I recently took my daughter Erin to see Zootropolis at the cinema. She loves watching films and enjoys the whole cinema experience – largely due to the kiddy box of popcorn and her very own special seat! 🙂
A lover of most Disney films, I knew that Zootropolis would appeal to Erin, given the range of characters (zoo creatures), the humour (aimed at all levels of understanding!) and the lively story line! The film didn’t disappoint, so when we were given the opportunity to review some of Tomy’s Zootropolis toys with the characters she had grown to love, we jumped at the chance.
For those who are unaware of the plot, Zooptopolis is a city where animals from the largest elephant to the smallest shrew live together and thrive. As you can imagine, with that many animals living closely together it can be tough to enforce the law! Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit to join the police force and is initially assigned to parking control yet, determined to prove herself, she ends up taking on the mysterious case of a missing mammal, working with an unlikely match Nick Wilde (the sly fox!) to help her! This unlikely pairing makes for lots of laughs, with some really funny jokes – some of which will go right over the little ones heads but raise a smile at least from most of the adults in the room.
We were sent two toys from the Zootropolis range both centred around Judy Hopps who is now officially Erin’s favourite super cool bunny!
- Judy’s Carrot Recorder and Badge
Judy’s Carrot Recorder is perfect for little ones to recreate the sleuth mystery of Judy Hopps! The kit includes a clip on Police badge, and the magic recording carrot – disguised to the unseeing eye as a regular carrot! 🙂
The carrot can also clip onto clothes (although Erin preferred to hold hers), and both the carrot and badge are easy for children to clip on and off themselves (with no fiddly bits!).The recorder features 3 buttons – an on/off button, a Record button and a Play button, and allows children to record up to 10 seconds of their voice, or a sound of their choice.
Erin really enjoyed recording herself usually going “hahh hahh” just like Judy, and then playing it back on repeat! 🙂 – It took her a few attempts and a bit of explaining to figure out which button did which, but then she is at the lower end of the recommended age group (with it being marketed at children aged 3 plus).
After some practice, she now records and plays back without assistance.
The quality of the recorded sound is very good (not muffled or unclear) and although it does require 2 batteries, these are included, so the carrot is ready to use from the minute it’s removed from the box.
The toy is sturdy, as it has inevitably been dropped a few times now without damage.
Children with a good imagination will love dressing up and taking on the role of Judy and it’s a toy which children will enjoy using with friends, giving them the opportunity to take it in turns to have a go!
Judy’s Carrot Recorder and Badge retails at £12.99.
2. Officer Judy Hopps talking plush
Judy is such a loveable character, kind, friendly and optimistic, and this talking plush captures her personality perfectly. In my opinion her friendly smile and open arms will warm children to her even if they haven’t seen the film, and is perfectly neutral for both boys and girls.
Retailing at £16.99, this soft and cuddly plush Judy Hopps is around 13 inches tall, surface washable and comes with 2 AAA batteries included. Squeeze her tummy and she states one of 6 key phrases from the film, including “Officer Judy Hopps reporting for duty”, the inspiring “Anyone can be anything” and my personal favourite “every mammal has a heart”.
In our opinion, the Judy Hopps talking plush is perfect for younger Zootropolis fans. Erin took a real shine to this toy, and will often carry her round and have a cuddle, squeezing her tummy regularly to hear her voice.
Zootropolis is in cinema’s now, and you can watch the trailer here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCDQRy1od30
To learn more about the entire Zootropolis Toy Range, see the Tomy website here http://uk.tomy.com/toys/zootropolis
Disclaimer – I received two zootropolis toys from TOMY for the purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own.
