what toys are we NOT buying this year - lessons learned from previous years!

[curlycat]

no more make your own badges, stickers, gift cards rubbish - they never work properly.

moon sand

hama beads

hot wheels tracks that take 6 hours to build and 2 seconds to break

anything that is meant to churn out anything near edible food - think chocoltae coins/ cupcakes.

anyone care to add - i wish i had this kind of list when my dc were little and i could have saved a fortune since i've bought most of this tat at some point over the last 11 years!

DD and DS love their zhu zhu hamsters - we only have tiles/wooden floors. They have another each for their stockings, we have never had any of the accessories though.

zhu zhu hamsters are one of dd1's most played with toys (didnt buy any of the crap that goes with it though) along with sylvanian families.

Hot wheels are crap

All types of remote control vehicle are rubbish ime.

We love lego though, have loads of it and it's all the ds's want, every year. Yes it is pricey and the sets inevitably get dismantled but the bits always get re-used for some wondrous new model!

Barbie puppy swim school and polly pocket ice cream water park have been some awful buys!

was thinking of getting my lo happykand, she will be 17 months, got weebles treehouse for 1st birthday and loved it! Is Happyland really rubbish??

happyland*

Anything with Zingzillas - the biggest pile of shite ever.

lilyj- our Happyland sets have all been very good - they are all played with every day by children from 1 - 9!! The doors do come off quite easily but I always assumed that this was to stop them being snapped by toddlers. Would definately recommend the bigger sets rather than the littler policestation/vets etc - more play value.

lilyj2010

I second nimbs, my dc have had Happyland stuff for the last 6 yrs and still play with it. Yes the door can come off but just clip back in

any tv toys, yes had moon sand never again, making sets no no no, any thing that takes loads of batteries, fur real rubbish, hexbugs rubbish.

zhu zhu hamsers and playmobil have tons up in the loft never really got played with

Transformers

"mummy, make it change back!"

"I can't DS, NOBODY CAN!!"

I have a relative who finds amusement and joy in buying my DC any inconvenient toy she can find. She freely admits that she does it on purpose too. Anything noisy or messy. I'm half expecting her to buy them a drumkit and a ton of plasticine this year.

Hot Wheels track - except for the basic version I had as a child, clamped top end to table and had a loop the loop on the way down.

Oh lord dd is pleading for moon sand....
We have a wooden dolls house spent ££ on last Xmas for the then 4yr old. The 2.6 dd plays with it lots more.....
Please keep them coming .
I might buy Hama beads for a girls birthday soon whos mum drives me round the bend....

My dd(6) loves Hama beads and moonsand, she plays with them on a tray and I've not had much mess at all.

EZ fort

The poles will not stay stuck in the little ball connectors and the whole thing falls to pieces at the slightest touch - even laying a sheet over it can make it all pop apart.

There are not enough poles to make anything worth playing in either. Without fail it ends in tears every time we get the sodding thing out.

I have now relegated it to the back of the garage and it will be heading straight for the bin as soon as DS has forgotten about it. Biggest waste of £35 ever.

DS does love Hama beads though. I also make him play with them on a tray and we don't get any mess.

Agree following were big dissappointments: r/c stuff; duplo; zhu zhu pets not because the don't work just because they lose interest so quickly; guess who extra can't take it to school for toy day what's the point

Success: Lego; jigsaw for two of my kids middle one had no interest; cd players; doll house put colourful plastic furniture wooden stuff hated; playing cards; crafts; Hama; old happy land; tunnels; marble run; baby born youngest loves it; little pet shop; just dance; sesame street pc game; connect 4; scooters; Cluedo; laptop; trampoline large outdoor

Non success: Rose petal cottage; plastic indoor slide; electric train; liv dolls; baby born middle hated it and it eats batteries; my little petshop horse stadium; cheap paint sets; wii fit; wii fit plus; leap frog; skates; downfall;operation; monopoly; risk; brain training; play station; trampoline small childs size very unstable; sand pits turn into cat litter trays even with a brick weigh down the lid; waterside they love them but after two days sunshine they break

Grown to like; barbies; hula hoop; polly pockets

I have 3 kids ages 6-14 so lots of mistakes

mine have asked for moxie girls and build a bear stuff, we love build a bear but very unsure on moxie girls as have barbies and they look awful now, not like the pretty £20 princess doll it used to be

Don't rate moxie girls but build a bear are both my girls must special toy we once left it at ireland and nana had to ring with a status update nightly until it arrived or she wouldnt sleep

Thinking of getting build a bear wardrobe what do you think of it

thanks i will have to point other things out and hope they change their minds.

i have looked at the wardrobe and think its lovely, but to be honest my 3 dd's have so many clothes and shoes that one would not be enough, i have 2 under the bed boxes with lids on that they keep all their build a bear things in and they work great because they are shallow but long and wide so they can see all their things easy.
i had to rush out and replace dd4's bear when she lost it, i was lucky they still sold it, when i got home i found missing bear, so we now have a spare bear for when bear bear goes walk abouts or goes for a spin in the washing machine . my other 2 dd's collect them and any money they get for birthdays or for pocket money they save and spend at build a bear, they also love buildabearvile it has taken over club penguin which is great as its free!!!

Thanks we haven't that many clothiers so will prob ask Santa for one with an eBay clothes bundle

if you get one off ebay don't get the wooden one, they are rubbish as the rail goes from back to front, not side to side but the plastic ones look great, i love ebay for build a bear, have managed to get some bargains off there

Fancy the plastic pink one. Just holding out for a bargain.