I just published a post about fun PLAYMOBIL play sets that bring the best part of summer (biking, barbecuing, camping…) into your home for many hours of play. You can check out that post here – Gear Up for Summer Fun with PLAYMOBIL.
Being outside and enjoying summer days and fresh air is an ideal situation, but summer time can also mean storms and weather too hot to enjoy. There are other times children cannot get outside to play. That means they need to find fun things to do at home.
I’m sure most kids have a plethora of toys and games they can play, however, if you are looking to introduce a few new toys and games to keep your child or children entertained, check out these toys and games from brands such as Vango, Squaregles, Bumpas, and even more from PLAYMOBIL. I’ve linked to each brand, but please note they are NOT affiliate links. I am linking to them for your convenience.
Vango #UpsideDownChallenge Backyard Edition
This summer, game night is about to be flipped upside down! Players attempt to complete seemingly easy activities such as tossing a ball into a cup, stacking cups into a pyramid or even just walking through an obstacle course made out of rings while wearing goggles that flip your vision upside down. It’s fantastic for game night, backyard barbecues, and picnics and will create hours of laughter and entertainment.
We have another #UpsideDownChallenge game at work. That game involves players challenges such as draw a specific things while wearing the upside down goggles. I can tell you from experience that it’s easier said than done. Even drawing a simple house can be difficult when the world is upside down. Once you get the hang of it it’s not as hard, but in the beginning you’ll end up with silly creations that may or may not even remotely resemble what you were attempting to draw. There are other challenges too.
With the #UpsideDownChallenge Backyard Edition, it takes the game to a whole new level. You might THINK it would be easy to do some of the challenges, but they are just that – challenges. It can be disorientating trying to movie around when things are UPSIDE down.
The googles have mirrors on the inside that alters the image that you see, causing you to see everything upside down.
The kids at work are CRAZY for this game. I have kids that vary in age (5-12). This game is for children 8+, but the younger ones have been able to do it.
I would recommend playing this game with an adult around, just to be safe. I’ve had to tell the kids NOT to try running around or fooling around with the googles on (non-game actions). I do it for safety reasons. I don’t want anyone to bump into anything.
It’s a fun game that would make a great addition to your next backyard barbecue. Even adults can have a blast with this game (doing it drunk…I wouldn’t recommend. Ha Ha).
You can find this game on Amazon. It retails for $29.99.
Squaregles Building Set
You’ll get the chance to build and explore with one of their popular building sets all summer long! Build, then race the Oggs cars or doodle your own pictures on the paperboard panels and add them to the build! Take it outside and build on the deck or driveway, or even bring them along to the playground! The magnetic frames stick to the playset for even more building adventures.
What in the world are Squaregles? I thought the same thing when I first heard about them. According to the brand;
Squaregles are magnetic construction world that incorporates building, art, storytelling, and action in every connection.
So you can see, they are more than just a regular toy. It’s so much more.
The kit (pictured above) that I received contained a lot of goodies…
- Comic page
- Character profiles
- Two figures (ball head, freestanding body)
- Two hats/helmets for the characters
- Building frames
- Building “extras” (slide, stairs, balcony, drawbridge…)
- Blank cards
- Accessory pieces
The people are “odd” to say the least. I was surprised to find that the heads don’t necessarily stay on the body. They are actually balls (not bouncing balls). I would think they would attach to the body somehow, but I wasn’t able to figure it out. But that is okay because you can play with them as just the ball too. It’s a fun way to zip through the tunnel.
I love their expressions.
There are directions on how to use this playset, however, you are free to design your castle any way you want. you don’t even have to make a castle if you don’t want to. It’s totally up to you and your child.
The kit does come with directions if you wish to follow them.
The clear frame pieces have magnets on them, so they snap together. The other pieces, such as the slide and stairs, also snap into the frames. Everything snaps in/out easily.
There are blank cards that your child can draw on with a dry erase maker. They can use them to draw family crests, windows, mirrors, brick walls…whatever their heart desires.
I didn’t have a dry erase maker handy to give you an example.
I love that they include the character profiles, as well as a comic card to see the characters in action. That way children can continue with the story line and add to the characters next adventure.
The kids at work used magnet pieces from other sets to build on to this play set. Anything magnetic would work.
There are many other Squaregles playsets available on the brand’s website, as well as on Amazon (non-affiliate links).
Bumpas Mushies
Stretch, Pop, and Hug with Bumpas™ Mushies: a soft, comfortable, and squishy plush doll with extendable and retractable long arms and legs! This plush toy is the perfect size to take on trips as your kids little companion and also a great MESH toy that eases travel anxiety and antsy kids.
I reviewed the original Bumpas a while back. You can check out that review here – Give a Huge this Valentine’s Day with Adorable Weighted Plush Dolls.
Bumpas are weighted plush toys with long arms that allow your child to wrap it around their shoulders, as if it’s giving them a hug. It works for adults too. My daughter has the Bumpas I was sent to review. She has a stressful job, and she lives on her own. She said that sometimes she just needs a hug, and the weight of the plush sort of mimics a real hug.
The Bumpas Mushies are similar to the original plush toys, however, these are not weighted toys. They are very lightweight. Even a toddler can enjoy them.
The Mushies look like the original Bumpas, and they are two sided too (as with the original Bumpas). The difference is that these have accordion-like tubes inside their limbs that allow you to make their limbs longer or shorter. All the limbs have Velcro on them so you can make the creature hold on to things – even hold on to you!
This is a silly toy, but one that I know kids would love. It makes me smile whenever I look at it. I currently have it hanging on my closet door.
You can find Bumpas toys on MyBumpas.com, as well as on Amazon (non-affiliate links).
Are you familiar with the characters from Miraculus? Honestly I’ve never heard of them before, but they are a big hit.
With an absolutely massive fan base of kids, teens, tween and even young adults, Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir has become a digital planetary craze with over 37 billion views on YouTube and its own phenom on TikTok. The series follows the adventures of two seemingly typical teens with secret identities who magically transform into superheroes to save their city of Paris from unexpected villains.
These new sets and character figures based on the mega hit TV series puts PLAYMOBIL squarely into the Miraculous phenomenon.
PLAYMOBIL Miraculous: Fashion Show in Paris
What little girl doesn’t dream of working in fashion? My daughter wanted to be a fashion designer since she was six years old. Her dream was to create her own fashion line that made clothing for people of every size, so people who are a size 28 could wear the same outfit as someone whose a size 2. I found her dream very admirable. These days she works with autistic children and adults, as well as those with developmental disabilities. That is even more admirable.
This fashion playset comes with three PLAYMOBIL people, clothing, plenty of accessories as well as the run way. This was so easy to put together. Sometimes PLAYMOBIL play sets require some time, but this set I had up and ready to play with in a very brief time.
The front of the set features the run way. Notice the lights on top.
The back of the runway features a waiting area (behind the curtains), and a hair and make up station in the back.
Every time I look at the character in the bowler hat I think about the film Clockwork Orange. Ha Ha.
You can also buy boxed sets of the characters from the show. You can use them with the fashion runway set. The fashion runway set also works with other PLAYMOBIL figures and accessories.
Each character set comes with a bracelet and charm too.
You can find the Miraculous playsets on both the PLAYMOBIL website and on Amazon (non-affiliate links).
Be sure to check out all the brand’s website to learn more about other toys and games they offer. Also, check them out on social media to keep up-to-date on new offerings, sales and more.
Kimberly
*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
