About this deal
Unlike some all-singing-all-dancing toys, to parents’ relief, the noise isn’t grating and the light is subtle.
A big, fat check; there are seven animal figures including a giraffe, tiger, zebra, rhino, monkey, elephant and lion. There’s some shape sorting required as little ones line up which animal fits through the different holes, plus some simple matching as you pair the 16 passengers ready to board the boat.
We looked at how captivated our mini testers were and how long the toy in question held their attention, and whether they went back for more. Suitable for 18-months plus, our tester loved moving her animal passengers around and pulling them along the floor to their next destination. Made from hardwearing beech and cherry wood, it’s been finished using gorgeous pastel water-based paints, which looks adorable in the rainbow formation. With funny rolling eyes, a dial which rings as its turned and a telephone attachment, our little testers were fascinated with this toy, before they even clocked it could be pulled along too. It tickled all of us watching Vilma the rhino wiggle her derriere as she was pulled along by our mini testers.
Many standard pull along toys are suitable from 12-months, as many babies begin to find their feet and it’s a great way to encourage independent walking, but always be mindful to check age recommendations. In true timeless style, the pull along market is dominated by wooden construction, which not only looks sweet in a little one’s clutches, but also means it’ll stand the test of time and can be passed down the generations. We didn’t find the wheels glided along the surface as well as some of the others we tested, and there was no rubberised section so it was a little noisier than the competition. Suitable for those aged 12-months plus, our three-year-old tester loved seeing the characters topple overboard or fall over when pulled along with conviction. Lovingly made by Little Bird Told Me, a British brand known for its traditional rocking horses, there’s something fondly charming about this pull-along toy.The soft string also has a bit of stretch for ultimate pulling and felt comfortable in our tiny tester’s clutches. Our three-year-old tester’s reaction to connecting trucks or trains is like a moth to a flame, and many little ones love transport toys like this great example from JoJo Maman Bebe. Suitable for 18-months plus, naturally this rhino is quite a large pull-along toy, but the string was the perfect length for our three year old tester. The wheels aren’t rubberised so there’s a bit of wood knocking as it’s pulled but it’s not offensive, plus the noise was mainly drowned out by our tester giggling away as she played. Our 14-month-old and three-year-old testers happily obliged as they played with a selection of pull-along toys.