Review: New Shimmer and Shine toys for bringing magic to playtime

When we were running and scooting to school in Storm Doris today, we suddenly heard someone say ‘It’s the perfect day for helping friends. How can I help you?’

It was Shimmer who was helping four-year-old Big Girl steer the scooter through the storm, and Shimmer’s comment caused Big Girl to stop to tell me Shimmer was being silly, as Shimmer couldn’t actually help us get to school on time.

I agreed and enjoyed that we could have a quick giggle despite the stress of the school run.

Big Girl had been determined to bring her Shimmer and Shine Talk & Sing Doll to show her friends, and after I had realised how late we were in leaving the house there had been no time to explain that she could not bring toys to school–not even a very glam magical toy with a funky hair do.

This new sparkly toy is based on a show that I knew Big Girl loved, but I’ve still been surprised to see how much she’s played with the Shimmer and Shine toys, which she received to review now two weeks ago.

At first it was the Fisher-Price Shimmer and Shine Float & Sing Palace Friends Playset (£29.99), which was the favourite. The set features twin sisters Shimmer and Shine and the monkey and cat Tala and Nahal from the TV show, as well as a sofa with pillows for the animals and places to sit for the sisters. The sofa comes with tunes and phrases from the show, and the genies can be lifted and lowered.

For Big Girl it is the two dolls that are the best part of the set, and she brought the twins on holiday, as they’re a great size for travelling. We particularly like that they have colourful hair to brush, detachable skirts and bracelets, and the only negative is the shoes are a bit tricky to keep on.

When receiving the toys, I always had to play the mum, and Big Girl decided the Shimmer and Shine Talk & Sing Doll was the mum. She didn’t want to be the mum herself, and it was clear that the little dolls were the favourites.

It struck me that the big Shimmer and Shine Talk & Sing Doll (£24.99), which has a soft body, hard head, sparkly outfit and hair to play with, was perhaps not her cup of tea now since she’s more into dressing dolls, but this week I’ve seen how fond she is of the big doll with all the fun phrases. Yesterday she said she was going to write a book about Shimmer in school, and the other day she drew a picture of her at home and wrote at the back: ‘This is my doll Shimmer’

I’m not surprised she loves a bit of magic. In the midst of Storm Doris, Shimmer and Shine have been perfect escapism in our household.

Tags: Doll, Fisher Price, Four years, Mattel, Review, Shimmer and Shine, Toys, TV show