Our Little Treasure
Activities, Recipes, Shopping and more for people caring for young children

Treasure Road Tests - January 2009

The Team at Our Little Treasure try new products on the market and give you our honest opinion on what is a great buy for your family.

This month:


Treasure Road Test - BoscoBear Wall Art

BoscoBear is an exciting Australian Brand that has a fabulous range of products designed to celebrate children’s colourful imaginations.
Our bright and lively Removable Room Art Kits have been designed to stimulate and engage a child’s inquisitive nature. Each theme has been carefully researched, designed and illustrated by our very experienced design team. BoscoBear’s Removable Room Art Kits, Growth Charts and Alphabet products transform children’s bedrooms into live canvas of fabulous friends.

Printed on easy to remove materials, BoscoBear Removable Room Art Kits, Growth Charts and Alphabet products are perfect for children who like to chop and change. And you who don't have to worry about holes in walls, chipped paint or hard to remove wallpaper.
BoscoBear also has a large range of Personalised Labels, Party Invitations and Stationery Products. BoscoBear likes to make the lives of busy Mums and Dads a little easier as BoscoBear’s full range of products can be ordered and personalised online.
The BoscoBear website has been designed to allow you to easily design your Personalised letters, labels, stickers and invitations. Visit boscobear.com.au to view the interactive personalisation software for party invitations and labels. Put simply, BoscoBear is an interactive, fun, creative way to brighten every child’s imagination!

This month the Our Little Treasure Road Test Team tried BoscoBear's Wall Art. This is what we had to say:

  • BoscoBear Wall Art removable stickers are packaged neatly with simple to follow instructions. They have a range of themes which would suit most children. I have tried the farm yard theme.
    My son (2 1/2 years) loved walking into his room to find a range of animals on his wall he still gets excited about having a scarecrow on his wall as he goes to bed each night.
    I believe the cost to be reasonable considering the transformation it makes to the bedroom. It is a product I would certainly use again. Treasure Road Tester - Pauline.

  • BoscoBear has a range of different products including personalised labels, room art, stationary and invitations - we received a number of Wall Art stick-ons to road test and we were very pleasantly surprised.
    Russian Doll Wall Stickers (Multi Coloured) - I could not believe how many stick-ons there were in this pack! They covered a whole wall! They are bright and very colourful and they look fantastic. My daughter loves her new look wall because it is different to anything she has ever seen before. They range in size with the biggest one being about 40cm down to around 15cm. If we stuck them in ‘the wrong place’ they were really easy to take off and move and didn’t lose any adhesiveness. This pack, according to the BoscoBear website is $69.95 which I thought was quite expensive but when thinking about it, is a very cheap alternative for a total room makeover. The only downside that we have had is a couple are peeling a little around the edges, but it could be due to some very hot days we have had recently. At any rate they look lovely and really brighten up the room. Treasure Road Tester - Joanne (Mum to Olivia 4, Ben 2, Sophie 17mths and Abbey 17mths).
  • Thank you for the opportunity to test the above product. I tested the product in my 3 year old son's bedroom, which coincidentally already had a jungle theme.
    I asked him to help me place the animals on the walls of his bedroom, which he absolutely loved. He wanted to place most of the animals on the wall next to his bed so they could keep him company while he slept and he has since named most of the animals!
    The stickers were extremely easy to peel from the backing and place on the wall. It took a bit of practice to get them straight, but once I got the hang of it, the task was really simple. It is worth working out a plan of where you would like to place the stickers before you start and it is important to prepare the surface properly.
    This is a great product and a wonderful price. I had been looking for themed art for my son's bedroom and found most items in the marketplace are very expensive, with minimal impact. I had even considered trying to paint something myself to complete the room. The stickers are a great educational tool (my 18 month old has been learning the names of the animals and the sounds they make) and even an artistically challenged mum like me can make them look great. I would highly recommend this product to any parent looking to create a special and magical space for their children. Treasure Road Tester - Rebecca (mum to 3 boys - 20 months, 3 years and 5 years).

For more information about BoscoBear's products visit www.boscobear.com.au.


Treasure Road Test - Little Innoscents

A funky young mum with two adorable children, Melbourne based Antonette is the brains behind Little Innoscents – an exclusive and 100% certified organic baby care range. Her mission is to provide Australian families with products that are organic, effective in treating various ailments, affordable, environmentally friendly and funky.

Put simply, these are products that are easy to use, multi-purpose, versatile and practical - moisturising and cleansing without compromising on performance or scent. Antonette researched extensively, studying the skin and the cosmetics industry in detail. The Little Innoscents range is certified by one of the world’s leading organic certification bodies – NASAA (National Association of Sustainable Agriculture of Australia), giving consumers the assurance that Little Innoscents products have been manufactured and handled according to strict guidelines completely free of any chemicals. Not only suitable for the little ones but every member of the family, Little Innoscents products have had great success in treating and managing conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, redness and itchiness. Products currently available are: Body Wash, Massage Oil, Massage Lotion, Nappy rash Cream, Vapour Rub Balm and Baby Powder.

This month the Our Little Treasure Road Test Team tried the range from Little Innoscents. This is what we had to say:

  • I am a Mum of a 3 yr old and 4 month old. My 3 yr old has terribly dry skin with eczema. He has had eczema every day of his life since birth and my 4 month old has had one outbreak of eczema since birth. I have tried a number of natural organic creams (but organic & chemical free creams are very hard to come by) and unfortunately have had to use steroid based creams on severe eczema. Bathing is a problem as both soap and non-soap products irritate their skin. I was therefore excited to trial the Little Innoscents products....while holding my breath to see if it reacted with their skin.
    I think "Little Innoscents" is the perfect name for these products. The packaging of the products is bright and colourful. The containers were also very durable as they travelled with us over the Christmas period (not a single spill or leak in over 1000kms!!).
    All of the products have a delightfully unique fragrance. Having tried so many organic and chemical free creams before, I can tell you, some of them really stink. My 3 yr old really notices the creams odours and was so excited each day to have the 'yummy creams' on him. Each of the products were very easy to use.
    The Hair & Body Wash cleaned both the skin and hair beautifully on both children. It left them smelling fruity with a hint of spearmint! My husband loved the smell of the kids after their bath! The Massage Oil was really nice to use on my bub and kept her skin well nourished. The Massage Cream was great to use on both kids and kept their skin moist.
    Although no one had a cold or the flu during the trial, we did use the Vapour Rub Balm and I believed it would help to ease congestion. It had enough vapour to do the job without being too strong so that your eyes burn as you open the container.
    The Nappy Change Cream was my favourite product of all. It was great for my daughter's nappy rash as it seemed to ease her discomfort. By the time it came to change her next nappy (after applying cream), her skin was back to normal, all the redness was gone. BUT, I found this product to be EXCELLENT for my sons eczema. As it is emulsified, it is thicker than the other creams and gave the skin more moisture. It also soothed my sons skin so that the itching was not as bad - and in fact he could go hours without scratching his skin!! That is a first for us!!!
    So, I held my breath for the 2 weeks of this trial, waiting to see either adverse reactions to skin or no improvement at all but found neither. The products kept my daughters skin well and my sons skin hasn't been this good since he was a bub!!
    Verdict = 10/10! NONE of the creams/ oil/ wash irritated my kids' skin, and all products did what they said and even more!! Compared to other organic products on the market, this range is very reasonably priced. I did also check out their website and saw that they have 15% off their things for the month of January!
    My bub did not complain and my son loves the range and his skin is comfortable. Happy kids makes for a very happy Mum! If your kids have good skin, use the 'Little Innoscents' products and their skin will remain beautiful. If your kids have irritated/ dry/ eczema skin, use the 'Little Innoscents' products and their skin will THRIVE!!! Treasure Road Tester - Bek (mum to Dieter age 3 and Annikah age 4 months).
  • The Little Innoscents range was really beautiful. The hair and body wash liquid had to be my most favourite product in the range. It kept my children's hair clean and shiny for a whole week before it needed to be washed again. I had never seen their hair so shiny and manageable before and it didn't sting their eyes and there were absolutely no knots to comb out. A really fantastic product that I would definitely use again.
    The massage oil had a slight summery citrus fragrance and the massage lotion had a more subtle fragrance that rubbed in well and left my toddlers skin lovely and soft and not greasy at all. The oil also rubbed in well when lightly massaged so there wasn't a lot of oily residue. They were both great products.
    The vapour rub balm smelled exactly like the leading brands of Vapour rubs but the beauty of this product is that it is all natural and very effective.
    The only product that didn't work so well for us was the nappy rash cream. My bubs bottom was still red after using the cream for several days. My little bub does have sensitive skin, especially on his bottom so we have tried numerous products and brands of nappy rash creams and have found one that works for him and have stuck to it. My older toddler never got nappy rash like this one so I am sure the nappy rash cream would be worth trying for anyone wanting an organic alternative. I was disappointed that it hadn't worked for us but as I have said we have always had a few problems in that department.
    Overall I would give the Little Innoscents range a 9 out of 10. They were fantastic products that smelled divine and worked really well and best of all they are organic, made in Australia, they're very affordable and inexpensive compared to other organic brands, and I loved the packaging ( the bottles, tubes and tubs were easy to open and close which is very handy when you have little ones and are trying to do everything with one hand! ) I really like the $19.95 gift pack which has sample sizes of everything so that you can get to try the products and see how they work for you and would also be very handy when you are travelling. I urge everyone to give this product range a go. I really loved it. Treasure Road Tester - Michelle (mum to Owen, 20 months).

If you would like more information about the Little Innoscents range, please visit - www.littleinnoscents.com.au


Treasure Road Test – Disney Playhouse DVD’s

Come and celebrate with family favourites Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Mickey Mouse in the latest additions to the Playhouse Disney range! Two new releases from the range will be available on Disney DVD from 1 October 2008; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Treat and My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt, both providing plenty of excitement, fun and discovery for 2–5 year olds!

Embracing storytelling, engaging music, playful learning, lovable characters and great bonus features including additional episodes!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Mickey’s Treat
Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto and Goofy led our family through 70 minutes worth of adventures on this fun-filled, action packed DVD. It was the first Mickey Mouse adventure that my children (5 ˝ and 3 ˝) had seen and they were glued to it from start to finish – despite the fact that my 5 year old thought that he was too old for it when I first showed it to him! The bright colours and movements also kept my 3 month old entertained too! Mickey and the gang are a part of three mouseketales that use interactive features (i.e. the viewers are asked questions to help out) to lead the gang through a number of puzzles using clues that include numbers and shapes. Inherent in each adventure is also the notion that teamwork, caring and sharing are great things to do and be a part of. My children have asked to watch the DVD everyday and with all the excitement of Christmas around, I think that I can say that they have really enjoyed Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Once we finished watching all of the mouseketales and then the bonus episode (Little Einsteins) we popped the disc into the computer and found colouring pages and Halloween recipes to print out too. All in all Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has been a great holiday activity for all of our family.
My Friends Tigger and Pooh – Hundred Acre Wood Haunt
This DVD had us joining Tigger and Pooh and their new friend 6 year old Darby and her dog Buster on six fun adventures through the Hundred Acre Wood as part of the Super Sleuths team. Viewers are encouraged to answer questions to help the Super Sleuths solve some mysteries or help a friend in need throughout each adventure. Other characters such as Roo, Rabbit, Eeyore and Piglet also appear in each episode. I have a confession to make – I have never really been a fan of Pooh Bear, but this DVD had converted me. My children (5 ˝ and 3 ˝) loved being part of the Super Sleuths and felt that they had a real role to play in each adventure. My 3 month old also enjoyed the stories because the colours are so bright and beautiful and you cannot help being drawn into the colours and then the stories. The DVD goes for approximately 69 minutes and there is a bonus feature of Handy Manny who is a fix-it guy that has talking tools (which my kids also greatly enjoyed). There’s also a game, the Super Sleuth Fall Harvest Festival, which can be played using the buttons on your remote control. Over a busy period with Christmas and school holidays, this DVD has been fantastic for giving the kids some ‘relaxation’ time and me some time to myself, while I know that they are interacting and learning something along the way (although they don’t realise it!). S. Whittaker.


My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt DVD
Price Point – RRP $19.95
Ease of Use – DVD menus are clear and easy to use
Packaging – Regular DVD packaging, not children’s DVD with handle.
Relevance to My Child – Perhaps slightly too old for my 2 ˝ year old, but she still loves Winnie The Pooh, so it held her attention fairly well.
Did your child like/ dislike the product – I’m not a big fan of Winnie the Pooh, but I admit that it is very child oriented, with simple themes aimed solely at children. My daughter certainly loved watching this DVD and it held her attention quite well. She is always excited to watch something new and she does like Pooh, so it had a tick in every box as far a she was concerned!
Other information – This DVD features three 20 minute episodes of Winnie the Pooh. It features all of the usual characters – Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit and Roo and introduces Darby, a six year old girl, and her dog Buster. The group of friends set about solving problems that at times are slightly scary, but always work out for the best. They help Piglet overcome his fear of lightning and thunder and fix the moon when a piece of it falls off. All of their adventures are fun and address issues that relate to children. The DVD is in no way educational, but it is a fun way to get kids thinking about things like working together with friends and sharing, as well as overcoming fears. This is a lovely DVD that I’m sure many children would enjoy for years to come.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat
Price Point – RRP $19.95
Ease of Use – DVD menus are easy to use
Packaging – Regular DVD packaging, not children’s DVD with handle
Relevance to My Child – This is a Halloween DVD and, with my daughter being only 2 ˝, she didn’t completely understand the concept.
Did your child like/ dislike the product – My daughter liked the interactive nature of this DVD and the 20 minute episode length suited her attention span at this stage.
Other information – This DVD features three episodes, each of about 20 minutes in duration. It is quite interactive, with audience members being asked questions to help Mickey solve the problem at hand. There’s lots of music and fun in this DVD as viewers follow Mickey and the gang through the woods and over the drawbridge to get to Big Pete’s costume party. It’s a fun DVD for the whole family as everyone is familiar with Mickey Mouse and even non-fans can’t help but recognise some of the songs and characters. The episodes address relevant issues like sharing and working together, as is relevant to the young age group it is aimed at. B. Powell


Mickey's Treat" & "Tigger & Pooh Hundred Acre Wood Haunt"
It was great to see a modern adaptation of favourite classics with familiar characters.
Both DVD's were full of catchy tunes, vibrant colours and lots of action. Over an hour's worth of entertainment for my 4yr old was wonderful. My 24 mth old was even kept interested for 30mins, however I believe the DVD's are more suited to the 3 year old age group.
'Mickey's Treat' was favoured by my 4yr old. It allows for interaction, asking children to repeat phrases and be involved in adventure. It explores fantasy & role playing, emotions & empathy, teamwork & problem solving.
The Halloween theme, being unfamiliar to my daughter, managed to hold her interest. She was more enthused over the "doctor" episode which she was more able to identify with. What delighted her and
intrigued her the most was the added bonus of "Little Einsteins" which introduced travel, foreign countries and musical instruments. This episode definitely captured our attention with more complex characters & advanced concepts.
'Hundred Acre Wood Haunt' was a little less dynamic though still enjoyable. After the initial disappointment over the absence of Christopher Robin, my 4yr old soon became a fan of Darby and girl power triumphed in the end. The DVD explores friendships, discovery & adventure along with fostering the imagination and problem solving skills. Once again, the bonus episode 'Handy Manny' interested my daughter more than the feature presentation.
We are happy to recommend these delightful DVD's that we are sure to provide young children with hours of entertainment.
Parents will also enjoy reminiscing about their childhood favourites. L. Cunningham.


Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Mickey’s Treat
My daughter Bella (3yrs 8mths) absolutely loved this movie.... She sat still through it all and even answer the questions when asked by Mickey what things were, or what item is needed etc. She was constantly telling me what was happening and what they (the characters) were doing etc... (even though I was right there watching it with her) Bella even told me a few times throughout it how much she liked it and was enjoying it. She was even disappointed when the first episode finished, she said oh no its finished now... but then was very happy when I said to her to keep watching as another one would come on. It was great to see her get involved with it and learning from it.
My Son Jesse (1yr 11mths) also watched it, but occasionally walked off to play with something else. From what he did watch he seemed to enjoy though.
In conclusion, especially where my kids are concerned anyway this movie would be more aimed at Bella's age group - probably anywhere from 3yrs and up.
My Friends Tigger & Pooh - Hundred Acre Haunt
Yet again Bella (3yrs 8mths) enjoyed this movie, also sitting still and watching intently throughout these episodes too. Bella asked a few questions through this one... like why is piglet scared etc. But she still really liked this movie and also got involved where she could with it too. She counted with them etc.
Jesse (1yr 11mths) also watched it, but like the other one was easily distracted again. But he does love Pooh Bear and Tigger, as he has some toys with them on it so did constantly call out their names when he saw them.
In conclusion, yet again this movie is probably better suited to Bella more than Jesse but would also suit Jesse's age too.
They are both great DVD's and I know my kids will definitely watch them over and over again... Bella has already asked for them a few times over the past few weeks and I am sure she will ask lots more in the future too to watch them both. I would recommend them both to parents of young children as I myself also found them to be pretty good to watch and definitely suitable for small children to watch. R. Carney

 
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat, and My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt
Our daughter is 3 and a half and she is familiar with these characters from being subscribers to the Playhouse Disney channel on Foxtel. We took them on holidays with us and she watched them in the car. She thoroughly enjoyed My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt and watched it a couple of times. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat was not quite as popular. As they were both Halloween themed I was concerned that they would not be relevant to her and she would lose interest but she was engrossed in them.
They both ran for approximately 70 minutes and included some bonus features of Handy Manny & Little Einstein Halloween episodes and games. They also had Fast Play so they started straight away.
Overall we enjoyed the DVDs but as we do not celebrate Halloween I doubt I would have purchased them for her. I would consider other Playhouse Disney titles for her with the Hundred Acre Wood characters. P. Kavanagh.


My Friends Tigger and Pooh Hundred Acre Wood Haunt and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey's Treat
My two girls are 1 (2 on Feb 1st) and 4 (5 in April).
The titles of both movies would of put me off purchasing both DVD's. Halloween normally means scary to me and my girls would probably watch it, but be scared and not wish to re watch even though they are designed and aimed at their age group. I believe the Halloween fun theme is more aimed at the American market.
Researching the price Big W online promotes the DVD's at $18.23. This to me for the product (especially if you have Disney Channel) as a little excessive. $15 or under I believe would be more appropriate.
The DVD's were easy to use and navigate through the Menu's. They were also easy to load on to the PC, for the extra content. Which was again more relevant to the American market. The Pooh game was ok, but the Mickey's cookbook was not really appealing and the colouring in was not fantastic.
The packaging was bright and eye catching, and I do prefer the animated version of the Playhouse Pooh rather than the puppet type. With the Halloween theme promoted, off putting to me.
My nearly two year old was not really interested in either movie, only watching for short periods.
My four year old enjoyed both movies watching both all the way through a few times. When asked what her opinion of the movies, the reply was "I love it, it does lots! I don't like the Halloween bit."
Lara (4) will watch this type of Halloween movie, but doesn't like them, therefore I would not purchase these movies, but really only one episode, on each DVD is Halloween themed.
Lara is a huge fan of Lumpy, so it was great to see him featured in the Pooh movie. (I have not purchased/watched the Halloween Lumpy Movie! Too scary?!)
The movies are both subtly educational with great entertainment value. I would compare them to a Dora the Explorer type DVD where the watcher is encouraged to interact with the TV in problem solving and helping Pooh or Mickey and friends on their adventures. It is a nice change from Dora!!
Overall my four year old liked it.
In summary, The DVD's are aimed more at the American market with the Halloween theme, but the other episodes are just normal fun adventures. There is lots to learn and plenty of interaction with the TV. They will keep any four year old entertained with the Dora the Explorer type subtle educational learning and entertainment, but with the long time loved characters of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Friends, or Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the old favourites. It is certainly a nice change from Dora. Not something I would of bought for my children but they both will be played time and again to get replay value. S. Hutchinson.


Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat, My friends Tigger and Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt
Ease of use: Both DVDs had a 'fast play' option so the DVD plays without going to the main menu.
Packaging: Standard DVD packaging
Relevance to your child / did your child like/ dislike the product and why/ why not Both DVDs were centred around Halloween without making the subject too scary. The Mickey Mouse DVD was much more interactive than the Tigger and Pooh DVD. The Tigger and Pooh DVD contained a few episodes that told a story, while the Mickey Mouse DVD contained sections on problem solving and repetition of the content in each episode which kept my 2 year old captivated. She liked the Tigger and Pooh but always asks for the Mickey Mouse.
She also enjoyed the bonus episode of Young Einstein’s . S. Donaldson


Mickey’s Clubhouse ‘Mickey’s Treat’
This DVD contains 3 episodes of the Mickey’s clubhouse show, along with a bonus Halloween episode of Little Einstein’s.
Mickey’s clubhouse is about Mickey Mouse and his friends, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Pluto, Goofy and Daffy Duck. Each episode has them on a mission, and to complete it they work together with the help of their mousketools. At the start of each episode Mickey sings the Mousketools song and finds the tools on the computer, and when a problem arises they all call ‘oh Toodles’ (a flying mouse head shaped computer screen) to bring them the tool, which they use to solve the problem.
Each episode goes for about 20 minutes, and it is fairly educational in a fun way. Children learn about basic counting, fractions, teamwork, puzzle solving, memory skills and many other things.
Mickey is very interactive. Each episode begins with him greeting the audience and encouraging them to say the magic words so the clubhouse will appear. Throughout each episode Mickey and the others ask questions (and then pause so the child can call out the answer) and encourage the viewer to join in the songs
The animations are very bright and simple. The clubhouse is pretty cool, I think children will like it, and the songs are catchy.
The episodes included are as follows:
Mickey's Treat
Its Halloween and Pete has invited the others to his Halloween party. To get there they need to follow the path through a giant candy cord patch, a misty forest and over a bridge. They need to use their problem solving skills to get to Pete’s Halloween tower before the moon is full or the gates will lock.
Goofy the Great
Goofy is a magician and is practising his magic tricks for the big magic show. But his magic tricks aren’t going to plan. Mickey and the gang use Toodles and the Mousekatools to help Goofy get his magic tricks ready.
Dr. Daisy, M.D.
Daisy is pretending to be a doctor and wants to be the best ‘pretend doctor’ in the world and get her ‘pretend Doctor's sticker’. So all of the gang gathers together to pretend they have various ailments to help Daisy get a sticker. Daisy uses the various Mousekatools to cure them.
The special features are a Little Einstein’s episode called A Little Einstein’s’ Halloween, which we really enjoyed. It features music from composer Edvard Grieg and art from the Limbourg Brothers. I thought it was very positive and clever and used music really well to draw my daughter in and get her excited.
There are also some Halloween recipes and some colouring in pages. I think you can load it into your computer to print them out.
I’ve never seen Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before, and, to be honest, when we first sat down to watch this DVD, I didn’t really enjoy it. The story lines seemed silly, and they speak gibberish like ‘we got our ears, say cheese’. It’s slow waiting while they pause for response, and while they go through the process of choosing a mousekatool. Pete charged them admission to come to his party and put himself down saying he didn’t think anyone would come to his party.
However by the time we got to Daisy the doctor (and my eyes adjusted to the brightness) we really were enjoying it. My daughter especially. She was singing the ‘hot dog’ song for the rest of the night and we had heaps of fun pretending to be doctors and giraffes. I think she will want to see this one again and again. It’s really nice to see cartoon characters that I remember from my childhood too.
The Halloween content isn’t really relevant here but its only a small portion and kids don’t care anyway. It’s certainly not scary. There are ghosts in the Little Einstein’s but they turn out not to be and they aren’t frightening.
Overall I would recommend it to anyone with 1 to 5yr olds.
My Friends Tigger & Pooh ‘Hundred Acre Wood Haunt’
My Friends Tigger and Pooh is the new Winnie the Pooh series released by Playhouse Disney. Led by a new character named Darby and her dog Buster, the show follows her, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger as they solve mysteries plaguing the Hundred Acre Wood inhabitants.
This DVD is a three episode compilation, entitled,
‘Hundred Acre Wood Haunt'. Going by the front cover image and the words ‘S-Pooh-ky Fun’ I assumed it was going to be a Halloween themed series. I was slightly concerned my daughter who is 2 ˝ would be scared watching it, but surprisingly it didn’t actually have anything to do with Halloween inside, except for one of the bonus features which is a different series.
There are two stories per episode, each lasting about six minutes. The episodes are as follows:
“Super Size Darby" / "Piglet's Lightning Frightening" – Darby gets doused with some of Rabbit’s plant growth formula and has to deal with the plusses and minuses of her giant size. The friends sing and help Piglet learn about counting the time between lightning and thunder to help calm himself down during scary storms.
"Eeyore's Trip To The Moon" / "The Incredible Shrinking Roo" – Eeyore wants to travel to the moon so the Super Sleuths put together a makeshift rocket and blast off to return a missing piece of the moon that they have found. Roo can't figure out why he's shrinking instead of growing.
"Eeyore's Home Sweet Home"/"Rabbit's Prized Pumpkin" - Eeyore's home falls down so the Sleuths try to make him a new house. Rabbit grows a gigantic pumpkin and asks the Sleuths to help him protect it.
The show encourages interaction with Darby looking out and speaking to the audience directly at times. Most of the episodes follow the format of Tigger, Pooh and Darby solving a problem together. A few things are repeated in the episodes, Tigger, Pooh, and Darby hear the trumpet play to call the super sleuths, then they don their super sleuth costumes in the tree house and say the Super Sleuth slogan. Then they ride off on their (motorised) scooters. Another part that is repeated is the ‘think think think’ song which plays before they come up with a solution.
The format of "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" is vaguely reminiscent of other popular children's television shows such as ‘Blue’s clues’ or ‘Dora the Explorer’. The 3D animation is very brightly coloured and a little bit plasticy – it reminded me of a basic computer game. The magnificent hundred acre wood that I remembered has transformed into open parkland with flat green grass and small featureless trees.
I grew up with the original Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, so my first thought was, ‘What happened to Christopher Robin?’ Although I still don’t know, his replacement Darby is likeable. I assumed the series has been updated to appeal to today’s children and Christopher Robin got the boot. The new series is targeted at the pre-school market (Christopher Robin was school aged) and with that in mind the characters have been simplified and the shortened.
Other characters such as Piglet, Eyeore and Rabbit are there mostly to provide subject matter and not as main characters. Owl has disappeared all together, because now the Super Sleuths figure out the problems on their own, which is great!
There are special features included in the DVD. There is a ‘Super Sleuth Fall Harvest Festival’ game where you can use your remote to help count apples, pick a list of vegetables, and guess who is under the costume. The first two in particular are designed for children a bit older than my daughter, but she enjoyed all of them with my help.
The other feature was a Halloween episode of Handy Manny. I had never heard of this cartoon before (but then neither had I heard of Darby).
Overall, I thought “My Friends Tigger & Pooh” was nice but it lacked the wit and whimsy that Pooh is know for. Its not as charming as in previous adventures. I really missed the original hundred acre wood too with its great trees, and hills and streams. It was a really magical place that made you want to explore it. However the aim of this series is not to appeal to me, but to the younger pre-school market, and it does.
‘My Friends Tigger & Pooh’ is a good show. Its bright and has good morals and a positive, helpful message. I would not hesitate to show it to my daughter again. However it was just a little boring, even to my 2yr old, who during one episode, (and we watched them separately) got up to read a book.
I think the more you watched this the more you would love it. My daughter enjoyed it and I would say it is targeted at her age group (2 ˝) probably up to about 4 ˝. I would recommend it for anyone with young children. H. Fitzmaurice
 

Click here for a Tigger and Pooh sneak preview!

Both available to own on Disney DVD, Rated: G
 

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