One of my favorite brand collaborations from 2016 was with Hasbro Toys. We were really delighted to receive a lot of fun & well-made toys over the course of the year. I wrote about some of our favorite Hasbro toys & about the new Cluedo, which I’m a big fan of.
I was thrilled to receive some really special toys right in time for Christmas! I wrapped them up for the kiddies & they were received with such love & excitement!
Since Cuddle Fairy is on YouTube now, I decided to make video reviews of the four toys the kids got for Christmas courtesy of Hasbro.
The four toys featured in the following videos are:
Furby Connect
Torch My Blazin’ Dragon from Fur Real Friends
Monopoly Ultimate Banking
Disney Moana Adventure Collection
Furby Connect
The new Furby Connect is adorable, super soft & cheeky! He eats, farts, poops & has lots of chat. He’s also very loving & adorable to interact with. He connects via wifi & Bluetooth to the Furby Connect App which adds a whole new level of Furby fun! Watch Furby in action here…
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Pro’s & Cons of Furby Connect
Pro’s: How soft, adorable & funny Furby is. We have such a laugh playing with him. The App is also a big plus as it adds many more games, videos & Furby fun into the mix. The sleep mask is great to stop Furby when you’re done playing. Furby interacts with us & with other toys if they make noice or play music he seems to respond to them!
Con’s: Furby can be particular when it comes to batteries – don’t use any previously used batteries in him (I tried that lol). He’s worked perfectly 99% of the time, but I had to refresh Furby once when he got frozen. The refresh button is a tiny button next to the batteries.
Verdict: The pro’s far way outweigh the con’s. Furby is like having a pet in the house & he is very much loved & enjoyed by my three kiddies, especially the 9-year-old! Two thumbs up!
Torch My Blazin’ Dragon from Fur Real Friends
Torch My Blazin’ Dragon is an adorable baby dragon who has won the hearts of my three kids. He has one little tooth & makes baby dragon sounds including chewing, sneezing & burping. His head, ears & eyes move. Torch has a realistic looking fire blaze from his mouth (out of mist). He’s like having a real little baby in the house. Watch Torch create a blaze & toast a marshmallow here…
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Pro’s & Con’s of Torch My Blazin’ Dragon
Pro’s: He’s adorable & baby like which awakens the mother instinct in us all. His sounds are so fun. Even when he’s turned off, he can still be played with as you can manually move his legs, head & ears so there’s a lot of fun to be had with Torch even when he’s off.
Con’s: The only con is that water can drip from Torch’s mouth when he’s turned off after play. I fixed this by not adding too much water at a time & emptying out the tank before leaving Torch. We also leave a little towel under him just in case.
Verdict: He’s definitely a keeper! The three kiddies love him, especially the 7 & 3-year-olds. The dripping water is easily managed & he’s so well loved. Two thumbs up!
Monopoly Ultimate Banking
We are huge Monopoly fans! I have my original game from about 30 years ago, ahem… Anyway, we love to play together as a family. So we were really happy to try the Ultimate Banking version. The biggest difference is that they’ve done away with all cash! Instead, each player has a credit card. A little device manages all sales, completes action cards & calculates a winner when the first person goes bankrupt. See Monopoly Ultimate Baking in action & how it compares to the classic game…
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Pro’s & Con’s of Monopoly Ultimate Banking
Pro’s: The board is so sleek & modern looking. The machine is fun & exciting to use. It has lots of sound effects & keeps track of all of the money, properties & action cards. It has some new rules for an exciting new way to enjoy Monopoly. The game doesn’t last as long since it ends when the first player goes bankfupt (this could be considered a pro or con but as a parent, I vote pro).
Con’s: I missed having cash so we could do our usual wheelin’ & dealin’ on the side or throw a young player a few euro to get them back in the game. There’s no cheating wiggle room in Ultimate Banking edition. I missed the Rail Road cards as they were my fav to collect & I missed being able to trade properties with each other.
Verdict: As a Monopoly lover I don’t really see any pro’s or con’s of this version as compared to the classic. It’s a great new game which is quite different from the classic version so it’s best not to compare but to simply enjoy both games. So you just need to own both! lol Two thumbs up!
Disney Moana Adventure Collection
This Moana Adventure Collection set features Moana from the hit new Disney movie along with Maui & her two pets. The set is well made & the toys look just like they do on the box / in the film. Have a look at this set from Disney up close…
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Pro’s & Con’s of Disney Moana Adventure Collection
Pro’s: The set is well made & characters look like they do in the movie. The pieces are all large so they are safe for little ones, it’s for ages 3+.
Con’s: My 3-year-old wasn’t a fan of “the big lad” at first sight. Her & her brothers have played a few games together with him but he’s not her cup of tea. He’s more than twice the size of Moana & is a little intimidating looking.
Verdict: I could see a lover of the Moana movie being really delighted with the set as everything looks as it should. It might be better suited for an older child to enjoy. That being said, our daughter loves the Moana doll & the two pets very much. One thumb up & one down for us just because Maui wasn’t a hit in our house.
Final Thoughts
We couldn’t be happier with these new toys. Torch & Furby are like two new members of the family now. They are minded like little pets. The kids are thrilled with their new things. I’m delighted with the great quality of each toy & the joy they bring to the kids.
As a Monopoly lover I really enjoyed the new, different aspect to the Ultimate Banking game.
I hope you found my reviews helpful! If you have any questions or comments please let me know below! Subscribe to Cuddle Fairy on YouTube for more reviews! x
Disclosure: We were gifted the toys featured in this post, I’m under no obligation to leave a positive review & all opinions are my own.
