Its not often that something truly innovative comes into the toy market so when it does its pretty special. I was contacted by Playpress about their new gender neutral, eco friendly toy which they are currently under going crowdfunding for through Kickstarter. The more I found out about this new toy the more I was impressed by it, so the lovely people at Playpress kindly sent Monkey a Newsstand kit to try out.
The toy sets arrive flat packed and so are ideal for travel, Ive actually taken ours apart again so that I can put it in the suitcase. It also means they are very easy to store which is a real added bonus. The small packet is one of the characters and has two pieces of 100% recyclable board, the larger is the newsstand with four pieces.
One of the issues with anything you need to pop out as such is that if its not good quality you can loose part of the printed image as little hands tug and pull. Monkey pushed all the shapes out for these, including the little coins that come with the newsstand without any problems at all. There was no tearing either on the actual pieces or the remaining board.
When Playpress said to me that we would need instructions to put the newsstand together I would be lying if I didn’t think – oh no! This is going to be really complex… afterall this is all the pieces we ended up with once they had been popped out:
However the instructions are brilliant, they are pictorial in nature and easy to follow. Monkey can put together the junior lego sets on his own and almost managed to do the same with this – there was a couple of times he got the corner pieces the wrong way round so needed a little help. As you can see the instructions are currently in digital format which worked really well. Heres Monkey starting the construction:
Here it is almost done:
I think it probably took fifteen minutes for him to put together, as an adult you could probably do it in five. In the set you get 10 different magazines, a £10 note, a £5 note and some coins. There is the newsstand retailer and customer. I really like the gender neutral approach they have taken, purposefully avoiding stereo types. Heres the full newsstand set below:
The individual characters come with items to allow them to fulfil their roles, so for example this doctor came with a clip board, syringe and x-ray stand up. The artist came with the palette, paint brush and easel. The printing on all the pieces is first class and I really like the attention to detail and thought which has done into it all.
I don’t have many pictures of Monkey playing with the set as I wasn’t allowed to take any I had to play! Which to be honest says it all, here he was talking as if he was the owner and rearranging the magazines and papers. Not only did we engage in small world play but it lead to discussions about money and its value. How many papers he could buy for £10 over £5. (please ignore the blue plaster he had an accident at nursery!)
It was very cute listening to him make up little stories and great for developing his imagination further. I would love to get a whole town, you could easily loose yourself in it for a whole afternoon!
So there we have it. Not only are there news stands like this one, but they have also developed a shop, fire station, car, ambulance, woodland and various little characters including pets. However to bring them to the market Playpress are crowdsourcing and need to raise £25,000 by 2nd of September to get the project underway. You can support them with as little as £1 by clicking on the Kickstarter link here. All the sets are printed and manufactured in London, so you will be supporting a home grown business as well as bringing a brilliant toy to market.
The sets are individually priced from £3 to £35, thus eeping with the desire to create pocket money toys that can inspire little ones. There is also a 33% discount for early bird bundle options. Every backer will have their name on the Playpress website to commemorate the campaign. There is also the intention for interaction between the physical toy and a digital world via an iPad:
“As well as playing with the toys they have, by propping up an iPad kids will be able to extend their play world and interact with new characters and scenescapes through our website”.
Co-founder and Chief Play Maker, Matthew Wright
If you would like the chance to win a newsstand set like the one which Monkey has been playing with in this review then please enter via the Gleam application below – Ive kept it really simple to enter this ALL about spreading the word! Please help me to help Playpress reach their target.
Playpress Newsstand Toy Giveaway
Terms & Conditions :
- Please enter using the link above which will take you to the Gleam application
- Competition is open to residents of UK, CI, IoM & ROI aged 18 or over
- There is no cash alternative offered
- The winner will be drawn at random from all qualifying entries. The winner will receive a Playpress Newsstand
- The competition will close on 2nd September 2016 at midnight, winners will be notified through Twitter
- The winner will be asked to provide a full postal address with postcode for delivery purposes
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Linking up with PickNMix and TwinklyTuesday
Aww these toys sound so sweet and looks like Monkey had lots of fun playing with them. I think my boy would probably break them though xx #picknmix
They are really strong I was very impressed! Thank you for stopping by x
This looks like so much fun, Alice would to make this and I am sure it would bring hours of play. I hope they raise the money they need to get this out in the market x #picknmix
So do I! I can imagine a whole little town on the kitchen flour! Thank you for stopping by X
This is a great idea for a fun but educational toy. It combines a lot of different skill areas. Thanks for sharing.
This looks like a great idea, combines lots of stuff into one
I’m going to check out their Kickstarter right now. It’s such a clever idea. And my daughter might just be getting old enough not to destroy them.
Looks like lots of fun, very educational x
valuable fun here- looks like hours of educational enjoyment
Looks very fun xx
This looks like great fun, think the boys would love it. Thanks for linking to #picknmix
Thank you for hosting xx
What a cute idea, definitely a good one for a rainy afternoon. Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix
Stevie x
Thank you for hosting xx
It looks really fun
Such a great idea! I And it looks really good too. I am sure my Baba would love to try that and put some pieces in his mouth on the way LOL #TwinklyTuesday
this looks great, my kids would have fun 🙂
Looks like a fun one to build #TriedTested
This does look a fun kit. Always nice to have construction toys which aren’t lego #TriedTested
Oh wow these look really interesting, great way to keep the kids occupied x #triedtested
That looks like a lot of fun and glad to hear that it was easy enough for Monkey to put together – I have to admit the prospect of having to slot lots of little things together always puts me off things like this a bit, especially when they often seem to tear as you pop them out. This kit sounds really well made though and easier to put together than some of the similar things I’ve encountered. Love all the details with the people and sounds like you and Monkey had lots of fun playing with it. #bloggerclubuk
Aww this is really cute! I hope they make the target. #BloggerClubUK
These look like great fun. Would be perfect when Edith is older.
#BloggerClubUK
I love the idea of this. Ben would love putting it all together and I can imagine them being a big hit in the classroom too.
Thanks for sharing your review on #TriedTested this week x
What a great idea! Are they quite light when in the box? I’ve been looking for things to take for ‘the boys’ when we go backpacking and these would be ideal! Thanks for sharing! #BloggerClubUK
I love that real toys that encourage kids to get involved. Will bear this in mind for my godchildren. #BloggerClubUK
Construction, motor skills, play! Perfect. #BloggerclubUK
It sounds like Monkey had a lot of fun, my Little man isn’t ready for something like this yet but I hope they do well in their Kickstarter campaign #bloggerclubuk
These look great! I love things that are a bit crafty and you can actually build rather than plastic toys! I think they are a great idea and you get the kids involved in creating them too! 🙂
#bloggerclubuk
This looks like great fun, I think my kids would love it.
This looks so much fun , my son would really enjoy being creative
love this what a fab idea
This looks great fun but looks educational at the same time
My lad would think this was cool x
Love these imaginative toys! Hours of fun ?
Looks like lots of fun and educational too – so a bonus!
Looks perfect for the little ones xx
A lovely set to be creative with
what a fantastic idea x
wow . . . .think of all the brownie points l could earn if l were to win this for my grandsons
Great fun educational toy
Great prize, would provide lots of interactive play for the children.
My son would love playing with this!
Perfect to save for a Christmas present x
these toys are lovely ! thanks for a lovely giveaway
looks fun to build
A really fun looking way of learning new skills
This looks fantastic!
Great idea I wish them every success
My little girl would love playing with this
What fun. Thanks for hosting.
The children may as well enjoy it while learning to construct. Just think of all that flat pack furniture they will need to put together when they are adults.
This looks great fun
Aww super cute toys
looks like fun, my grandkids would love it
Looks great! 🙂
Looks great 🙂
Looks like good fun for children. Thank you for the chance xxx
Looks like a great prize. Thanks for the competition!
This looks so much fun! My little girl would love this!
These look really fun
this would keep my boys happy for a while 🙂
Love these back to basic type toys, you don’t need all the fancy electronic ones for your little ones!
My youngest grandchildren would love playing together with this.
Really love the idea of these
This looks really fun!
These look good for some imaginative play!
I would love to win this for our little boy.
Gem Cook
I love how sturdy these look and that they don’t compromise on the way they look. They’re fab!
A great way to encourage imaginative play
my little girl would love this it looks ace
Lots of imagination and lots of fun for my little lad with this one
I love these as they come ready to assemble and could be used anywhere
Great giveaway. My little boy would love to play
This looks so much fun! I love the way it needs assembling beforehand 🙂
What beautiful toys. My kids would enjoy playing with them. Hope they raise the money soon
I love this , toys that encourage imaginary play are so valuable
this looks fun – i like the idea of buying a different toy each week and building up a little town over time
My two eldest Daughters would love to play with this set 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway x