What not to waste your money on for the DC this Christmas-

[Sparklingbrook]

I will start, get the DCs wish lists ready to cross them off-

Elefun. Should be renamed Ele IMO.

Golden Coin Maker. Just don't.

Any more suggestions?

and novelty bubble bathy shit MY dds end up with litres of it and half of it is never used my mum is guilty of it and I was until last year just buying soap and shower gel and shit just to fill out the stocking same with any flavoured lip salve they just lick it off

I second Mousetrap, my mum bought it for a cousin last year, it look me, my brother and my sister a good hour to build (because you have to build it before playing the game as opposed to building as you go. It was rubbish before hand, but they actually made it worse! saying that my nephew had a great time putting the ball in the top!!

Late 90s, weren't they?

DD1 had a nocturnal one, NYATAYDOOOOOOO all night.

Doctor who scenic game was outstandingly crap so disappointed the DDs played it in half an hr

Scene*

My DD adores elefun! I got it in a charity shop for £1 I think the key is having really good batteries.

Ben and Hollys Castle/Elf tree, nice to look at but falls apart if you breath to heavily around it let alone play with it

Gator Golf, what is the point of it?

New style Mousetrap is awful, but DCs enjoy old fashioned one from charity shop.

The Vtech rough and tumble camera thing. What a pile of pap!!!

oh and we own original mouse trap and the newer version and original is as good as it was when you waas kid.

Bedaroos.
Just don't.

cheap imitation 'lego' . It might look to the untrained (grandparental) eye like fabulous value and loads for your money compared to real (expensive) lego but is invariabley a frustrating pile of utter crap.

Ooh, I was so jealous of my friend having mousetrap when I was little. Is it rubbish really?

The DDs enjoyed Elefun for the twenty minutes or so that the batteries were strong enough to power the fan. After that it blew like an old lady cooling her soup.
Ant farm with funky blue gel medium for the ants to tunnel in- I was really hoping this would work but IMO it was designed for bigger foreign ants... The wee British ants escaped through the air holes and the ones that didn't couldn't dig in the blue gel (too solid?) and died
I would like to nominate Pumpaloons for THE most ridiculous name of any product ever.

Anyone know what the Vtech twist and zoom camera/video recorder is like? Bought that for DS today.

Also, what's wrong with coin maker? DS is asking for it.

Any crafty thing requiring grownup help, or just being older than 4.
Though ds got Hungry Hippos for 3rd birthday and loves it - plays it by himself for ages making the hippos play nicely and take turns! The travel one is better though, only 2 hippos but plastic dome means can't lose balls.

Moondough. Utter shite and only marginally less messy than moonsand.
Another vote for Ele.

Oh and the bloody hamsters... The trials we went through to get hold of them a couple of years back, only for them to be played with twice and languish forever on a box underneath DD's bed....

Oh shit I got the Hotwheels track that fixes to the wall this year for DH DS

skies

I'm guessing any vtech camera will be pap.

DS's had a very dark screen which you could hardly see the pictures on and batteries don't last a minute even lithium batteries.

Poor poor poor

DD got new mousetrap for Christmas last year. Was a bit of a pain to play. Then when we went on holiday the cottage had old mousetrap and that was much better :)

Any Scene It or DVD version of a game.

I loved the Furby's, I had a Gizmo one from 1999 and lost it...the last time they were all the rage (about 5 years ago ?) I got my DS one from America, they were hard to come by !

Don't get lots of little 'stocking bits' or 'last minute presents'. Just give them a tenner or £20 and let them choose !

DON'T buy any sequin art, mostaix or other such creativity. Unless you are prepared to muck in.

Elefun is not good.

DD got a Fijit thing last year. I still have no idea what it's supposed to do/be...we taught it to dance and talk etc but my word you have to shout at the dratted thing. Interest lasts the usual Christmas gift tat of half an hour. Have already instructed the GPs with what to buy.

Another vote here for Elecrap...got it last year and have yet to find some batteries that actually work..

My DS loves Elefun! only Duracell super strength get it going though! He now wants Pumpaloons. Not liking the look of it myself tbh.

IIRC the Golden Coin maker took forever to make one coin, It didn't come with enough chocolate and it was all a bit shit. It went off to my DMs and she binned it.

We have Simpsons Scene It and we did have Pokemon Guess Who. Totally crapola.