it might give you some ideas about Christmas gifts!

What Pippa did next...

Oh Hi! Welcome back, come on in and sit yourself down. I know I have been a bad blogger and haven't posted for a couple of days and if I had my way I wouldn't be posting right now but I ended up editing a blog post for Daddy for tomorrow (come back then, its funny) and thought I should probably say Hi to you all whilst I was here!


I have been really busy this past week. No really I have been.

Last Saturday and Sunday, Daddy and I started to clear out our loft. A lot was easy to decide if it should be thrown away or given away and we cleared it very quickly. It was the bags (and bags and bags) of clothes that was hardest for me. I cried, not because I wanted to keep the clothes (although I did keep some things) but because my babies aren't babies anymore. It was mentally exhausting as well as physically tiring.

Then on Wednesday I went to Leeds to visit with Asda. Wow. I want to work at Asda House, it was huge and had a really cool machine thingy that you had to answer questions (like your name and who you were there to see, and what company you were from) and then it took your picture! The machine would of been coming home with me if I didn't have to worry about taking it on the train. Whilst I was there I got to spend time with Amy from And one more means Four......and 1 more, and Him Up North from The Blog Up North, and Jay from  mocha beanie mummy and Maria from Mummy's Busy World as well as the Asda team!

Lets just say for now that I don't think Asda will be inviting me back anytime soon after sausagegate... I will however spill the beans this week!

Then on Thursday I went to Legoland to have breakfast with Nutella and then spent the day at Legoland in the park. It was crowded, it was hot, it was fantastic and Baby Boy walked the whole day without going in the buggy as we left it in the car on purpose. I have a lot to say about Legoland and Nutella, and I will do at some point this week.

Friday I was exhausted. I spent most of the day on the floor in the living room with Top Ender and Baby Boy sitting on me, building things with Duplo and Lego and occasionally DVD boxes. We have a rather large number of DVD boxes.

Saturday I was up at the crack of dawn again and on my way to Bucklebury Farm Park to meet with the other Toys R Us Toylogists. It was only when one of the team said that they had boxes to give us that I noticed them in the corner of the marquee! I have lots more to say about this too, but it will be at some point this week... honest!

And then today. Today was Sunday. We prayed, we played and I read. And now I am off to bed, so that tomorrow I can clean up before Hayley comes round on Wednesday...