Fat Brain Toys Timber Tots Adventure Bus Review

Reviewed by Shetho

Having young grandchildren I was delighted to receive the Fat Brain Toys Timber Tots Adventure Bus to review. I had not heard of Fat Brain Toys, but thanks to Google I was soon able to find out that the company was started in Nebraska USA in 2002. They produce many toy ranges including Timber Tots. Their website says ‘Timber Tots is a preschool range that promotes imagination and interaction through countless stories to tell. With a surprising “Pop” effect on each of the products, it’s ideal to stimulate imagination and fine motor skills. The Timber Tots Adventure Bus is the essential way to travel around the forest. Press on the roof and “Pop” the bus opens to reveal 6 seats, as well as a trunk for the Timber Tots to store all their luggage. The Adventure Bus comes with the figure Henry from the Owl family.’ The timber Tots range includes many additional characters which can be purchased.

The toy arrived packed predominantly in cardboard, with a plastic window front, which is really unnecessary (I am keen that manufacturers reduce plastic usage as much as possible). The cardboard box is brightly coloured and will appeal to its target audience which is ages 2 – 6.

The Timber Tots Adventure Bus measures 16cm x 11.5cm x 10cm and weighs 0.41 grams. The Adventure Bus is made from plastic and has a brown base with four wheels and a drop down boot. The base has 6 orange seats. The top of the Adventure Bus is bright green. The front of the bus has a smile for a grille and yellow eyes for headlights. Also included in the box is Harry the Owl. This figure can be placed inside the cabin of the bus. Additional characters can be purchased in families of four. The range includes Pawpaw family, Nutnut family, Twittwit family and Chipchip family.

A feature of the Timber Tots product range is the “pop”. With the Adventure Bus the “pop” is when little hands press down on the top section and it pops up from the base. It’s good to find a toy these days that does not require any assembly or indeed batteries. The Adventure bus easily wheels on hard floors and our almost two year old loved brumming it between her and us and she quickly worked how to make it “pop”. I found it quite difficult to put the Harry figure inside the bus cab between the base and roof as the gap is quite narrow. It was not easy to get him to sit properly on the seat and if all six seats were to be filled with other characters it would be even more tricky. I’m not sure why the bus has a boot and it seems a bit flimsy so it could easily be snapped off if it’s not clicked into place properly.

Fat Brains Timber Tots range offers a wide selection of other toys which complement each other. These include a School House, Magic Tree House and Surprise Mushroom House.

Rating: 3/5

RRP: £14.99 (currently reduced to £9.99)

This product can be purchased from Amazon here.