Q & A

Have a toy related question but are struggling to find an answer?

Simply email your question to letstalk@frombumptogrump.co.uk and we will do our very best to find an answer.

The best question each month will win a fantastic toy courtesy of WOW toys!

This month's prize is a Motorbike Max and a Dynamite Daisy

Motorbike Max
Friction-powered motorbike and sidecar

Join Max on a family fun day out. Max’s motorbike and sidecar has a friction motor with realistic engine sound. The mother with baby, father figure and dog are all removable and don’t forget the flip-open picnic basket! Then you’re ready for the open road…whizzz.
Features:
• Friction powered motorbike and sidecar with realistic engine sound
• Flip-opening picnic hamper

Pieces:
• Motorcycle and sidecar called Max
• A father figure called Gus
• A mother figure called Annie carrying little baby Tilly
• Removable dog called Wiggles
• Removable flip-open picnic basket
• 5 piece set

Dynamite Daisy
Friction-powered sports car set
Super cool fun for girls on the move! This set includes a stylish girl driver & a pink friction-powered racing car with realistic engine sound. Daisy’s magnetic hook can be used with other products in the WOW World range.

Features:
• Friction-powered sports car with realistic engine sound
• Magnetic hook for use with other WOW toys

Pieces:
• Pink sports car called Daisy
• Girl driver figure called Charlotte
• 2 piece set

WOW toys for the Under 5's Drive the World!

Specially designed to WOW the under fives, WOW Toys are bright and vibrant in colour and come packed with such exciting features and secret compartments that once discovered young children just don’t want to stop playing with them.

The toys are specially designed to bring themes from every day life into the home, helping little ones to make sense of the world around them through fun and stimulating play. Each set comes complete with friction powered vehicle and the kind of play figures that never get lost and to make the toys even more versatile, they are all compatible with each other. Best of all, through sheer good design, they don’t require batteries.

With lots of different sets to suit all with different price ranges, they are recommended for pre-schoolers though we know children play with them for a whole lot longer!

WOW Toys are extremely resilient, fashioned from high grade plastic and rigorously tested to exceed all safety toy standards; no small parts, toxic paint or sharp edges in any of our toys.

For your nearest stockists, please go to www.wowtoys.com or phone Customer services, 020 7381 2302.

Q: Is there a low table with a printed road scene available, suitable for little boys to run their toy cars around ?

A: How about this Deluxe table from Woolworths which has a road and train track?
http://www.woolworths.co.uk/web/jsp/product/index.jsp?pid=50661135&&_requestid=10858
Or if you're looking for something a little cheaper then how about buying a roads play mat such as this one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/William-Armes-Euro-Roads-133x95cm/dp/B000W9BWVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1209721903&sr=8-1
This can then be put on the floor or a table.

Q: My little girl has a rocking horse and the stirrup has burst on it, do you know where I can get it fixed? It was bought from Toys r Us 2 years ago and is similar to the silver rocking horse on their website.

A: It's hard to say without seeing the problem. Is it a part that can be replaced? If so you could try writing to or emailing the manufacturer to see if they sell spare parts. If you need to find someone to repair it, then it will depend on the material the broken section is made of, i.e. if it is a metal stirrup you will need to look for someone with different skills than if it is made from material. Perhaps try ringing a few companies from the Yellow Pages and see if you can find someone willing to help.
There are companies that specialise in rocking horse repair and restoration, you'll find some by searching online for 'rocking horse repair' but they deal mostly with valuable antique rocking horses so it might not be cost effective to go this route, but it might be worth asking, if they can't help, they may have some other ideas for you.
Failing that, can you improvise a repair yourself, or can you remove the stirrups entirely, providing of course that it is still safe to use without them.

Q: After the recent spate of toys being recalling I'm a bit worried - is there somewhere I can look to find out the affected toys?

A: Here is a list of all the recalled Mattel products
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6946752.stm

Q: Seems these days that it's cheaper to buy a toy from the US on Ebay and pay the high postage!
So the toys are the same as the ones we buy over here, but is it still guaranteed in the UK?

A: We advise that you try and check about the guarantee before you buy. Paying by credit card can give protection but this can be a grey area if paying through paypal, so check with your card provider. Beware of customs charges - if it's worth over £17 you are liable for charges. If buying electronic things check the plug type and power as they differ between countries. Also if buying games consoles make sure that they're compatible with games bought in this country as some consoles are tied to a region.

Q: My daughter loves to read and to play with dolls but I would like to encourage her manual dexterity with some crafts too - what do you suggest for a very girly girl?
A: There are loads of kits you can buy, perhaps this would be a good idea with Christmas coming up? There are plenty of girly things to make that she can then use afterwards which might be better than making ornamental things, eg. jewellery,bags etc. A cheap option would be to save any pretty ribbons from packaging, old buttons and the like and make cards with her. These are bound to impress her friends on their birthdays. You could also encourage her to create a scrapbook of a special event such as a holiday, sticking in photos and momentos such as postcards and tickets collected while away. Or how about a book that you then build into a doll's house - there's a bit of everything in that!

Q: It's my niece's birthday next month she will be 11 she is interested in really cute things and most people buy her cuddly toys have you anything cute other than a cuddly toy that she will like?
A: How about a cute electronic pet? There are loads available, you could get a Tamagotchi, a creature she can feed and look after, if you're on a budget you can get cheap versions which make a nice little extra gift, Pixel Chix which are a little electronic house with a girl or a hamster living in it that you can interact with, you can also connect these together and the characters will interact so fun if her friends have them, or how about Gupi the guinea pig? A cuddly toy that runs around the house, you can feed him and he'll go back to his house to recharge himself! Something like this might be a more long lasting gift while still being very cute!

Q. Every Christmas and birthday we seem to buy the children toys that they play with for a few days then they end up on in a cupboard and eventually go to the charity shop. This year finances are a little tighter and I'm determined not to waste money on toys they won't play with, do you have any ideas of toys with longevity?
A. I think we all know this feeling! The must-have expensive Christmas toy soon becomes yesterdays news! Old favourites such as Lego and Meccano are always a good bet as they become whatever toy the child wants them to be, ie. one day it can be a monster, the next a house etc. Presents you use once to make something can be good, and a fun thing to do together, such as craft or baking kits. It's also a good idea to have a clearout before Christmas or birthdays, perhaps you could add a little extra cash to the present fund by selling old toys on an auction website such as ebay or at a car boot sale?

Q: My Son loves aeroplanes. Can you suggest a good toy for him?

A: Spinmaster Toys have a good variety of aeroplane type toys in their 'Air Hogs' range and are constantly bringing out new ideas. We especially like the fact that they are mostly for outdoor, meaning they get exercise at the same time. They have come a long way since the days of one crash meaning a broken toy and are quickly rechargeable too.

Check them out by visiting the website www.spinmastertoys.co.uk

Q: I have been bought a Rubik's cube and it is driving me crazy. Any tips on how to complete it?

A: If you still have the packaging, the good news is that there is a solution in the enclosed leaflet! If you have thrown it away in haste, don't be tempted to peel off the stickers. There are websites and books dedicated to helping you regain sanity. We found this http://www.alchemistmatt.com/cube/rubik.html but there are many others out there.