The Loving Family's new horse Honey makes a big hit!
Written: Sep 23 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Quality product
Cons: No rider included
The Bottom Line: I have found this to be another great quality product in the Loving Family line of toys made by Fisher-Price. Where were these toys when I was little?
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| sblaydes's Full Review: Loving Family Jumping Horse Honey |
Every once in a while I catch a great deal on clearance items at Wal-Mart. I happened to stumble across the Loving Family Jumping Horse Honey this past spring while on one of my weekly shopping excursions. When I glanced at the price of $3.50, I knew that even if my daughter didn’t like this toy I hadn’t spent a great deal of money it. But… knowing that it was a Loving Family product, and… a horse, I assumed that it would be a sure bet.
~ So, was I wrong? ~
Nope! I figured correctly because the Loving Family Jumping Horse Honey was a big hit with my daughter, then seven-years-old. Once she glanced at the box she immediately needed to open it up so that she could release her new horse. Thankfully it did not take as long to release from the box as a Barbie doll does for hers.
A neat little feature that is included on the backside of this box is a Fun Fact Card. According to Fisher Price, you can clip and collect these Fun Fact Cards. The Fun Fact Card on the back of our Loving Family Jumping Horse Honey box is on Tricky Jumps. It says, “Strong, well-trained horses can perform very special jumps. One of the most difficult is called the “capriole.” The horse jumps with all four feet off the ground, then kicks out its back legs at the highest point of the jump.” Of course, now my daughter feels to need to collect all the horses in this Loving Family collection and the Fun Fact Cards as well!
~ Do you get anything other than the horse? ~
I’ll be the first to admit that for $3.50, just the horse Honey would have been worth the money. Lucky for me (or should I say my daughter) there were also a few accessory pieces that came with her Loving Family Jumping Horse Honey. They are:
~ Honey the horse
~ jumping fence
~ saddle
~ blanket
~ award ribbon
~ trophy
~ brush
I will get into more details on Honey the horse a bit later on as she does have a special feature. First I will give a brief description of the accessory pieces to this set. (Okay, as brief as I can be!)
The jumping fence for Honey is good size at approximately 5”x 3”. The base is a bit wider which works out quite nicely for keeping the fence in an upright position on the carpeting in our playroom. This fence is made out of plastic and features some bright colors on it. The fence itself has blue and white on it, while on the base it is made to appear that it has pink flowers and grass. One of the things I really like about these Loving Family products is that they really try to make these items look “real”. They also add colors, which I find to make very appealing to the eye. And lastly, they make a great product!
The saddle is reddish brown in color, made of plastic and yes, looks very much like a real saddle. The details are very nicely done. Directly underneath the saddle is a purple/white checked blanket. This blanket is sewn directly to the bottom of the saddle. I’m sure that with enough tugging, this blanket could come loose. This saddle is removable, so… it gives my daughter the option to remove the saddle after competition. Trust me, I’ve heard her talking while playing in her playroom! If you have a younger child be forewarned that they may need some help in getting the saddle back onto Honey, as it can be a bit tricky and does require two hands.
Honey’s blanket is very cute and is purple in color with a pink edging, and… her name Honey embroidered on it. Both the award ribbon and trophy are made out of plastic and feature a few colors on each. The award ribbon is in the colors of yellow, red and blue and features a horse’s head (in silver) on the medallion portion of the award. The trophy is brown, but also boasts the color of gold in several spots including the horse on the top. There is also a blue ribbon attached to the one side that has the number one in gold letters. Now, since my daughter is a swimmer and likes to compete herself… she really enjoys having these awards for Honey. The remaining accessory is the grooming brush (blue) which fits nicely onto my daughter’s fingers when combing the mane and tail on Honey. I only wish that you could see Honey right now because my daughter has her mane pulled back into a blue butterfly barrette. Too funny!
In case you are wondering, no… a figurine does not come with this set. My daughter has one from a different Loving Family set so it really was not a big deal for us. Plus, she could always have one of her Loving Family children take a ride on Honey. There are several riders that are available for purchase separately.
~ So, what does Honey do that is so special? ~
While Honey the horse on the photo image above is dark brown in color, my daughter’s Honey is lighter in color. Her main and tail are blonde in color and remind me of Barbie’s hair in color and texture. Honey is a good size horse measuring in at eight inches tall.
As you probably already figured out from the name and one of the accessory pieces included, Honey is a jumping horse. If you hold Honey’s back legs and front legs in opposite hands and pull them away from each other, Honey is in the jumping stance. This is easy enough for your three-year-old to do. To return back to the stance position simply push the legs back together.
But wait… that’ not all. Honey can talk. Okay, so it is horse talking… but Honey makes a couple of real horse sounds. In sitting here playing with Honey, I want to say that she makes three different sounds. One reminds me of a horse snorting (Come on, you know what I mean!) and then a couple of neighing sounds.
In order for Honey to make these sounds she does require batteries. Don’t worry, these batteries are already included. You may want to make sure that you hold onto the instructions (Which, by the way… are easy to follow.) because they tell you what type of batteries needed and how to replace when need be. Prior to first use you will need to pull out a wire underneath the horse. This wire is in place so that you can hear the sounds Honey makes while still in the box. We are still working with the batteries that came with Honey, so I’m not sure how difficult it is to change.
Just a reminder that since Honey does have batteries, you will not want to immerse in water. To clean, simply take a clean cloth and moisten with water and mild soap if needed.
~ Honey is a winner! ~
Yes, this household gives another Loving Family product the two thumbs up for another great product! As I have mentioned in most (maybe all) of my Loving Family product reviews, I love the fact that these toys are used solely with my daughter’s imagination! Add that with the fact that they simply are a great product, and seem to last forever… I don’t see how anyone could go wrong making this purchase! This includes the Loving Family Jumping Horse Honey as well.
While I found Loving Family Jumping Horse Honey on the discount shelf at Wal-Mart, I did find Honey available at the Fisher Price web site at www.fisher-price.com. This site will tell you where to buy and gives an approximate cost of this product at $11.00. I just love finding a good deal! So make sure to keep your eye out for those clearance items!
*** Quick facts about this product ***
Requires 3 button cell batteries (LR44 or equivalent) which are included.
Recommended for children ages three and older.
Figure is sold separately.
Do not immerse in water.
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Fisher-Price
U.S. Toll Free 1-800-432-5437
www.fisher-price.com
*** Other Loving Family Home & Stable collection ***
Lily Gray, Sugar, Whisper, Dusty and Coco
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3.50
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sblaydes
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