Rebecca Reads

As a mum of two aged 5 and under, CBeebies has been a staple in our house. The children both have their favourite shows to watch on the channel with one of those being Twirlywoos. I actually remember seeing the first advertisements for this new show and both C and E quickly fell in love with it. The characters are lovable, it's educational and hilariously funny - everything you can ask for from a TV show.

With every TV show, comes character merchandise. The majority of toys in our house are character related and Golden Bear Toys have a lovely range of Twirlywoos toys for fans of the show. We received the Fun Sounds Big Red Boat and Fun Sounds Great BigHoo to test out.

E was beside herself with excitement and couldn't wait to get playing. Both toys are small enough for the hands of small children and, if your children are anything like mine, the fact that they makes noises is the selling point.

The detail of the Big Red Boat is perfect and exactly what it's like on the TV show. If you roll the wheels along the floor you can hear ocean sounds or push down on the boat mast to hear three different boat sounds. The stickers with the Twirlywoos characters in the window are a very nice touch.

Fun Sounds Great BigHoo was a massive hit with both C and E. He is their favourite Twirlywoos character and this soft toy is great for cuddles. If you squeeze his belly, he makes six different sounds.

The Big Red Boat is suitable for children aged 18 months+ while the Great BigHoo is for ages 10 months+. My two children are 3 and 5 and still absolutely love playing with them together so I feel that they are toys that will last and be enjoyed for a long time.

You can purchased both toys from all major retailers at a price of £14.99 for the Fun Sounds Big Red Boat and £14.99 for Fun Sounds Great BigHoo. Youcan find out more about the Twirlywoos range of toys at the Golden Bear Toys website or you can keep up to date on Facebook and Twitter.

(We received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

My kids are really big on TV which is always something pregnant me swore would never happen! They don't watch it all day but they do have a select few shows which they love. CBeebies is one of the channels we watch a lot with Twirlywoos and In The Night Garden being the ultimate favourites. We were sent two character toys from the show to try out.

Firstly, the Twirlywoos Big Red Boat! I'd seen this around whilst Christmas shopping for the kids and if I'm completely honest, the £49.99 price tag put me off especially as I didn't know whether the kids would like it or if it did a lot. Before I get into the ins and outs of the toy, it is definitely worth the price tag! So if, like me, you were put off - don't be!

The boat itself is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. It comes with figures of Great BigHoo and Peekaboo and it's packed full of activities to encourage developmental learning and imaginative play. The side of the boat opens to reveal a pop up table and little tube. When you press the button on the "floor" beside it, it glugs as though it's filling up and you'll hear a voice say "full" and "empty" after it releases. There is also a smaller hatch on the side which is great for hiding Peekaboo in.

On the top of the boat, you'll see three birds. There is a spinner behind it so you can make them spin around and chirp but they can also be removed to play with separately too. The horn on the front can be pushed down to say phrases and play songs as well as flash the blue lights on the front. The spinner has images of the Twirlywoos characters and it tells you their name when you land on them.

Finally, the lifebuoy on the side can be pulled down to play four different songs, one of these being the Twirlywoos theme song. This is by far C and E's favourite part of the boat. Every time it plays they have a little boogie!

The Big Red Boat has been constantly played with and both children love it. E was in total awe when she saw it and I swear, if she had a thought bubble it would read "this boat is on TV and now it's in our house!" She was so star-struck!

The boat is suitable for ages 18 months +, it retails at £49.99 and you can find it at all good retailers.

We also received Peekaboo Iggle Piggle. Both children are very familiar with this show and the characters as it's one that they usually watch before bedtime so they were very excited by this.

Peekaboo Iggle Piggle is a really cute little soft toy and it even comes with the little red blanket attached. You just need to squeeze his belly and he'll put his hands over his eyes and bring them back out when you release it. Whilst doing this he also says fun little phrases.

It is recommended for ages 10 months + and E at 15 months can't quite work out how to squeeze his belly but when I do it for her she covers her own eyes to play peekaboo with him - it's so cute! She does love a cuddle with him too.