About These Toys

My 22 month old daughter is a HUGE Blue's Clues fan. We have Blue's Clues everything.....clothes, toys galore, books, bibs, bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups, dishes and silverware, zipper pulls, you name it, she's got it. She has loved Blue since she was 6 months old and by now has acquired just about everything that has anything to do with Blue. So, last year for her 1st birthday, a lot of the toys she received were Blue's Clues toys. This 3 figurine set was one of them. She has another 3 figurine set as well and I'll be doing a review of them very soon. There are more out there that she doesn't have yet, but I plan to buy them for her to complete her collection.

This particular 3 figurine set is sport themed. In this set comes Blue, Shovel and Pail, and Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper. I'll describe each figurine in detail first.

Blue

Blue is all ready to go and play some basketball. She is carrying a basketball in her paw and being that she's a girl, she, of course, matched her outfit to the color of her ball. Blue has donned an orange jersey with purple colored trim around the collar and matching orange shorts. She stands about 2 1/2 inches tall by 1 1/2 inches wide.

Shovel and Pail

Shovel and Pail's sport of choice is baseball. Pail's pail is overloaded with baseballs and Shovel is carrying a bat. Neither one is dressed in a baseball uniform. Instead they are just the same red Pail and yellow Shovel that we all know. They stand 2 3/4 inches tall by about 2 inches wide.

Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper

Today, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper, our favorite French spices, have chosen to play soccer. Between them, they carry a very colorful soccer ball. The soccer ball comes in shades of yellow, red, and purple while Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper are just their normal colors. They stand 1 3/4 inches tall by 2 1/2 inches wide.


All 3 Figurines

On the bottom of all 3 figurines reads:

2000 Matell, INC.
2000 Viacom International, Inc
Made in China

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

First of all, it's a Blue's Clues toy, although the word toy may be a bit too strong since these figurines don't do anything. What I do like about them is that they're plastic, and therefore they are washable. Those with drooling, teething toddlers will appreciate that, trust me! If they start to look dirty, I just plop them in the top rack of the dishwasher and they come out looking good as new. My daughter has used them as teething toys since she got them and they (and the paint) have held up wonderfully. Another good thing about them being plastic is that they won't break, which is very good! I also like their size. Not too small to be choking hazards and yet small enough to throw in her diaper bag when we go to Grandma's. They also encourage children to use their imagination. My daughter tries to put them in her Blue's Clues Schoolhouse or her Little People Playhouse (2 more toys I need to find time to review!) They don't fit the schoolhouse very well (that came with it's own tiny figures) but she doesn't seem to mind. They make wonderful pretend play toys and when she's a little older I can see her pretending to make them play the sport that each one showcases. It's also a good way to introduce your little ones to the different sports out there and tell them a little about how each one is played, like what equipment and balls are used, etc....

Of course, that means that your child has to be old enough to understand what pretend play is. My daughter is just starting to do that but being only 22 months old, she doesn't quite get it yet. If your child likes toys that provide constant stimulation, then you may want to hold off on these for a while because they don't do anything. They don't make any noise and no lights are flashing. They're just plastic figurines, like the Smurf ones a lot of us had back in the 80's. Or you can use them for teething toys, which is what my daughter has done since she was 1 year old. But whatever the case may be, if they are huge Blue's Clues fans like my daughter, then they may want to have them just because!

Pros:

- Washable
- Made from plastic which means no breaking
- It's Blue and her friends (do we really need any more reason that that?) :-)
- Great size to fit in a diaper bag
- Introduces pretend play
- Teaches about different sports
- No batteries required

Cons:

- These figurines don't do anything, so unless used as teething toys, a child needs to be old enough to know how to pretend play
- May not hold a child's interest for long

Related Website

You can read all about Blue's Clues at:

http://www.nickjr.com



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): gift
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months