“I wondered if Flea might get bored with Mr Potato Head, but turns out that putting ears where a nose should be is HYSTERICAL if you’re four years old.”

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Price: £4.99

*****

Initial Thoughts: Flea was excited to see Mr Potato Head, if only because she recognised him from the Toy Story movie. We tested the simple set, which includes a potato head (obviously), eyes, mouth, moustache, glasses, shoes and ears. One thing I liked was that all the body parts can be stored inside the potato – apart from the shoes – meaning there’s less chance of things getting lost.

We liked: The quality of the toy is great, and although the pieces are small, they do feel quite sturdy enough for toddler play. I wondered if Flea might get bored with such a simple toy, but it turns out that just putting the ears where the nose and mouth should be is hysterically funny to a four year old. Cue three hours of “Look Mummy, I made another funny face” and “Close your eyes, and don’t look until I tell you”. Flea regularly takes this one out of the toy box, and last month when there was a “toy” day at school, Flea chose this as her favourite toy to take to show and tell.

We weren’t keen: My only real complaint is that everything fits inside EXCEPT the shoes. Annoying. Also, the flap on Mr Potato Head’s rear end comes off sometimes and Flea isn’t dextrous enough to put it back herself. Being a bit lazy, this bothers me.

Overall: Mr Potato Head is a lovely, simple toy at a great price that keeps pre-schoolers entertained for a long time, and I’m sure it encourages motor skills and helps them learn the words for various body parts, if you worry about that sort of thing.

[Sally, Who's the Mummy?]