Review: My Little Pony "Twilight Sparkle's Twinkling Balloon"

Our daughter has been a night owl since birth.  In the past 4-1/2 years, she has only fallen asleep at her bedtime on a handful of occasions.  Usually she is awake at least an hour or two after her brothers have drifted off.  Since our daughter is also a huge fan of My Little Pony, both the show and the toys, the My Little Pony Twilight Sparkle's Twinkling Balloon seemed like it would be the perfect night light for her.

This hot air balloon has a little retractable handle at the top like a lantern, so it can light your child's way to the bathroom at night or while camping out indoors.  In night light mode, the balloon plays a very brief tune and then lights up purple when the star-shaped button is pressed.  Press the button a second time and the light turns red.  A third time turns the light off.  In play mode, the balloon plays a longer tune and displays a light changing sequence in purple, red, pink, and blue.  With the handle up, the balloon stands approximately 12-1/4" tall.

I have to say that our boys were a little envious because, of the many transportation toys they own, there is not a hot air balloon amongst them.  The Twilight Sparkle's Twinkling Balloon opens the door to a whole new world of pretend play.  In addition to the Twilight Sparkle pony and the Spike the Dragon figures, this toy comes with a telescope that can be mounted on the basket for Twilight Sparkle to use or to the top of the balloon for Spike to use.  The basket also has a door that flips down so the pony can enter and exit more easily.

Even with all the music and lights, our daughter says her favorite part about this toy is Spike the Dragon because he is just so cute.

To learn more about the Twilight Sparkle's Twinkling Balloon, visit Hasbro.com.  This toy retails for $19.99 and runs on 3 "AAA" batteries, which are included in the package.

Thank you to Hasbro's My Little Pony for sending us a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Free Printables: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Coloring Pages

If you have not heard, there is an all-new My Little Pony show on The Hub called My Little Pony Friendship is Magic!  Our 4 year old daughter is just delighted to have discovered this new show since she is such a huge fan of Hasbro My Little Pony toys.  Check your local listings for the broadcast schedule, as the times are different depending on the day of the week.

TO PRINT: Click on any image to enlarge. Then right click and select print. Hit the "back" arrow on your browser to return to this page to print another color page.

Thank you to The Hub for providing these printable coloring pages.  No compensation was received for sharing these images with my readers.

Review: Hasbro's My Little Pony "So Soft Pinkie Pie"

I had been saving this So Soft Pinkie Pie pony for quite awhile now. You see, when I attended BlogHer 2010 with my husband and 6 year old son, our 3 year old twins stayed with my sister and brother-in-law for 4 days and 3 nights. Our daughter was not so keen on the idea at first, so I showed her this My Little Pony doll and told her that So Soft Pinkie Pie would be her special friend during her visit to Auntie and Uncle's house. This pleased my daughter very much and she accepted the fact that she could not open this toy until it was time for her visit. Well, it turned out that Auntie and Uncle had so many fun things planned for the twins that my daughter forgot all about opening her special friend. Of course, the minute we picked everyone up and walked through our own door, she wanted to open her pony right away.

Although this toy is recommended for children ages 3 and up, there are really no small parts or sharp edges. I think the only thing I would worry about is the hair possibly coming out, although I have not seen this happen to our pony.

This pony has a plastic head and a plush body. She comes with her very own baby bottle that actually can stay in her mouth on its own.

Everything about this pony is so designed to be so darling. Every detail about her is as cute as can be, from her Troll Doll-esque mane to her balloon adorned diaper cover.

My daughter's favorite feature about So Soft Pinkie Pie is that she talks when her foot is pressed. She sings the tune to the My Little Pony theme song, tells you "I'm hungry" or "Pinkie Pie Hungry", asks "Will you feed me?", giggles, and my daughter's favorite phrase to hear "I love you Mommy!"

If your little girl owns more than her fair share of baby dolls already, then here is a doll that can offer her something a little different. So Soft Pinkie Pie retails for just $16.99, which is the same or less than most baby dolls at any toy retailer. This toy requires 2 AAA batteries, which are included, so that makes gift-giving much simpler.

Visit MyLittlePony.com to view the full selection of My Little Pony toys, which includes other "So Soft Newborn" pony friends. You can shop for My Little Pony products right from the Hasbro Toy Shop online or from other major toy retailers, such as Toys R Us, Amazon.com, Target, and Walmart.

Thank you to Hasbro for sending us a sample toy free of charge to base this review upon.

Review: My Little Pony Family Convertible

Having spent almost all her time with two brothers, my 3yr old daughter is no strangers to cars. Aside from one or two die cast cars, she really does not have any cars to call her own . . . until now.

The My Little Pony Family Convertible is so cool that my two sons were dying to have a turn at playing with it. After all, none of their cars come with a car seat. Nor are they decorated with fun balloons and streamers. Luckily, my daughter is a good sharer. And lucky for me, this toy is battery-free. Otherwise we would be going through batteries quickly with three children constantly taking turns playing with this car.

This playset comes with a convertible that has working wheels and a passenger side door that opens. It also includes Mom and Pinky Pie figures, a removable car seat, a to-go mug, a bag of groceries, and a lunchbox/snack bag (which I think could double as a brief case). The last three accessories clip onto the Mom pony's legs. This toy definitely is geared towards the theme of a busy on-the-go mom.

One thing that could be improved about this toy is that the car seat and the Pinkie Pie figure both need to be snapped into place. The way it is designed, those pieces need a lot of precision to be able to connect. Even as an adult, it was not something I could do quickly. I would love to see these pieces be more kid-friendly as far as snapping them into place.

I think my daughter's favorite part about this toy is being able to role play as a mommy and a baby. She also enjoys bringing her other My Little Pony figures into these scenarios she comes up with in her head.

For a limited time, you can look for the My Little Pony Family Convertible containing a 20-minute My Little Pony DVD inside the box. You can find this toy on HasbroToyShop.com and at most major retailers of Hasbro's My Little Pony toys.

Thank you to Hasbro for sending us a sample toy free of charge to base this review upon.

Review: My Little Pony "Twinkle Wish Adventure" (DVD)

My nearly 3yr old daughter is the proud owner of two My Little Pony figures. So when I had the chance to share the new My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure DVD with her, I knew she and her twin brother would love seeing these ponies come to life.

"Twinkle Wish Adventure" was recently released on October 13th, 2009. This DVD has many bonus features, such as sing-a-longs, animated shorts, and printables.

What our twins thought about this My Little Pony DVD:

1) The My Little Pony theme song was a huge hit with both twins. They actually enjoyed all the music very much.

2) My son had a big smile on his face during the entire feature. The colorful animation is very happy and magical.

3) Since each twin was holding a My Little Pony while they watched this DVD, they became so excited when they recognized one of their ponies on the screen.

4) I think my daughter's favorite pony was the one with the wings, which goes along with her obsession of fairy wings. I think we might have to look for one of these winged ponies next time we are at the toy store.

Even though the twins were a little young to understand the entire storyline, "Twinkle Wish Adventure" still offered them a magical experience. I think this DVD would be perfect for preschool-aged up to early grade school-aged children.

If you'd like to pick this DVD up for your child for a holiday gift (or just because), you can find it online at the Shout! Factory, on Amazon.com, and at most local retailers who carry Hasbro toys and children's DVDs.

Thank you to Click-Communications for providing us with a review product free of charge.