Which toys to avoid

[NeitherNowtNorSummat01]

Following on from the ‘which toys still get played with a year on’ thread, I thought it might be useful to have one for which toys were an absolute waste of money and why

For me it’s Thomas Trackmaster. What an absolute pile of crap. The track is fiddly to build, the trains constantly de-rail and the track falls apart constantly. Both my sons get really frustrated with it after 10 minutes.
If you must get the trackmaster, go on eBay and buy the old style track and trains- much more robust!

Brio train sets are really good. Basic, classic and sturdy.

Poopsie surprise unicorn. It was rubbish. The slime was difficult to make and it never gets played with.

Poopsie surprise unicorn
I'm amazed anyone bought this. I saw one on the shop last year and it looked awful and was SO expensive! Yet they seemed to sell out in some shops

The vtech mya unicorn that you use to change the colour of its eyes etc

Very boring and rarely gets the right colour!

The Thomas trackmaster was a waste of money for us aswell. It took me ages to build and wasn't touched! It's currently in the box in his room.

Following with interest.

Anything with a track or a garage with bits that can click/break off. We’ve had a few and they always end up in pieces. Also they take up loads of room.

Overly complicated tool sets. My kids liked the battery powered drill and the hammer. The rest was ignored. Including all of the little bolts and screws and things.

ALSO remote control things that convert. My son got a robot that converted to a car last year. Kept breaking. The replacement also kept breaking. Got a refund in the end. The exception to this is the Imaginext Batbot Still being played with 9 months later and it’s the toy all of his friends run to when they see it.

Hot wheels scaltrix style tracks. Far too big and the cars kept jumping off. Flimsy.

Nintendo Mario Kart

Awful awful awful track which is impossible to put together, has ludicrous cardboard ‘crash barriers’ which won’t stay attached and cars which refuse to stay on the track. Cheap and nasty but at an expensive price. It’s currently hidden in the attack as the kids constantly want to play with it but are invariably in tears five minutes in.

*attic b

Generally the more hyped the toy the worse it is. Step forward Hatchimals. DD really wanted one because all her mates wanted one but it never actually gets played with.

Hot wheels sets, take ages to set up and takes up so much room.
My ds had the take and play Thomas sets they were really good and had hours of fun turning our living room into sodor.

Yy the pooing unicorn is total rubbish! Dd2 does actually still play with hers like a doll but I still resent having bought it!

For me, anything with lots of bits, particularly plastic bits, which at Gdcs' house invariably disappear under sofas, under sofa cushions, under cupboards, not to mention into some vast Black Hole, never to be seen again.

Anything shiting, farting or hatching . Overpriced tat and a 5 minute wonder for most dc.

Most "character" versions of normal toys, particularly the stuff aimed at preschoolers. Buy a non peppa/paw patrol kitchen, dolls house, medical set, train, pop up tent (pretty much anything really) and dc will get years more play from that than the character item which they'll consider too babyish within a few months of starting school.

Track master was the worst but managed to sell it on to another poor soul

Any toddler character stuff, in particular plush characters like teletubbies are likely to elicit a brief smile when opened and then be ignored forever. With the possible exception of Paw Patrol tower thing that I've heard a lot of parents say does actually get played with but sounds like it has a similar function to a toy garage.

Very cheap toys like huge multipacks of unbranded toy cars, fake my little ponies, fake barbie's.

Character art sets. I've never bought one but people love to gift them to my kids. They are shit quality versions of stuff we have en masse and all ends up in landfill quickly.

Faddy toy of the year, fingerlings, hatchimals, furbys.

agree with any fad type toy- the pomsie and wrapple and fingerling barely played with.

this year sticking to things they collect and only adding to existing collections. so dd1 Harry potter lego and funko pops, dd2 lol dolls and little figures. stockings will be useful no crap this year!

Bloody Rainbocorn. Complete waste of money, broke within a couple days and DD wasn't even that bothered as she was already bored of it.

FurReal type pets! Get played with for a while - than end up in a corner covered by all the other cuddly toys!

Oh was the rainbocorn the robotic unicorn that comes with a doctors set? DD is desperate for it but I’d rather not if it’s terrible!

The Kano Harry Potter coding wand. What a waste of £90.

My DD's used it a couple of times but the games/spells are really repetitive and dull.

I'm not buying any toys or lego this year as we have enough. The DD's are a bit older now (10 and just turned 13) so I can get away with it.

Fingerlings. DD wanted a dragon and a unicorn. Neither gets played with now, they don't really do anything.

The mousetrap game. not as good as the old one and was in the recycling bag by boxing day.