FOUR OTHER POPULAR TOYS AVAILABLE IN THE UAE
Pomsies
Here’s a new, interactive, portable and collectible toy your children can wear, love, feed, sing to and dance with, and it’s set to be the most popular toy of the year. Pomsies, which are fluffy, plush kitten pets with a tail that can twist and lock to be worn on the wrist or wrapped around a belt loop or backpack, react when you touch and pet them, and their giant eyes change colour to show what they are feeling. There’s six of them to collect, and they already have names, just like real pets: Blossom, Snowball, Patches, Speckles, Pinky and Boots (Dh119 each). They can even sing, and if you dance while they’re singing, they start singing even faster. You can find them everywhere these days: Borders, ELC, Toys R Us, Hamleys, Borders, Party Zone, Robotika, Robox, Souq.com, Noon. com, Mumzworld and Sprii.
Olli Ella accessories
The trend in toys, these days, is that they have to be beautifully designed to fit seamlessly into your home’s decor and be made of environmentally friendly, sustainable materials. That’s exactly what wicker-and-rattan based Olli Ella products are about, and they’re available in the UAE via EcoSouk. The Play’N Pack bags (Dh125) are backpacks filled with imaginative play ideas and activities for little ones, and make for the perfect travel accessory. You can bring one along to a meal at a restaurant and whip it out when you need to keep kids occupied. The rattan Strolley (Dh570) can be both a pram and a trolley, and its sleek design makes it a beautiful addition to any home. There are even Luggy baskets in both child (Dh315) and adult (Dh550) sizes, on large wheels, to use for lugging groceries or toys around stylishly.
Fairy magic
Every little one needs a window – or more specifically, a door – into a world of magic. The Little Fairy Doors sold at Five Little Ducks can be placed in or against your child’s closet, or outside against a garden wall, or in any little hiding spot – all this toy requires, really, is a hefty dose of imagination. Each door (Dh149) comes with a golden key and is designed to open inwards. Take it one step further with a matching Little Fairy Mailbox (Dh49), so children can leave notes for any visiting fairies or elves.
Twee chalk
The unicorn craze doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, and has even been extended to include chalk. Twee Chalk (Dh79), available at Five Little Ducks, comes in the shape of unicorn horns, to better create magical drawings on your sidewalks and chalkboards. Each unicorn horn is handmade from 100 per cent chalk by its creator, an artist and pre-school teacher in Philadelphia, who started making Twee Chalk on her kitchen table. The horns are designed to fit in little hands, increasing grip strength and fine motor skills. It also has a gold and glitter coating on the chalk.