At a glance:
This is a fun, snap base game that will help your toddler use problem-solving skills to match cards. Our mums thought it was a good game to encourage their tots to take turns and share, but thought the suggested age range was a little broad, and that the game didn't keep their little ones occupied for long.
What they say:
“A fun and simple matching game for children aged 2-6. Turn over welly cards to find matching pairs of wellies for your monsters. The first player to fill their board wins! There are two ways to play this colourful game, for both younger and more advanced players. This means children of all ages can play and enjoy the game together, either as a simple pairs matching or more complex memory game. The patterned welly cards can also be used to encourage children to identify the objects they can see on them. Featuring an array of colourful character illustrations, the quirky monsters are bound to get children giggling! Why not ask your children to pick their favourite monster?”
Tested by mum Fay Boston for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
The game can be played in a few different ways and all folds up nicely in the box. Though my two-year-old lost interest pretty quickly, she did enjoy putting all the picture puzzles together and matching the wellies, so it is certainly a good game you can use in different ways for a variety of ages. The design is nice, bold, and attractive to little eyes.
How did the product make your life easier?
This product does allow to you to get your child to focus on one activity and to sit down as a family for 15 minutes of calm. It is great for encouraging children to follow instructions, take turns and share. The age range is 2-6 years for this product, although there are different elements that would appeal to the different ages, I feel it would suit three years plus.
Would you choose this product to win?
The design of the game is lovely and not too gender orientated, making it something all children would be happy to play with and share.
What changes would you make to the product?
To appeal more to the young age range I think it needs another puzzle or matching element. The product really isn't hard wearing either – having only used the product a couple of times, the design was already coming away from the cardboard.
Tested by mum Sally Anderson for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would recommend this product to another mum but in my opinion, the age range of 2-6 years is too broad. I have been playing with this with my two and a half year old and feel this would lose its appeal quickly for an older child. Perhaps 2-4 years would be more appropriate. It's a good rainy day game and can be made easier or harder based on the child's age. It is essentially 'snap' with monsters and wellies.
How did this product make your life easier?
I can't say this product makes my life easier, as such. It's a nice game, but requires at least two players, so isn't one I would be able to leave my daughter to play with on her own. It would be a boredom buster on a rainy day, but I wouldn't anticipate hours of fun with this game alone.
Would you choose this product to win?
In my opinion, this isn't an award worthy game. While it's fun and quirky, for the age range and also for Orchard toys, there are better options on the market. That said, the bright colours and fun design make it very attractive and engaging for little people.
What changes would you make to this product?
The only thing I think I would change would be the age range this game is pitched at. In my opinion 2-6 years is too broad, and I don't think a six-year-old would be find this game captivating enough to justify the price tag. I think it should be aimed at 2-4 years. You can alter the game slightly to make it harder, but even then, I don't think it would hold an older child's attention for too long.
Tested my mum Rhian Booth for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would recommend it, especially as I think it’s great value for money. The design of the product is really good and it stands up well to regular use by a toddler. The colours are bright and seem to capture the imagination. We have lost several pieces, but that is probably to be expected. It is definitely a toy that my boy picked up and played with as soon as he saw it.
How did this product make your life easier?
I wouldn’t say this product makes my life as a mum easier; however, my son has had lots of fun playing with the product. I suppose that by keeping him entertained it has given me a break on a few occasions! I really like the fact that the product is designed well enough for a young child to play with, without risk of breaking it. In this sense, I have had no concerns about him using it with my back turned, which is not always the case for some toys.
Would you choose this product to win?
I don't necessarily think this toy stands out above others in the market, and think that Orchard Toys have probably come up with some better ideas in the past. However, it is definitely a safe bet, and something that we have got plenty of use out of.
What changes would you make to this product?
There is not a lot that I would change about it, as it is a fairly simple toy at a low price. It is user-friendly and simple to understand, even for a young toddler, so in that sense it does everything that it should. Interest in this toy possibly waned a little more quickly than I would have liked, but I don't know how this can really be changed.
Tested by mum Natasha Bach for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would recommend this product to other mums, as it is really easy to use and kept my toddler well engaged for a reasonable amount of time. The brightly coloured designs were eye catching and excited my toddler, who isn’t always very good at identifying colours. This game has helped her to improve this skill tremendously.
How did this product make your life easier?
As my toddler was easily engaged in the game, I didn’t need to spend time exciting her about it in order to gain her interest. The cards were chunky and durable, meaning my toddler was able to fit the 'jigsaw' type pieces together quite easily, and didn’t require my assistance too much. All of the pieces easily fit back into the box at the end of the game, which is great.
Would you choose this product to win?
This product would certainly be one of, if not my top choice of toy for my toddler. The product stood out, as it encouraged a number of problem solving skills to be used (identifying colours, counting, matching). I certainly feel this product deserves one of the top awards as it encourages children to learn through play.
What changes would you make to this product?
The design of the box could be made more 'toddler friendly'. My toddler kept opening the box from the bottom, which has weakened the bottom of the box and meant I have had to find alternative storage for the game to save me losing any pieces. A list of the skills the game encourages could be printed on the box in order to make product selection more efficient.
Tested by mum Sarah Stevenson for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I enjoyed this game with my nearly three-year-old daughter, and felt that it suitably robust and high quality (the pieces would not easily wear, although they are not water or chew resistant if a child puts them in his/her mouth!) My daughter enjoyed looking at the monsters and the wellies, and I felt that the illustrations were cute, detailed, and very appealing to children. I also liked that you could make the game easier or more difficult to suit different age ranges. I think this game will last us a long time, and love the fact that the box doubles as a good carry case for the game - you could easily pack it to take on holiday and it stores easily.
How did this product make your life easier?
It's always useful to find products that will entertain a young child that don't involve putting her in front of the T.V! I think this product was very effective in doing that. She enjoyed it a lot – she got it out later that day and wanted to play it again, and I enjoyed playing it with her. I also liked that it could be a family activity or an activity with friends, or just something for the two of us to do together. It's educational and, crucially, fun.
Would you choose this product to win?
I think this product does deserve to win, because it is good value for money and it will provide a lot of entertainment for many years, I think, at a very reasonable price. It is good quality and well designed, we both liked the monsters and welly themes, and I liked the fact that it's educational. It's also a nice game for adults and children to enjoy together, which is fun.
What changes would you make to this product?
I felt that the game was a little difficult for the younger age ranges – once a welly card was turned over, my daughter wanted to give it to the person whom it belonged to rather than put it back on the table as I don't think she quite understood the objective! However, I don't see this as a downside because turn taking is an important skill for her to learn and this game helps her do that. This is evidence to me that the game will not be so "easy" that she quickly outgrows it. She really liked playing it, so I don't think these points were detrimental to her enjoyment of the game at all, despite not understanding the objective quite yet. I would love to see a game like this that could be used in the car or on an airplane, as this current iteration has too many small parts to be an effective travel game.
Product Information
Suitable for children aged 2-6.