The Hippychick Classic World Hercules Weightlifting toy is a simple, yet clever, balancing game that allows little ones to use wooden rings to correctly balance the arms of this strongman wooden figure. The eyes of the little Hercules move, so he can see straight, when the arms are balanced.
Not only is this toy a great teaching tool and aids your tot's fine motor skills and shape recognition, it is also a Mother&Baby Awards 2023 Silver winner.
www.hippychick.com
Overview of the Hippychick Classic World Hercules Weightlifting toy
Pros:
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Simple balancing game
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Durable
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Helps to enhance fine motor skills and shape recognition
Cons:
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Would be nice to have more circular "weights" to allow more combinations during play
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Would be nice if some of the circular "weights" were slightly bigger in size
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Colours seem not adventurous enough
Testing the Hippychick Classic World Hercules Weightlifting
Our parent testers, and their little ones, put the Hippychick Classic World Hercules Weightlifting toy to the test and here is what they thought.
Hannah said: "The toy looks attractive and my 3-year-old was immediately drawn to play with it when she first noticed it. My daughter understood the aim of the toy and enjoyed balancing the discs so that the eyes are visible. We enjoyed playing with it together with me guiding her to try different balancing options. On her own however she lost interest reasonably quickly and started playing with the discs independently - using them as ingredients to make a ‘cake’ with."
Beth: "Our 3-year-old child took an interest in the toy straight away, he liked how the arms moved from side to side and understood the concept very quickly. When asked what would happen if you added/removed a weight, he could tell me almost instantly. He also understood that different size discs means different weight. However, he quickly got bored when realising there were a limited number of ways to rearrange the weights and left it alone. Our 21-month-old has played with it substantially more and has spent a lot of time rearranging the weights and playing with the balancing arms. He also explored the relationship between weight/size and balancing without adult input which I didn't expect. It aided his fine motor skills too."
Nicola said: "My son was really excited to play with this for the first time. As soon as he saw the box he couldn't wait to get it out. He started playing immediately and I guided him with phrases such as 'I wonder what would happen if you put one orange disc on one side and one yellow disc on the other side' – he very quickly understood what was happening and was excited to see what would happen to the 'strongman's' eyes with each disc that he added."
Maryanne: "I was really impressed, the picture on the box doesn't do it justice. I like the overall look of the toy and the fact it is wood is brilliant. I am switching to more wood as it is a lot more durable. I liked the muted colour scheme a lot and the size is perfect. Big enough to play with, while small enough to not take over the space."
Sophie said: "My overall impression was that it was a good quality product and it is very well made. Lovely that it was wooden and not plastic. The colours were very gentle and muted, they could perhaps have been slightly bolder just so it stood out a bit more. It was very easy to use, I didn’t need to read the instructions but liked that there was a prompt there if needed."
Astrid said: "Alexandra, who is 3 years old, loved to play with the toy. She was interested from the beginning and she kept playing for longer than expected. She understood easily how it worked and why each colour was a different weight. Also she liked the colours too, however I think they were not bright enough to attract them (children) in the first place."
Hippychick Classic World Hercules Weightlifting specification
Age suitability: 3 years+
Dimensions: 21cm x 7.5cm x 17.7cm
Material: Natural, eco-friendly wood