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Top 10 toys for August

I hope everyone is having a great time with the kids for their summer holiday! But, too much fun is exhausting, right? So, I’ve compiled a list of our must-have toys to help you out and to keep the kids and their besties entertained this summer.

1) Tonies Toniebox Starter Set by Tonies

Hands down, this is the most exciting and innovative toy of 2019 ✨! This audio player will change the way the kids listen to stories and dance along to their favourite nursery rhymes. Simply place the little figure (a Tonie) on the box and the content will start to play. We love this because there’s no confusing controls and display screen. It’s perfect for pulling them away from the screen (enough Peppa Pig please! 😂) and encouraging imaginative play instead through interactive stories.

Feeling creative? You can also record your own story using Creative Tonies and upload it on the Toniecloud via browser or app. Or just add your favourite music and throw some shapes with the kids!

2) The Little Prince by Tonies

Make sure to order some tonies too to check out a variety of stories. I recommend taking this little prince with you to read his timeless story. This whimsical story will capture the heart of all ages – teaching kids the importance of friendship and love, and reminding us grown-ups of what is truly important in life. It’s pretty #deep

We also have the book if you fancy reading it!

3) Micro Mini 2 Go Deluxe Scooter (Mint) by Micro

Yes! Shout out to Micro for cracking the perfect ride for a toddler who is raring to scoot but is yet to master their balance and co-ordination. The first step is to build their confidence by letting them use the scooter as a ride-on with the seat, which is also a clever storage drawer for toys or snacks (gamechanger!). Once your little one has mustered the courage to ride standing up, you can remove the detachable seat and proudly watch them push themselves off without any help 👋.

4) The Lion King Young Simba Plush by Disney

Can you believe that the classic animated film was released 25 years ago 😮? This means the kids who saw the film in cinema during its release have grown up – some have kids and might even be reading this right now. So we know both parents and kids will adore this cute and cuddly Simba, it’s perfect for imaginative play and recreating scenes from the film.

I bet this is the toy your child (and you) will get attached to, but no worries, you can keep it for as long as you like. #nostalgia

5) The Lion King Farting Pumba Plush by Disney

Wait, don’t forget to take the hilarious and loveable Pumba with you too! If you squeeze his tummy, he lets out a noisy fart – guaranteed to have the family laughing for hours.

Not gonna lie, we had way too much fun with this in the office. We figured out that the trick to hearing a funny fart noise is to gently squeeze his tummy, if you squeeze too fast, he ends up sounding like a duck.

6) Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

There aren’t many books for future little scientists so when we found out about this award-winning book, we had to share it with you. This beautifully illustrated book also smashes stereotypes, promoting that women can do science 💪. But, this is not just a book for girls, everyone will be inspired by the curious Ada. She loves the question “Why?” and test scientific experiments which may not always go according to plan. Nonetheless, this little trooper is determined to try again! #HowToDealWithLife

7) Ghostbusters Slimer with Hot Dog Stand by Playmobil

Our Playmobil toys have been very popular especially the Ghostbuster set, so we added more to let the kids upgrade their adventures. They’ll have fun teaming up with the Ghostbusters to catch the mischevious slimer who’s been terrorising the poor hot dog vendor and engulfing all the food.

8) 18 Palos by Grapat

If there are cuter hand-carved wooden dolls than this then I want to see it. Look at their big and colourful hats 😍! What I love about the Palos is that they’re a great set for open-ended play and you can team them up with any other toys. The kids will be entertained for hours, coming up with characters for the little dolls, from a magical wizard to a lovely grandma who feeds you too much food – that’s the beauty of imaginative play.

9) Doctor Set by Plan Toys

This list wouldn’t be complete without Plan Toys. Grab this doctor set for an exciting pretend play with the kids and let them look after you. It’ll allow them to explore their imagination, teach them empathy and it can even prepare them for visits to the doctor so you don’t have to bribe them…

10) Dobble Card Game by Asmodee

I had to put this on the list because it’s our favourite at the Whirli HQ (I’ve yet to beat Rafique, our Whirli Dobble champion). It’s based on speed and visual perception whereby players compete with each other by being the fastest to match a symbol between two cards. Once you’ve spotted the symbols, say it out loud and place your card on the deck. Whoever is left with no cards in the end, wins. It’s a great game for the whole family because there’s no advantage to being a grown-up, you just need to be the fastest.

So there you have it, 10 awesome toys for the last leg of summer. Enjoy!

Swifter Swaps has arrived

Boom. We’ve just released Swifter Swaps – a new feature available to all Whirli subscribers free of charge. With Swifter Swaps, we’ve eliminated waiting time between returning toys and getting your next Whirli box.

This means you can get even better value for money with Whirli, and makes using our service even more convenient. Now that’s the Whirli way!

How does Swifter Swaps work?

When it’s time to swap some toys for something else, log in to your account on Whirli and:

Tell us what toys you plan on returning. You can do this by opening your basket (clicking on the top right), and selecting the returns tab. Simply check all the toys you plan on sending back.
As you select toys to return, you’ll see their corresponding token values being credited back to you immediately, available to spend on a new order!
After selecting toys to return, browse our catalogue and choose what you want to play with next and add these to your bag. Your token balance now takes fully into account your allowance and used tokens, the toys you’re returning, and the toys for your next order.
Once you’re satisfied with your swap, checkout to confirm the toys you’ll be receiving and the toys you’ll be returning.
Here’s the magic – we’ll despatch your new box immediately to you. When you receive it a day or two later, you can put the toys you’re returning into the box and send it back to us (whenever it is convenient for you).

No downtime without toys. No delays or waiting around if Royal Mail has misplaced your return parcel. No rush to drop a return off in the middle of a busy schedule. No hassle.

You can still make just an order, or just a return, and you can also still just pop toys into a returns parcel and send it back to us. If you change your mind and want to return more (or fewer) toys than you told us you’ll be returning, you can also do that.

But wait, what are the limits to Swifter Swaps?

We provide Swifter Swaps on a trust basis. But there are a few mechanisms in place to prevent complete abuse of our trust. For transparency these include:

You can only have one active order, return, or swap at a time. Batching orders and returns also helps us be more environmentally friendly. Your order or your return needs to be completed with toys received, before you can make another one.
If you end up returning fewer toys than you told us about, these toys will stay in your toy box and use tokens from your allowance. If this means you end up using more tokens than your allowance, you’ll need to come back into your allowance on your next swap.
There are hard caps in place so you can’t be massively over your token allowance.

Feedback for improvements and reporting any bugs

Thank you all for your patience while we worked to bring this feature to you. I hope you are as excited about this as we are! As ever, we’ll strive to continuously improving our service with new features but also ensuring everything we make available to you is seamless and error free.

If you have any ideas on how we can improve Swifter Swaps for you, or if you encounter any confusion, issues, or technical bugs, please get in touch with customer services!

Buying children’s birthday gifts: top 5 pitfalls

Gift buying for kids can be fun and rewarding, but it can also quickly descend into a desperate and frantic search. One that involves googling “best gift for a 3 year old girl with next day delivery (sent straight to the recipient) and gift wrapping with little sparkly confetti bits included….please!” A search that will rarely be fulfilled and one that invariably leaves you sweaty palmed.

Our Top 5 Pitfalls When Gift Buying:

Earlier this year we interviewed 2000 parents across the UK. We asked them a bunch of questions but when it came to gift buying for children, other than their own, these 5 shared pitfalls stood out:

1) Panic Buying

A third of people confessed to buying a gift for someone else’s child at the last minute. Not only does this all-too-common problem leave you spending way more than you budgeted but it also is more likely to lead to pitfalls 2 – 5.

2) Not liked by the child

Just under half of the gifts received in the last 12 months were not even liked by the child. This is actually quite common when buying for your own child never mind someone else’s. Thinking you know what a child likes is as predictable as a game of roulette. Sometimes you luck out, but clearly half the time we’re all getting it wrong.

3) Not liked by the parents

If it wasn’t tricky enough, two-thirds of gifts received in the last 12 months were not liked by the parents! Seriously? Common reasons given were the toys were too gender stereotyped or did not fit with their ideals or ethics. There’s more to gift buying than we ever anticipated.

4) Age inappropriate gifts

50% of the gifts received were not even age appropriate. Surely this is a straight forward ask. But still problematic, clearly!

5) Duplicate gifts

Half of parents said their child had received a duplicate gift in the last 12 months. So that toy you just bought someone, which is not liked by the child, or parent, that was panic bought in the first place, and is age inappropriate is actually something they already have!

#giftfail

Guest Post: The importance of toys for children’s development

As an early childhood specialist, I spend a lot of time with children and much of this is spent observing the benefits of play. In recent years, there has been a shift from “traditional toys” to more natural and heuristic resources, which are objects and properties from the real world (think pots, pans, buttons, corks, pebbles, mud and cardboard boxes).

Whilst I am an avid fan of this form of play, it is all about creating a balance. I recently visited a nursery who had almost eradicated their use of “traditional toys”. Initially, I thought, “what a great idea” but it quickly became apparent that the children were missing something…

When I spoke with the children, they shared stories of their favourite toys including action figures, construction blocks and books. It made me realise that whatever we offer children in terms of play, we have to include their beloved toys. Children love and learn from toys. If we have any doubts about this, half an hour in a toy shop will show us the way…

Less is more, basic is best

While children do not need an abundance of toys, playing with different types of toys has been found beneficial to young children’s interactions, thinking and creative expression (Trawick-Smith,2011). Open-ended toys such as blocks, construction, role play, and small world, which includes objects such as dinosaurs, play people or small dolls houses are considered most valuable because children have endless and multiple opportunities to develop their play scripts. And what’s more, these items can be combined with heuristic materials, for example, playing with the dinosaurs outside in the mud, or drawing roads on cardboard boxes for endless adventures.

Rotate for clutter-free toys

“Children on average have 238 toys, but parents suggest that only 12 of these are used on a regular and daily basis” (Dauch et al., 2018)

Play is considered a child’s “work” and they often become very immersed in a particular theme or with a particular set of toys. The advantage of this is that children learn to focus, pay attention and to problem solve. For example, talking through the steps to make dinner with a wooden tea set. Children need uninterrupted play with toys to really reap the rewards.

However, when children have access to an abundance of toys, their play can become fleeting and they may not become as fully invested. Imagine, going into a sweet shop and being told to, “help yourself”. It would be difficult to fully focus, and you may become much more easily distracted. Research suggests that too many toys reduce play quality-time and stifle creativity (Dauch et al., 2018 ). Rotating toys is a useful solution to this and means that you can build anticipation for your child. You may also find that if your child has a particular attachment to a toy, they will ask for it, helping you to build a more meaningful toy collection.

Try and test it

Research has suggested that often when a child shows an interest in a particular toy, it may not live up to its expectations, or they may outgrow it quickly. The use of toy-swaps or donating once you are finished can lead to the right toys getting to the right children. It can also open up important discussions with children about the ways in which toys can be shared and encourages the concept of turn-taking. Often toys can pile up and go unused, but toy swaps give children the chance to tell you when they may have finished with a toy and to think about the power of recycling. From an environmental perspective, it also cuts down on our purchasing of plastic resources.

Final thoughts

There has been extensive research on the importance of play for young children (See Ginsburg, 2007), and findings consistently suggest that children benefit from enhanced cognitive (thinking), social, emotional and physical development. This is especially true if they are supported by a playful adult, who can act as a play partner and facilitator. It is through play, that children make sense of the world, allowing them, to try out and practice new skills safely and securely.

Building a meaningful toy collection is an important process in child development. Children often become very attached to their toys and this forms the foundations of their play memories. Children’s interests and fascinations can change rapidly as they become more skilled in their play, so sharing and re-distributing toys can lead to other children making happy memories. And what a great way to avoid the pile up!

Reference list:

The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. Kenneth R. Ginsburg. Pediatrics Jan 2007, 119 (1) 182-191. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2006-2697

The influence of the number of toys in the environment on toddler’s play (2017). Carly Dauch, Michelle Imwalle, Brooke Ocasio & Alexia E. Metz. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.11.005

Measuring the effects of toys on the problem solving, creative and social behaviours of pre-school children (2011). Jeffrey Trawick-Smith 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2010.503892

Top 10 toys for July

Are the kids done with the toys and it’s time to swap? Not sure what to choose because we have over +1000 amazing toys? I’ve got you! Here’s a list of our favourite toys for July.

1) Sand Play Set by Plan Toys

Don’t forget to pack this wooden set for the family trip to the beach which is a nice change from the usual single-use plastic ones. This set includes a bucket and 3 spades with different shapes, perfect for building sandcastles and creating different patterns on the sand. Parents absolutely love Plan Toys because it uses sustainable and ethically sourced wood for all their toys. But, parents love Whirli even more because when they’re done with it, they can swap it for something else and they don’t have to store any outdoor toys all year round.

2) Submarine Bath Toy by Plan Toys

Let them continue their imaginative play when they get home from the beach with this cute yellow submarine *queue the Yellow Submarine song by The Beatles* bath toy with a little explorer inside. They can submerge the boat underwater to discover the deep sea and create stories during bathtime.

3) Football Game by Plan Toys

This reminds me of the Foosball table Joey and Chandler (from Friends) had in their flat, and how I’ve always thought it would be cool to own one. But now we have a smaller version at Whirli! I really like curved wooden football pitch because of its minimal and contemporary design, which Plan Toys always excel at. This is the perfect activity to keep the whole family entertained and challenge each other to think strategically on how to score a goal.

4) Wooden Latches Board by Melissa & Doug

Ready to let your toddler challenge their inquisitive mind? This is the perfect educational activity board for them which will also help build their motor skills. They’ll be fascinated how to undo 6 latches through snapping, unhooking and sliding to discover what colourful animals are hiding inside the house. Once it’s open, you can also ask them to identify colours, animals and numbers, helping them practice their vocabulary. It’ll definitely keep the kids busy for a while because they’ll be determined to open all the doors and windows (we definitely were).

5) Basic Skills Board by Melissa & Doug

If your child has already mastered the Melissa and Doug wooden latches board listed above. How about swapping it for this basic skills board to try another challenge? This time they will learn how to dress the bear by tying, zipping, buckling and snapping. Not only will this improve fine motor skills, but it’ll help them master the art of dressing themselves up.

6) Cuddles My Dream Kitten by Little Live Pets

Has your child reached that age yet where they’re constantly begging you to buy a pet? But there’s no way that is happening because you’re not ready to commit to taking care of another living thing? Meet Cuddles, the solution to this problem. This cute ball of white fluff really does look, move and purr like a real kitten. Its tail even curls up when you pat it, it has 20 kitten sounds and its eyes close when it sleeps so your child is bound to fall in love with it. It’s a great way to learn how to care for a real pet one day.

7) Sleeping Beauty by Smart Games

This is one of our favourite puzzle games because it’s great fun for the whole family. Although it’s a single-player game, collaboration is encouraged to conquer challenges together. This has 60 challenges with different levels of difficulty, which is bound to help develop both spatial problem solving and planning skills. The aim is to guide characters through the maze, which could either be helping the knight rescue sleeping beauty or planning how sleeping beauty can escape by herself #strongindependentwoman. Or for an advanced level, make sure the dragon prevents both lovebirds from meeting each other. We can guarantee that parents will enjoy playing this original board game with their kids…and continue when the kids go to bed.

8) Country Large Farm by Playmobil

We recently added Playmobil toys to our ever-growing toy box which is a big hit for kids and their parents. Although they might not be as popular as Lego because they don’t tap into the Hollywood film franchises, Playmobil is still flourishing because people love their simple sets which are based on real life. This means kids can create their own stories from their imagination. They’re quite expensive so try them out first from Whirli, check out this extensive farm set, yes there’s even a milking machine! This is a great one for the city kids to learn more about nature.

9) Floating Pirate Raiders Ship with Cannon by Playmobil

Already tried the classic set above? How about trying out the Pirate Raiders set for a different kind of adventure? Kids will have sailing the boat on the water and inventing stories for their little characters. There’s even a firing cannon to make sure they fight off the rogue pirates!

10) Floating Pirate Raft by Playmobil

Make sure to get this one too to upgrade the adventure, which is another reason why we love Playmobil. Kids will have fun building the raft which also floats on water. Are these pirates the bad guys? Or are they simply discussing the lack of functioning government which has lead illegal fishing and piracy to thrive? Who knows… that’s the beauty of imaginative play!

I hope this list has inspired you what to swap next for your little ones and to keep them entertained this summer. Make sure to give them a Whirli! And when you’re done, swap them for something else.

Guest Post: Parenting with disabilities, why I love Whirli!

My name is Pip, I have 1 cheeky and very active little boy Harrison who is 2 in August and a very handsome assistance dog named Rusty. I had always wanted to be a mum, so even when I started to use a wheelchair or when I had my feeding tube fitted, it didn’t stop me dreaming about becoming a family. He was by all means a miracle, after years of heartache and fixing up my broken body we beat all the odds to become a family. Despite all the challenges, I love life, I love being a wife, a mum and helping people in both my local community and online community.

My husband John (Harrisons Dad), is an electrician that works shifts and long hours, 4 shifts in a row made up of 2 x 14 hour days, then 2 night shifts. The day shifts are particularly hard due to limited energy and being so long, until we found Whirli!

Wasting money on toys

Harrison absolutely loves new toys, but after a couple of hours, they just get thrown in the toy box and he’s looking for the next thing to discover. I’d say buying brand new toys is a waste of money, but when you are desperate for entertainment and in a lot of pain, you do want you have to do to get by!

Better value for money

When I spotted an ad for Whirli, I thought this could be my saviour! £90 worth of toys that can be swapped at any time for £9.99 a month? In a year, if I swap once a month, Harrison would have played with £1080 worth of toys for just under £120. Wow, that really would help with the weekly long day shifts!

So I excitedly went through to their website for a look. We are trying to reduce plastic use, like a lot of other families and love wooden toys. Grimms, Plan toys & Melissa & Doug are some of our favourites and we’ve been wanting to get Harrison a Wobbel board for a while.

Our new daily routine

Skip to delivery day, and my nurse brought in the parcel and placed it on the bottom of the bed then went to draw up my injections.

I call Harrison and he’s so excited to open the parcel!

We’ve been with Whirli a month now, and it’s been the best thing we’ve done! When daddy goes to work Harrison knows it’s new toy day! We open each new box when my nurse does my meds, and then he plays with his new toys all day. We get books to read together, games than can be played on the bed, and toys he can play independently.

It’s brought us closer together, and I don’t get anxious about daddy going to work now. I know our days are going to be full of fun and new discoveries, making better memories together.

Pip x

Toy Story 4: Movie review and everything you need to know before heading to the cinemas

Thinking about whether to catch Toy Story 4 at the cinemas? You absolutely should! Toy Story 4 was just released in cinemas on Friday 21st June 2019, and my partner and I made plans to catch it on a Saturday night screening the following day. We thoroughly enjoyed it!

We chose a late screening for 10pm at our local cinema as it was easier to get tickets. For a late screening of a family oriented film, I thought we might even have the theatre to ourselves! I really enjoy movie trailers, so we took our seats early as usual. By the time the movie actually got going at half past, the theatre was half full – pretty decent for our local cinema mind you – and impressively most of the audience were groups or couples of young adults with no children.

Such is the power of the Toy Story franchise that first gripped myself and many others over two decades ago. Such is the power of Disney Pixar’s reputation where family friendly films are not just for the children!

Check out our favourite toys from the movie here or see all our Toy Story 4 toys. These toys are perfect for getting kids fired up for a day at the cinema, or to stir their imagination and recreate the scenes once they come home.

What do I need to know before going to see Toy Story 4?

Not much to be honest. The original Toy Story was released in 1995, and the previous instalment Toy Story 3 released in 2010. Franchises that span multiple decades always risk alienating new audiences or not paying enough homage to the fans.

In Toy Story 4, Disney Pixar managed to balance this really well. Familiar faces return with the core posse of toys in their supporting minor roles (Hamm and Rex were two of my favourites and I always crack up at their lines). It is worth remembering that in Toy Story 3, Woody and the entire group of toys have been unloved by Andy. As Andy moves for college, he gives his toys to a little young girl, Bonnie, to play with.

We’re introduced to new characters including:

Forky – a spork that comes to life when he is created to be a toy using strings for arms, sticks for feet, and googly eyes (voiced by Tony Hale)
Gabby Gabby – a doll our group encounters on their adventures (voiced by Christina Hendricks)
Ducky and Bunny – inseparable plush toys that bring family friendly dark comedy (voiced by comedic duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele)
Duke Caboom – a motorbike stuntman action figure (voiced by reddit’s favourite person right now, Keanu Reeves)

Lastly, Bo Peep plays a central role in this film after not appearing at all in Toy Story 3. Bo Peep belonged to Andy’s sister, and previously it was mentioned that she was given away to other children to play with.

What should I expect for Toy Story 4?

I had high expectations going in. Toy Story 4 is scoring an astounding 98% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 95% audience score. For it’s first weekend, the film grossed over $238 million world wide – and somehow this was still short of analyst’s expectations.

There’s always a risk going into a cinema with such high expectations. I couldn’t put it better than the critic consensus from Rotten Tomatoes so I’ll just leave it here:

“Heartwarming, funny, and beautifully animated, Toy Story 4 manages the unlikely feat of extending – and perhaps concluding – a practically perfect animated saga.” — Rotten Tomatoes, Toy Story 4

What did I think of the movie? My review of Toy Story 4

I loved it. It has everything you want – humour, strong characters, teary moments, and even the occasional suspense and thrill (that caused my partner to startle once or twice).

Toy Story 4 extends the core premise of the franchise as well as explore new and modern themes. Much like Inside Out (one of my all time Pixar favourites), the themes explored in this movie appeal at different depths to all ages. For children, the complexity of Toy Story 4’s character arcs will also teach about emotions and empathy.

Bo Beep is a stand-out character for me and it is great to see her take a leading role in the film. Likewise with newcomer Gabby Gabby whose arc develops and concludes majestically in the film. It’s fantastic to see two leading female figures in this Toy Story film, as the franchise that can otherwise be dominated by leading males Woody and Buzz.

Forky provides a light-hearted, more silly and slightly slapstick character younger children will adore. Yet his existential crisis about being ‘trash’, not a ‘toy’, and how he develops from the infancy of his sentience to his persona at the end, is complex and mature.

Toy Story 4 is a wonderful film. It’s overarching plot is a relatively simple frame against which many different character arcs blossom and conclude. The movie is well paced and entertaining. It’s hard to find any fault with it!

Are there post credits scenes?

I’m a big fan of Marvel films and always stay back for the post credit scenes. With Toy Story 4, there are a few mid-credits scenes and a final post credit scenes. None of them reveal any important plot points or hint at what future movies (if any) might look like.

The mid-credits scenes are pretty hilarious and certainly worth the few minute wait. Besides, I much prefer to hang about and not rush out in a human stampede. The end credits scene gives a light chuckle, but I wouldn’t wait unless you’re a huge Pixar fan.

Knowing when you’ve had a ‘Whirli moment’

The moment when you realise there’s a solution to your children’s toy clutter.

Every parent can relate – toy clutter at home is a thing! A thing that you are forever tackling. No sooner do you re-organise the bedroom, the living room becomes the next dumping ground. And so, last weekend me and the other half decide to tackle the shed. So full of stuff, we can’t open the door without disturbing its fragile ‘jenga-like’ arrangement.

Sunnylife giant tumbling tower

Do we need all this stuff?

We turf its entire contents onto the lawn. What do we need and what can we get rid of? Garden chairs we never really use? Left over timber, pipes and rods? Gone – we find them a new home with neighbours and family.

The kid’s paddling pool, swing ball and garden games set? Surely not! We need them.

Hang-on, do we? The padding pool is hard, rigid and huge. The swing ball never stays upright. And the garden games set is rarely played with.

That Whirli moment

It then occurs to me – why don’t we use our Whirli subscription to get a good, inflatable paddling pool. A swingball set that actually swings and a set of games that we can swap. Then at the end of summer, we return everything.

Sunnylife inflatable backyard pool

Decision made – we find new homes for almost everything. Except the lawnmover, a bunch of tools and a few household favourites.

Even though I work for Whirli, we still get these Whirli moments. Times at home when it occurs to me that my Whirli subscription is beyond a perk. It’s a change of lifestyle. Now let’s see if by this time next year we’ve managed to keep the shed clutter at bay!

Toys we loved from our childhood

At Whirli HQ, we enjoy choosing the must-have toys, unboxing and playing with them once they arrive (perks of the job). So it’s only natural that this triggers us to reminisce about our favourite toys from our younger years (separate from security blankies and old teddies some of us may still have).

Here’s are our favourite toys from our childhood:

Nigel, Founder: Track Builder Stunt Box by Hot Wheels (22 tokens)

“I really loved making all sorts of different tracks and stunts, and seeing if the cars could reach the end of launch really high…and go missing.”

Kerry, Head of Marketing: Wooden Ice Cream Counter by Melissa & Doug (40 tokens)

“The sound of the ice-cream van jingle stays with you. Whenever you hear it, you can’t help revisiting fun childhood memories. So I had to take out the Melissa & Doug ice cream counter for my daughter. Absorbing, rewarding and best of all, distracting – the daily sound of the ice-cream jingle fades into the background – less temptation, less sugar yet fun memories all the same!”

Dawid, Senior Developer: Classic Railway – Figure 8 Set by Brio (38 tokens)

“Trains, because I like to build stuff.” It’s true, now he builds stuff for our website.

Kim, Community and Customer Service: Matilda by Roald Dahl (10 tokens)

“I spent a lot of time reading as a child and Roald Dahl was my favourite author because his creative and funny writing made his books unputdownable. Also, Quentin Blake’s quirky illustrations brought the stories to life. I chose Matilda because I related to her when I was in primary school, I was that girl that read all the books in the library and would request more”

Ashik, Fulfillment Associate: Mini Micro Deluxe Scooter by Micro (82 tokens)

“I preferred playing outdoors, and you were the coolest kid on the block if you had a scooter. It’s such a fun way to get around! I’ve recently seen adults riding electric scooters to their workplace… I’m a little jealous”

Rafique, Fulfillment Associate: Super Soaker Soakzooka by Nerf (20 tokens)

“I always looked forward to summer because it meant I can splash my family and family with the super soaker. We have one here in the office which we use to water the plants sometimes”

Intae, Junior Developer: Red Flame Guitar by Hape (34 tokens)

“As a kid, I loved learning new instruments because it was so much fun and the guitar was my favourite. A small guitar is great for learning the basics. I’d definitely recommend it as it helped me develop coordination and concentration.”

Me (Alyssa), Marketing Associate: Cherry 12 Rainbow Friends by Grimms (38 tokens)

“I often got lost in the make-believe world with my wooden peg dolls, and I enjoyed coming up with new scenarios for them. I recently learnt there’s a name for these toys that provide endless imagination – open-ended!”

It doesn’t matter how old you are, you’ll always remember your favourite toy from your childhood. The toys we listed above have one thing in common – they’re timeless. What’s yours?

We recognise that playtime is key to the development of children, fostering their creativity, cognitive growth, coordination,problem-solving and social skills. This is why we have a range of toys that are suitable for babies to 7 years old, from pretend play, open-ended play, electronic learning, STEAM, wooden toys, brain games, outdoor and many more. We want to share the joy with you and your kids, and encourage endless imagination. When you’re done with toys, swap them for another one and allow your little ones to continue learning.

Do let us know if you have any toys recommendations you would like us to add to our ever-growing toy box.

#giveitawhirl
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Top 10 toys for June

Summer’s around the corner and to celebrate, we’ve carefully selected our favourite must-have toys. Kids can enjoy playing with them in the garden or inside the house to escape the heat. Go on, give these toys a Whirli.

1) Beehives by Plan Toys

We absolutely love this and it’s one of our most popular toys from Plan Toys, a company that uses sustainable and ethically sourced wood for all their toys. Let your young beekeepers help the bees fly back home using tweezers, matching their colour to their hives. It’s a great game to let your child develop motor skills and colour recognition, as well as educating them on the importance of bees for the planet.

2) Dentist set by Plan Toys

We were quite torn with this toy in the office, but with the help of an Instagram poll, 80% of you lovely parents confirmed you wanted it. So, of course, we added it to our toy box. Some may think it looks a bit gross, but it’s a great way to educate kids on the importance of looking after their teeth. They’ll have fun pulling out wobbly teeth and giving their teddies a check-up before swapping them for another toy from our collection. Watch out, they’ll probably try and give you one too…

3) Wobbel Board Starter

Yesterday it was a balance board, today it’s an elephant’s back and tomorrow it could be anything. Sorry, what? That’s the beauty of open-ended play. It helps develop your child’s creativity, imagination and balance. Go on give it a try, we mean adults and children alike! The Wobbel Pro and Wobbel360 can support adults too, tried and tested in the office.

4) Toy Story Ultimate Walking Buzz Lightyear

We’ll always have a soft spot for Toy Story because it resonates with what we do here at Whirli – helping unloved toys find a home. This is one of Nigel’s (our founder) favourite toy from the new movie, check out the rest on his blog post.

Why is this THE ultimate buzz lightyear? Not only does it have the iconic phrases, action moves and pop out wings, it can also do the moonwalk! Your kids will have so much fun recreating their favourite scenes with Buzz, taking their adventures to infinity and beyond. After they’re done with Buzz, swap them for something else and we’ll make sure to find him a lovely new home.

5) Hey Duggee Talking Soft Toy

Duggee is the loveable scout leader of an after-school group called The Squirrel Club, encouraging learning and exercise. So, let your little one bring Duggee along with them on their fun adventures and earn their activity badges. Squeeze his super soft body to hear his signature “Ah woof”. Kerry’s (Head of Marketing) kids absolutely love the show!

6) Pinball by Plan Toys

Another Plan Toy on the list, can you tell we’re a big fan? Not only is it stylishly retro but it is uniquely designed. Kids can create different obstacles by adjusting the pegs and rubber bands. So they’ll never get bored, promising hours of fun (and patience) whilst developing their strategic thinking.

7) Scoop and Stack Ice Cream Cone by Melissa & Doug

Imagine a summer without Ice cream? No, neither can we. Let your kids satisfy their sweet tooth by running their own Ice cream shop. They’ll enjoy serving their friends, scooping and stacking ice cream on a cone using a magnetic scoop. It’s the perfect compact set to bring on playdates, encouraging social interaction and pretend play.

8) Honeybake Cafe Machine by Le Toy Van

Make sure to add this to round out the pretend play experience. This instantly caught my eye because of its retro design and coffee is life. It even has a milk frother for a cappuccino…need I say more? It’s never too early to start practising their barista skills.

9) DC Super Friends Batbot Xtreme by Imaginext

POW! Your little superhero is guaranteed to have a blast with the Batbot Xtreme. Why is it “Xtreme”? It comes with extendable wings, dart launchers, punching fists, voice changer and it’s a little over 2 ft tall. Sounds cool! Wait there’s more, there’s a hidden lift in the chest that takes Batman up to the cockpit and a Batcycle which zooms out of the foot, ready to chase the evil super villains. Great for an Xtreme imaginative play!

10) Asian Doll Family by Plan Toys

Growing up, there was a lack of diversity among the dolls available. That’s why it’s great to see so much more representation today, helping educate kids about diversity. Ultimately, the mixture of dolls can also help children see the beauty in themselves and in others. These dolls are so adorable with their cute outfits and manoeuvrable limbs, perfect for imaginative play in a dollhouse. I’m still waiting for a South-East Asian wooden family set, but for now, these are fab!

Ah, there we are, a fresh list of our favourite toys for June. Great to see some of the toys here were recommended by you lovely parents. Time to let the kids play with them and when they’re done, swap them for something else (from our July list…keep an eye out!).

What else would you like to see in our ever-growing toy box? Let us know your thoughts!