When I was little (back in the 80s), the first thing I remember being obsessed with was my charm necklace. Or more specifically, the little charms that hook into the plastic chain link necklaces. The charms were everything from tiny unicorns to roller skates. I recall being quite the 3rd grade gangsta loaded down with charms.
Next it was jelly bracelets. I had them all the way to my elbows. Then Garbage Pail kids. I was out of the game before Pokémon came along, but it’s no surprise to learn that kids are still into the “gotta collect ’em all” mentality.
The Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company is playing into that with their Surprizamals collection, which combines the surprise egg theme with the collecting aspect. There’s a surprise cuddly little animal inside each red ball. They sent me five free ones to check out and review. They retail for $4.99 and are recommened for age 3+. The age group for these is a little older than my son, but I knew he’d totally be into the surprise egg part thanks to his obsession with Ryan’s Toy Review on YouTube.
So this is how the tryout went:
Day 1, Egg 1
Saw red egg and immediatly lost it yelling “Surprise egg! Surprise egg!” Found a Fenley Fox inside. Liked it so much he slept with.
Day 2, Egg 2
Next I decided to take one to the playground to see what the other kids thought. We got a cute little Lola Lady Bug (ultra rare!), which one of the other kids promptly ran off with to bury in the sand. Before I knew it all the pieces were everywhere. Tags, egg halves, Lola… I did manage to get our lady bug back before we went home but her egg was nowhere to be found.
Day 3, Eggs 3 – 5
Got a unicorn. He’s decided he doesn’t like the tags, which really are long and cumbersome so I had to remove them.
Day 4, All the eggs
Egg halves are scattered around the house along with 3 foxes, a lady bug and unicorn. The little animals are so soft that every time I step on one I think I’ve stepped on a cat paw or tail. Keelan mostly likes to put them back in the egg and then open it again. I actually think his favorite thing is the egg.
The final verdict:
The materials say “hours of fun” but that’s kind of stretching it. But really, is anything hours of fun to a toddler? It’s more like, repeated fun with the bonus of an egg to play with and refill! I don’t think he quite gets the collecting aspect, but I can guarantee you if we see these at the checkout line he’s going to be begging for one.
