Y'know, if you had asked me recently what was missing from my life the answer would not have been an interactive flipping, chattering Zoomer Hedgiez hedgehog with luminous eyes.
In fact my first instinct when this toy came for us to review was that it was a little bit weird - but it has proved a firm favourite here and at worst a talking point for those who have not yet realised how much fun a rolling, gambolling squeaking, whistling and sneezing electronic hedgehog can be.
Ok so the light up eyes are a bit off-putting at first but when you realise it will respond when you pet it and has far fewer fleas than a real hedgehog you soon fall in love with it. And then you realise it can do headstands too! You can see the version we were sent (named Flip) in the video here.
Here's the official blurb: "Zoomer Hedgiez are cuddly pet hedgehogs that want to roll home with you. They can walk, do headstands, and even somersault around. Press their nose to make them sneeze, whistle or give you a kiss. Each one has their own unique style — complete with soft pet-able, brush-able fur. These furry friends love to be tickled, have pretty light-up eyes, and even have secret tricks for you to unlock. Collect all four - Tumbles, Dizzy, Whirl and Flip. Zoomer Hedgiez are full of giggles!"
As I mentioned earlier, we were sent Flip who has blue and pink fur and a lovely giggly personality. My ten year old daughter has claimed him as her own and she loves to brush his fur and tickle his tummy.
Flip has proved sturdier than I expected. Even after some fairly rough handling by small children and over enthusiastic teenagers he is still in full working order. Battery life seems good and he even survived an unfortunate incident involving a poorly cat which required a fairly thorough cleaning session involving antibacterial products.
I hate to mention the C word but to be fair this will make a great Christmas present. I found them online priced between £25-35 so as always I would advise shopping around. The nice thing is that if you want to buy one each for siblings you can buy them in a variety of colours so they don't get mixed up.
Hedgiez require 4AAA batteries which are not supplied. I always stock up before Christmas with lots of different types of batteries because you know someone will buy something which requires the ones you don't have in the messy drawer.
Official advice is that the toy is suitable for ages 4+ and is not suitable for children under 3 years old. I would agree with this rating. Our experience showed the toy was most popular with children aged 5-11.
Disclaimer: I received one Zoomer Hedgiez toy for the purpose of writing this honest review.
In fact my first instinct when this toy came for us to review was that it was a little bit weird - but it has proved a firm favourite here and at worst a talking point for those who have not yet realised how much fun a rolling, gambolling squeaking, whistling and sneezing electronic hedgehog can be.
Ok so the light up eyes are a bit off-putting at first but when you realise it will respond when you pet it and has far fewer fleas than a real hedgehog you soon fall in love with it. And then you realise it can do headstands too! You can see the version we were sent (named Flip) in the video here.
As I mentioned earlier, we were sent Flip who has blue and pink fur and a lovely giggly personality. My ten year old daughter has claimed him as her own and she loves to brush his fur and tickle his tummy.
Flip has proved sturdier than I expected. Even after some fairly rough handling by small children and over enthusiastic teenagers he is still in full working order. Battery life seems good and he even survived an unfortunate incident involving a poorly cat which required a fairly thorough cleaning session involving antibacterial products.
I hate to mention the C word but to be fair this will make a great Christmas present. I found them online priced between £25-35 so as always I would advise shopping around. The nice thing is that if you want to buy one each for siblings you can buy them in a variety of colours so they don't get mixed up.
Hedgiez require 4AAA batteries which are not supplied. I always stock up before Christmas with lots of different types of batteries because you know someone will buy something which requires the ones you don't have in the messy drawer.
Official advice is that the toy is suitable for ages 4+ and is not suitable for children under 3 years old. I would agree with this rating. Our experience showed the toy was most popular with children aged 5-11.
Disclaimer: I received one Zoomer Hedgiez toy for the purpose of writing this honest review.