NOW CLOSED My Little Pony Review thread

[KatieBMumsnet]

This thread is for the 100 MNers and their child(ren) who are reviewing one of four new My Little Pony toys.

They are reviewing:
Friendship Express Train set - "Children will love this cute motorised playset to take all of their pony friends to their favourite Ponyville locations. Train set comes with an engine, caboose, Pinkie Pie pony and 6 train track pieces" SRP: £23.00.

My Little Pony Princess Celestia is "the most beautiful, magical unicorn a child has ever seen! Princess Celestia has pretty light-up wings that move and she "really" talks! Pony figure comes with a crown, necklace, 4 barrettes, and comb" SRP: £20.00

Vehicle Asst "These sweet My Little Pony vehicles allow children to transport their ponies around Equestria. Each "vehicle" will come with one pony, a train cart and accessories. Children can play with this vehicle on its own or can attach it to the train set - allowing more ponies to join her friends on the magical journey" SRP: £13

And Fashion Ponies "These stylish ponies come with everything you needs to dress her up and make her look as fabulous as can be. Pack comes with brush, saddle, 4 shoes, 5 hair barrettes, necklace and bracelet!" SRP: £12.99

If you are a reviewer please respond to the questions below.
We'd also love you to add a review on the MN toy review pages .

Everyone who adds feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will get a £100 Argos voucher

So please say:
The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
What did your child think about it? What was good?
Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Any other comments

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Friendship Express Train Set.
Dd1 is 5 and dd2 is 2

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it would appeal more to my 2 year old than my 5 year old but they've both played with it quite a bit.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
I think they both liked it. Dd1 would have like more carriages and more ponies in the set. They liked the track and have been pretending to be tunnels by standing over it. Dd2 liked that there were a couple of different ways of joining the track together but would probably have preferred more options and for the track to be easier for her to put together herself.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
I think they've both looked at it in toy shops but haven't really known what My Little Pony is.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
Yes, probably. Like I say, I didn't expect it to appeal to the 5 year old as much as it did.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes, but I'd have been tempted to buy it for a 2-3 year old rather than a 5 year old as it's quite basic looking. The track is wider than, for example, the Thomas & Friends stuff and so looks like it is aimed more at younger children.

Any other comments
One of the big plusses for me was how easy it was to get out of the packaging. I liked that it wasn't tied in with tons of ties. It meant my kids didn't get frustrated waiting for me to get it out.

I would have liked to see the train do a bit more. For example it doesn't make a noise - perhaps a tooting could be added.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
"Vehicle" assortment
DD is 5

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?

I expected it to be a vehicle in its own right, although looking at the description now I see it is referred to as a "vehicle" implying that it isn't really! It was in fact a carriage for the train, so without an engine to pull it, it seemed a bit like half a toy. DD was looking for the track in the box and the bunny which is shown sitting on the back, but neither of those were included, despite being shown on the packaging.

I wasn't too impressed (well, for free, it was great, but for £13 RRP it was a bit of colourful plastic with a not-very-equine pony!) I was also disappointed that it was so 'girly'. I thought a vehicle assortment would be a good toy for her to play with DS, but he was not impressed!

What did your child think about it? What was good?

DD enjoyed playing with the ice creams, pony selling them to the squirrel for about 10 minutes, then just carried the squirrel round for the rest of the evening. I imagine with the engine and other carriages it could be a nice little set, but on its own it was a bit limited.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?

Yes she has several of the old-skool ponies and some cheap MLP copies which she loves. She didn't like the look of this little version of MLP and said it looked like a cat.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?

No we don't generally watch Boomerang but will keep an eye out for it.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?

Not this toy on its own, unless the child had the rest of the set.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?

Again, not this particular toy, but in general I like(d) them. I have bought them in the past as gifts, but wouldn't buy the new shape as they're a bit ugly!

Any other comments

The packaging was easy to open and I like the paper ties rather than wire & plastic - easier to recycle. Shame that many of the things pictured on the box were not included though. DD can't read the miniscule writing saying "other sets sold separately" so its just frustrating to have to explain it to her. She then of course asked me to buy the other sets :)

I asked for the vehicles because I thought they would be less stereotypically girly than the princess or fashion ponies, but the carriage is twiddly and pink and extremely girly, so I may as well have gone the whole hog and requested the sparkly unicorn!

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Sweetie Belle pony and train carriage.
DD 3, DS 6 and DS 7
Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
Individually, the boys liked that it had wheels and both pushed it around (at a high speed), my daughter was enchanted by the pony "it's so beautiful!" and she liked the carriage and the fact that the door opens and closes.
The picture on the packaging meant the kids were looking for track to run it on. But as a carriage it was lovely - I like the fact that all the little bits have somewhere to live so nothing has got lost. I was a bit puzzled by the carefully wrapped cardboard picture with the little cards attached? I didn't really know what they were for and there was no clue on the packaging (but that could just be us!). The pony fired her imagination more than the carriage.
What did your child think about it? What was good?
The boys lost interest quite quickly but they are a little old for this. My daughter has played with it everyday, and "trots" the pony around it, feeds it and arranges the accessories - but her absolutely most favourite thing is the "pet". She adores this, has kept it in her pocket. She likes the fact you can anchor the pet in the window or on the roof and also that you can attach the pony so it doesn't fall over - she can do this herself as well which is a bonus - lots of toys she needs me to help stick bits together.
She would have liked it to have some lights or music (I asked her if she thought it needed to do anything else)
Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Yes, she has some second hand ones we were given and has made up names for them all, this is our first accessory.
Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No
Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
I like the brand, it's ideal for younger kids, you know what you are getting and you know it will be good quality.
I would not have bought a carriage as a stand-alone toy - it needs to be part of a train, so I would only recommend buying as an extra if you have the train itself.
Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes i would, I think they have a fairly universal appeal, but it's unlikely I would buy it for a boy.
Any other comments
I'm not sure i would pay £13 for this. My personal price point to buy it would probably be around £9.99

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is:
My Little Pony Princess Celestia and my daughter is 4.

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?:
I thought this would end up being one of those toys that she would play with constantly for about half an hour and then it would be set aside, but I was pleasantly surprised. She?s played with it daily since it arrives and even chose it to take on holiday with us. She started off grooming it and playing with the hair accessories but once the novelty off those wore off it?s been played with in a more imaginative way. She takes it on walks, uses glitter to make up ?food? for it and spends time reading stories to it!

What did your child think about it? What was good?
She was extremely excited when it came out of the box and her eyes lit up when she realised you could make it talk as well. The hair clips were easy enough for little fingers but the crown was slightly fiddly for her to place properly which frustrated her a little bit. Her favourite aspect was definitely that fact that it talked, and there was a fairly decent selection of phrases so it didn?t get too repetitive too quickly.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
She?s not really come across it much but loves horses in general so I imagine it would appeal to her.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No, we don?t receive this channel in our house.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
I was impressed with the quality of the toy and would recommend it. The hair didn?t matt up as I was expecting it to and it?s stood up to a week of fairly intense play without looking worse for wear. At £20 it seems about right for the money.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
It wouldn?t have been a brand I would have looked for before testing this product, but it?s made a very favourable impression and yes, I would certainly consider purchasing from the range for a gift. The packaging is attractive and the toys seem to be sturdy and fun.

Any other comments?
I would have liked a few more accessories included, and would be willing to pay more for them. Props like food bowls might encourage further role-play as my daughter wanted to take care of it like a ?proper? horse.

It was a sure fire success in our house though and is being carried about in a basket with a stuffed hippo as I type this!! Thanks for the opportunity to test this.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Vehicle asst
DD1 is almost 5, DD2 is 2

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
DD1 hasn't played with it as much as DD2 although she was very enthusiastic and would definitely appreciate a MLP gift in the future.
DD2 loves it, she gets that it's part of a train and she loved putting the pony in and pushing her round 'choo chooing'. The accessories were a bit fiddly for both girls, they are very small and we've already lost a couple of pieces under the sofa!
I can see the bigger picture, that this would be fabulous as one of a number of train carriages with lots of little ponies to play with. On its own, I think the toy has limited play value for my 5 year old, but accessories aside, it makes a great carry-around toy for my 2 year old.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
They liked the pony and putting her in and out of the carriage and playing with the ice cream themed accessories, as I said, especially my 2 year old. I imagine they would enjoy playing together with it if they each had a pony or 2, I think this would appeal more to DD1 who was very enthusiastic about the toy but didn't play as much because she's used to more sophisticated role play with her toys.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Not really aware of MLP yet, although as a toy I played with as a child, it's something I am more likely to introduce them to.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
We don't watch Boomerang.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
Yes, but I'd recommend not buying a standalone toy as I think children need more than 1 pony to play whether this or the fashion ponies. More likely to buy having had a product for the children to trial and seeing that the ponies are as much fun as they were in my childhood!

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes for my children or niece. Slightly too expensive for e.g. school party presents where Barbie dolls are more cost efficient.

Any other comments
The design of the actual ponies has changed since the 1980s - I think I prefer the old look... but of course my children don't know the difference.
Thank you for the product, appreciate the opportunity to play with it before investing in a toy - you can never tell if something will be played with or not - this was, so now we can consider it.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

Friendship Express Train set. I have DD (3y10m) and DS (23m)

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?

I was quite impressed with it really. They liked playing with it, the motorised train has been all over the house and they like fiddling with the traintracks. Their favourite bit is putting the pony in the two carriages, hooking the carriages up to each other, filling the truck with other stuff etc.

What did your child think about it? What was good?

DD loves it, she says it's very colourful.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?

They haven't really come across it before but seem to quite like this set.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?

No, we don't get Boomerang here (in a valley and pretty much only get the BBC channels)

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?

It seems fairly reasonably priced so that's good. It is a bit garish and pink for my tastes, but I probably would recommend it to someone that's into it. I like the idea of the trainset.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?

Yes probably, especially since the prices seem relatively reasonable.

Any other comments

It is a bit annoying with ours that the train gets stuck on the curves. I've tried fiddling with it but it does it every time. It takes away some of the joy of watching it go round and round when you keep having to give it a helping nudge.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

Vehicle. DS is 4.5

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?

DS loved it when he first opened it and said it was "cool!" He was keen to get it out of the packaging (which took blooming ages, are all those twisty ties really necessary?!) He liked the pony and put it and out of the carriage and put the little squirrel in all the places it could go (I liked the fact there were several places for it and that it was easy for DS to do - I get asked so often to put people in and out of cars as they are hard to fit where they are supposed to go!) We were both a bit confused about what the little bits of cardboard were for but DS decided that they are maps and tickets for the train.

What did your child think about it? What was good?

Since opening it, he hasn't really played with it again. I think the play value of this is a bit limited, especially as it's just a carriage! There's nothing even to pull it around. I was also surprised that there were no brushes or hair accessories in the pack. I thought the point of all MLPs was to play with their hair? My mum has a rip off MLP (sorry!) that DS loves to play with as it's bigger and has longer hair and a variety of hair accessories. In retrospect, maybe I should have selected the Fashion Pony but I thought DS was prefer the train one.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?

See above.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?

No.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?

Not this particular toy, unless the child already had the train set and wanted to add to it. As a standalone toy, it's not great. My Little Ponies are fine but they used to be better when they were bigger, with more hair.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?

Maybe, for a close friend or family member if I knew the child in question was particularly into MLPs. They are a bit too expensive for school-friend type party gifts.

Any other comments

I'll try and direct DS to the toy again and see if he wants to play with it some more and will add any additional feedback.

Thanks for the opportunity to test this!

Thank-you for letting us test this.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

We had the express train set. DD is 4, DS is 2.5

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?

At first I was really disappointed. I felt there wasn't enough train track. I also thought it had to be turned upside down to start and stop (We then realised it'd start and stop by pressing the chimney thing). I also thought that if my children had received it as a gift I'd be cross about trying to scrape around for batteries and a screwdriver. I also thought it was very tricky to position properly on the track.

Once they got going, I really warmed to it. The 'pony'ness appealed to DD, and the 'train' side appealed to DS. It was small enough to take with us to a family BBQ on Saturday. All the children had a go. The colours definitely appealed to the younger ones. Again, the other little boy there liked it as a train.

I liked how easy it was to fit the track pieces together.

What did your child think about it? What was good?

DD is a very 'princessey' girl. Loves pink/pretty things. She liked pretending the pony was on a picnic stopping off at each end of the track. DS was just really transfixed with it going round and round.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?

Yes - we have some fake ones. She loves plaiting their hair, lining them up (X-factor style) and generally using them for imaginative play.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?

No - we don't have that channel

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?

Yes - having seen how much they've enjoyed it (and for the RRP), I did think it was a good bit of kit.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?

Yes I would. However, the pony we got was not what I remembered them to be when I was a child.

It was much more 'feminine' with a pointy nose. Not very horse like! I think i'd be very mindful of the connotations to such a gift. By this, I mean it is very girly. Suits my DD fine, but others might find it a bit OTT.

I would add to the collection for DD's birthday in the future though.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

We were sent the vehicle assorted, and my dd is 4.

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
My daughter was very, very excited to receive her parcel. She couldn't wait for me to open it for her, and once it was opened she played with it all afternoon and since then for about an hour a day. It prompted her to find all her other my little ponies and she had a lot of fun pushing the cart around the floor.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
My daughter liked pushing it around and pretending the ponies were going visiting. She specifically liked the colours, and the little cradle inside to carry the small bunny that was included in the set. However, she was disappointed - as was I - that it was only a carriage and not a train in its own right. The inclusion in the packaging of the cardboard animals was a little misleading too....my dd was asking where her extra animals and also the shown track had gone.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Yes, she has a few genuine my little ponies, and some supermarket copies.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No, we do not watch this channel.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
I would not recommend this toy unless the family already had parts of the set....a carriage on its own with no train/tracks is a little pointless. However, considering this as a stand alone toy, the quality seems good, it is very girly though which I thought might put off my little tomboy and others like her.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Perhaps....but I think the price is a little too high for me to consider as a gift for nursery/school parties. I would buy it for children in my family though, as I would be willing to spend a little more.

Any other comments
The plastic packaging was difficult to get into, but once it was opened it was a pleasant surprise to find cardboard ties instead of the awful plastic ones. This made the toy quite easy and quick to get out for an impatient child. I thought the pack design was misleading with all the cardboard animals etc on display with only one actual creature in the pack along with the pony. Like other posters, I preferred the older style of ponies that I recall from my own childhood, the new ones are a bit odd.

The toy is still sitting in my lounge, ready to play with which is nice that it's not been tidied up and forgotten about which shows my dd does enjoy it. Thank you for sending us this toy to test, much appreciated.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Friendship Express Train set - I have 3 & 1 year old boys.

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
It is marked for 3+ on the box presumably for small parts, but my initial impressions was that its more suited to a 2 year old. Sure enough the 20 month old likes it even though all the train does is go round and round. There is nothing to keep my exploring 3 year old entertained except imaginary play with the horse and building the track once. Once the track was built once it wasn't easy enough (too stiff) for the 3 year old to rebuild without assistance. With Brio and Duplo he can re-build the track again and again on his own.

• It doesn't make proper train sounds.
• There's no station, signs or signals
• There's nothing included to put in the green carriage
• There's nothing to do to the pony, all the bags, brushes, little things are in the other sets you have to buy separately.

The horse looked more like a deer in the face and the hair got matted. I am sure the my little ponies were bigger when I was a child?

What did your child think about it? What was good?
The 3 year old looked at the box and asked 'is this for girls?' I explained it was for everyone. They enjoyed trying to build the track and helping Mummy put the batteries in. His favourite colour is pink so he liked the train. They like helping to put the stickers on, but this was a one off activity.

They didn't like that you had to pick up the train and turn of the switch to stop the train so they took to knocking it off the track to stop it instead. The eldest asked where the station was. Within 2 days it had been disgarded except the little one kept the small green carriage and put a duplo man in it.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Until now my children had never heard of it.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
No. Myself and most of my friends try to look for educational value, imaginary play elements and future proofing and this toy/brand seems to be lacking those.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
No even if asked for and particularly not this one. I think they are overpriced for what they are. I think its very deceptive to show a large picture on the back of the box with two carriages and 4 pony's + bits that aren't included in the set with the buyer needing to look on the side to see that they're not included. Especially as you'd need to spend another £33 on Amazon to get them and can only buy them assorted so might not be able to get hold of one of them anyway.

For that reason I wouldn't give it as a gift, because the pester power element of the packaging could annoy the other Mum.
Likewise giving one of the carriages in their own right is no use without including the whole train.

There's nothing in the packaging to suggest it would be suitable to give to boys. First I would choose Brio. If I was looking at plastic options then I would choose the Thomas and Friends TrackMaster Thomas Busy Day Playset.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Friendship Express Train - DD2 is 6 and DD3 is 4

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
Both girls were very excited when the parcel arrived and were thrilled when they saw what it was. I initially thought it wouldn't hold their interest for long but I was wrong. Once they had put it together and changed the track a couple of times I thought they would be bored, but they have played with it a lot. Having said that, they both agreed that it needed more track and extra ponies. They have added on Duplo people, trees etc to make it more fun.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
They liked the bright colours and they way the train will still move on the floor away from the track. They also liked the way the track could be rebuilt in different ways. DD3 loves it.
DD2 was a little bit too old for it I think and just enjoyed playing with her younger sister. Her thoughts were that it was a great toy for younger children but when you are six it's a bit boring.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Yes they both have some and play with them often. But they much prefer the old style ones.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
I would, but only for a 3-5 year old. It doesn't really hold the interest of older girls for long.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes, I have bought some and they are always popular.

Any other comments
Thankyou very much for letting us have the chance to test it. It has become a much loved toy.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Friendship express train set, DS1 is 4 & DS2 is 20months

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
For the rrp value of the toy I think it represents good value for money compared to similar toys out there. Both boys Liked it, the first thing ds1 said was "but it's girls" it's very pink and purple. He loved putting the stickers on & it was easy for him to put the track together. Although no mention that you can press the funnel down once on the track to get it moving, we were forever taking it on and off to turn the engine on then placing it on the track with the wheels going round. When carriage was placed on the train it kept getting stuck going round the bends. Both sons preferred to play with the train on the carpet, rather than the track. So maybe not enough track was provided.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
They both liked to take turns pressing the funnel to make it stop & go, preferred it off the track though. They liked putting track together and pulling the pony around.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
He had heard of the show and toys before so I suppose so.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
Sometimes not often though.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
Yes, because for value for money you get a full toy (despite small amount of track) that doesn't necessarily need anything added to it to enjoy it.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes, for a child under the age of four, for the exact reason above.

Any other comments?
Perhaps a small animal or suitcase could be included to have something to put in the carriage. Packaging inside was great, made it easy to open, with the kids eager to play. Not so pink and purple, perhaps a unisex set with more greens, yellows, reds or blues. My son likes trains but at first simply dismissed it as a girls toy, which I then had to convince him it was ok to play with. Younger DS 20 months likes it still, however ds4 is not too bothered by it anymore.
And of course thank you for sending it to us!!!
:)

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

We have a vehicle and DD1 is 3.5

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?

My DD loved it, initially she found it tricky to get the pony on it's peg in the trailer. She used it to transport her pony (and sylvanians, little people and happyland creatures) from one room to another, she also used it for sleepovers for little creatures.

What did your child think about it? What was good?

She likes it and the little creatures/ice creams that came with it. The best things are her hair and the little squirrel!

Does your child like My Little Pony generally? She has a few od the older 'heart on the foot' ponies and loves them too.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?

No it seems a little too grown up for her and her TV time is limited so given the choice she would rather watch programmes she prefers.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why? Yes, it is a simple 'use your imagination' toy.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift? Yes.

Any other comments

The ponies are very different to the traditional ones DD1 normally plays with - a bit more sassy and she noticed the differences, she preferred the magnetic heart version because the ponies actually do something. The carriage on it's own would be a great addition to the trainset but I wouldn't buy it unless we already had the trainset.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Vehicle Asst- Ice cream carriage. DD is 3.6
Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
It was opened with a shriek of delight and played with constantly for about two days. Imaginative play. Then the incredibly tiny little pieces got lost and she went off it very quickly.
What did your child think about it? What was good?
She liked the imaginative play possibilities, but these were limited and the logistics of ponies, squirrels and ice creams falling out of the carriage every 5 minutes made it difficult for her to sustain her initial interest. She is still playing with the pony.
Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
She has not been aware of them until now
Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No.
Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
No. The pieces are too small and fiddly to play with and get lost very quickly. The functions of the vehicle are not clearly explained on the packaging.
Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Only if it was requested by the child.
Any other comments
No

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Friendship Express Train - DD is 4 and DS is 6

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
DD was very excited when it arrived and couldn't wait to get it out of the box. I liked the fact there wasn't loads of those wire tie things in the box so unpacking was quite quick although we then had to try and find some batteries. I think the play value is quite limited. The train doesn't really do much, no noises or anything and just goes around the track. The carriage kept getting stuck on corners which frustrated DD and she also thought it needed more ponies or carriages in the set. DD played with it alot once it was first opened and brought her other MLP toys and some barbie dogs to play with aswell. DS played with it for a short time before going to do more boy things. DD played with it again for a short while the next day but since then hasn't really bothered with it much.
What did your child think about it? What was good?
DD liked it but I think got bored with it quite quickly. She liked the pony and putting it in the engine or the carriage and also that she could change the layout of the track although it was sometimes hard for her to fit the peices together herself. I think more track would make it a better experience. She was also disappointed that it didn't come with all the ponies and carriages shown on the box.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Yes, she has some of the older ones and also princess celestia.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
sometimes, if she sees it advertised she asks to watch it but if she doesn't then she's not too bothered

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
I think I would recommend this toy for a younger child due to it's limited play and the MLP brand is good for girls

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes, and the smaller ponies on their own are ok for school birthday parties due to being reasonably priced
Any other comments
Thanks for letting us try this. If DD plays with it further I will update

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is?
My Little Pony Vehicles Assorted. DD2 is 6

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
DD was vey excited to see the box and get it out to play with, the fcat it was a unicorn rather than a pony seemed to excite her even more. I loved the packaged, so easy to remove the pony, carriage and bits in a couple of mins rather than the normal battle with ties and elastic. DD2, once the pony and carriage had been freed, dived straight into inventing a story for the pony and she was selling icecreams to me DH and her older sister.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
She says its brilliant and wants to put more on her birthday list. Its brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant apparently! She's thinks it cute, small - so can be lugged around the house, she likes that its a unicorn which is more special.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Is is quite 'pink' although i do like that the ponies come in a variety of colours to pander to each child's different colour preference, DD2 is not really a 'pink' girl but quite likes Ponies to play with.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
Yes, it seems quite good value for money. The little icecreams i can see getting lost. The pony and carriage both seem pretty robust and that they will stand up to lots of play.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Definitely, its a toy i played with as a child and am so pleased that they have stood the test of time.

Any other comments
Just to mention again how great the packaging once - please can all toy manufacturers take note!

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
My little pony princess celestia dd2 is 6 (although dd1 keeps nicking it and she is 8)

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
It has actually been played with loads, it has been flown round the house and twinkled at people had its hair done a million times, it has also been taken to show and tell which is a huge honour indeed. I was a little put out though as surely a horse should either have a horn and be a unicorn or wings and be a pegasus not both, although dd2 says it is a horse so I guess it is dressing up.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
she loved the light up wings and the voice.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
not really she has loads but they have never been played with like this has.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
Yes, it has been played with loads, we have had it for a week and it still getting taken everywhere.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes, I love my little pony (happy memories)

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

Friendship trainset with pinky pie. DS, 6 and my niece, 4

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?

I was a bit disappointed with the amount of track, it would be great to be able to add to it like the tomy thomas the tank engine sets. but DS built it easily (he is dyspaxic, so it needs to be easy) and had the pony driving his moshlings around. however, he wasnt keen on the pinkness.

What did your child think about it? What was good?

Ds liked it, he liked the fact that you only have to press the funnel to get it started. My niece adored it though.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?

DS doesn't. he was put off by the pony being pink.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?

no

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?

yes, it is fun to put together and good value. also quite sturdy.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?

yes, niece's birthday is next month and she has asked for more.

Any other comments

I second the comments about not enough hair/accessories. and the pony looking a bit girlier than I liked/remember. but, its lovely to see my niece (who is my favourite girl in the world) playing with the same toys I used to, and DS playing with something other than lego.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Princess Celestia, my daughters are 5 and 3

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
Eyes lit up, mouths dropped open when they first saw it! They were amazed by the sparkling wings and the talking. Initially they both enjoyed brushing its hair and flying it round the room. They liked taking the necklace and crown off and then dressing it up again. They made a stable for it out of some boxes and got it some pretend food. But they were bored of it after a day, once the novelty had worn off and it's been ignored ever since. I expect they'll come back to it soon though as they tend to with toys.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
Loved it to begin with, fought over who was taking it to bed that night. They tell me it's a really good pony and they really like it but at the moment they like Barbie better (Sorry!)

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
They have a few my little ponies, but hardly ever play with them

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No but I'll try them on it.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
Yes - it's a cool toy, it's got all the things my daughters normally love, ponies, wings and sparkles, so I'm really surprised they lost interest so quickly.
Would recommed the my little pony brand - My little ponies always seem more 'innocent' than barbies/bratz/etc

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes

Any other comments
Easy to get out of packaging
Has prompted me to find my old my little pony stable in my parents attic for them to play with!

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is
Princess Celestia, DS(6) and DS(4)
Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
The boys were entranced by the lights and moving wings. They liked the talking aspect, but the "I'm a princess, are you a princess?" had them in fits of giggles. There was also one bit that had DH and me stifling laughter - I think it's supposed to be "my dress is so pretty" but it does sound like "my breast is so pretty", so we had a bit of a fnar fnar. Passed over the kids' heads though.
What did your child think about it? What was good?
DS2 liked it more than DS1. They wanted to take it to bed with them - DS2 won that battle, and I kept on hearing Celestia talking during the night. They gave her lots of attention for a while, and then left her on the shelf for a bit. She has been included in some of their other games, with a toy fort and dragons, since. And DS2 does like combing her hair. (We've lost all the hair clips though)
Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
They hadn't heard of MLP
Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
We don't have TV
Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
I would recommend to parents of 3/4 yos if their child liked that sort of thing.
Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
It's not that likely - I tend to buy gender-neutral toys for children's birthday parties, as girls tend to get loaded with pink sparkly plastic and boys get cars and alien space zappers, so tend to give art and craft gifts or lego or books.
Any other comments
I found the packaging really tricky, but I don't often open this kind of thing. The boys do like the toy, and although DS1 realises it's a "girl toy", DS2 has no idea. The boys don't have anything quite like it, and I hadn't considered this sort of thing before, but DS2 has taken a shine to her, so it's opened my eyes to a different world of toys I hadn't considered.

That unicorn one looks to be nearer to £30 than £20 in the link.

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

We got the friendship train. My daughter is 4

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?
She was initially very excited but didn't like the delay to get some batteries in it as I was in the middle of doing something else at the time. I don't think the track goes together very easily, and I'm not sure she can get it together every time she tries. We have loads of wooden track and some Thomas track, which is much more user friendly. It's also quite hard to get the wheels positioned correctly on the track which I think is frustrating. I think it will have limited play value as the track is short and boring compared to the other train options we have. She did send it all over the house the first few days, but since it got tidied away I'm not sure she's chosen to get it out again. My immediate reaction to it was that it's utterly vile, and nothing like the mlp I used to have as a child.

What did your child think about it? What was good?
Oops, see some of the above. She liked it at first but hasn't played with it too much recently. She liked putting the stickers on it, and likes the train aspect of it. It didn't come with any kind of brush for the ponies hair, so now looks like a tangled mess - she would have loved a little plastic brush for it..

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
She's never seen them before

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?
No, I've never heard of 'boomerang' - we have freesat, no cable.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?
Probably not to be honest. I don't like the change in the ponies since I last saw them (probably 26 years ago!), and it was just too sickly pink and purple. I try and avoid having too much of this sort of girly plastic.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
No

Any other comments
I wish I had my collection of innocent little ponies from when I was young. I'm sure this will appeal to some people, but it just wasn't for us I'm afraid. I hadn't seen any 'modern' ponies before I signed up for this, so was hoping for something a bit more like I remember!

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

Friendship Express Train set and my DS is 3

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?

Before we received Friendship Express Train set I was worried that my little one wouldn't like it because couple of days before he started to tell that pink things are for girls and he is a boy.But when I opened box my son just told"wow! It's train!" No worries that train set was pink and purple, he didn't even mentioned that this train set is for girls. He played with it for two days, non stop and first question on the morning after we received our little pony train set was.mummy where is my train? :) He rally loved it!
I think it is well made,good quality toy, nothing broke after my sons play and this is good sign.My son just recently turned 3 and one of the gifts was parking garage from toys are us, box was impressive but garage inside rubbish hard to assemble, made from cheap plastic and my husband glued every piece with super glue because everything started to broke down and I am sure it will not last long(was quite expensive too)
After such awful toy this train set was so great toy in bright ,lovely colours.

What did your child think about it? What was good?

My son really loved this train set, he told me "mummy this little pink horse is lovely!
-It's pony.sweetie!
Pony.That's right little pony:))
He loved the train and carriage, empty carriage wasn't problem for him, he put there his Timmy then replaced it with his toy cars and put in carriage every small toy which he have at home.I liked that track was sturdy and pieces slot together quite easily however it was hard for him build track on his own but disassembled track wasn't problem at all. Also my son loved stickers!
Does your child like My Little Pony generally?
Yes! My son loved My little pony! As other mums mentioned that train set box is misleading with lot of ponies and carriages.my son was little bit disappointed and checked by himself where are other ponies and carriages but box was empty."mummy look.There are lot of ponies.where are my ponies?
I want more!

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?

No. we didn't watch "My little pony Friendship is magic) TV series because we don't have boomerang channel!

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?

Yes! Definitely! Toys are brilliant! Good quality, interesting to play with, I liked that train can go even on floor(on hard floor and on carpets too)

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?
Yes I would, because it is great quality toy in lovely colours but I would never buy it for boys because some mums are obsessed with pink only for girls and blue for boys! I also think that this train set would be suitable from 2 years.It is great with no small details.

Any other comments

My hubby also liked this train set, especially that it wasn't noisy like lot of toys. It is quite enough and they was perfectly happy(my son and his daddy) to be in one room, no one disturbed another.daddy was watching "To Gear" and my son was playing with his train set.Also my husband liked quality of this toy and added that we can buy toys from these series four our friends daughter.Only thing which a little bit put my hubby of oh.its so girly pink and purple.Bright colours like green, orange, yellow and neon blue would be perfect for boys, pony can stay pink.It is lovely:))
P.S. Thanks for great opportunity to test such amazing toy I'm not sure that I would buy it for my son for that reason that this is pink and we never look in pinky girl toys shelves!
But train set is very good, excellent quality.Now in my son's wish list are more ponies and carriages....

The name of the toy you were sent and how old your child is

My Little Pony Princess Celestia, DD age 5

Your overall opinion of the play value of the toy - how did your child play with it?

Initially very excited and played with it for about an hour hasn't really played with it much since, she enjoyed brushing and styling the hair but as there weren't many clips it was quite limited in what she could do. She also played with her little sister (2) and some of her other horse and pony toys.

What did your child think about it? What was good?

She thought it was very pretty and likes the sparkly/shiny wings.

Does your child like My Little Pony generally?

Yes she has many other ponies.

Does your child watch the TV series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" on Boomerang weekdays at 3pm and Boomerang+1 at 4pm?

She does occasionally.

Do you think you'd recommend this toy/the My Little Pony Brand to another parent/child? Why?

I would, it is a very sturdy toy and would probably entertain a younger child for longer. They are also reasonably priced.

Would you consider buying a My Little Pony product as a gift?

Yes and I have done previously.

Any other comments

I feel this should have more accessories to give the child more to do.