Snackles Small Size By Zuru Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by MaggsB
A Snackles is described as ‘the super soft ultra squeezable plush’.
They can be purchased in 2 sizes, we received a small one measuring 14cm.
There are 11 different Snackles and are therefore promoted as collectibles; however the buyer does not know which character they will receive until the container is open.
The package was delivered promptly and was securely wrapped. Within the outer wrapping we were delighted to find a bright plastic sphere advertising a yellow Snackle which was holding a tube of Pringles.
To our surprise after unpeeling this plastic coating and prising open the spherical container we had actually received a gorgeous pink plush called Susie.
Susie holds a mini plastic tube of strawberry artificially flavoured Push Pop candy, securely attached to each arm with stitching.
This is an empty tube; although the Snackles are said to come with a licensed snack it is only a representation of the real thing. I must admit we hadn’t understood this from the promotional material.
This lovely Snackle itself is made of a soft and smooth synthetic material and stuffed with a synthetic squidgy filling. Its cute facial appearance would appeal to young people-not suitable for children under 3 though-and teens as well. It is easy to understand why they would be popular collectible toys even though you don’t know which character you are going to receive-maybe they are also good for swapping with friends. My only concern is that each one has a hard plastic snack container attached to it so is not really suitable as a bed companion.
The Snackle appears to hold its shape well and other than the attached snack and the hair sewn on top its features are an integral part of the toy.
Also within the spherical outer shell is a small catalogue showing the other 10 Snackles; giving their names and promoting the snack they hold. The same paper gives warnings of small parts and potential choking hazards for under 3’s and also includes a QR code for more information.
We investigated this and to our delight found detailed information about each character, their personalities, hobbies, star signs etc. This helps bring the toy to life giving each one a more human feel which I am sure would be attractive to young children.
The other members of the crew include Richard with his Fruit Loops, Dani with her Pringles, Terry with a bar of chocolate, Daisy with some sweets, Felix with a bottle of sauce, Lottie holding a lollipop, Benji with a packet of soup, a pink Britney holding a cup of Cinnabon-not something I am familiar with, Hugh with his Mentos and an orange Albie with a bar of Reece’s chocolate. It is good to see that there are both genders included and hopefully the Snackles will appeal to both girls and boys.
The Snackles are mostly different animals; there’s an elephant and a bear, a cow and a dog. There are also a unicorn and a devil and they are all equally attractive with the most adorable expressions on their faces.
However we did struggle with the paired snacks as we do not know of any children ourselves who would be attracted to a cuddly toy holding some Ramen noodles or promoting Tabasco sauce.
Obviously the brand companies benefit from this unusual marketing and advertising strategy but it seems as though the brands have not necessarily been chosen with children in mind. Of course these may appeal to different markets and I’m guessing these are aimed at the American snack market.
The same QR code allows you to access the Instagram and Twitter accounts for Snackles. We decided not to pursue this as we don’t know how this would impact our own accounts and did not want to be targets for further marketing.
Also included in the pack is a short comic strip supposedly telling the story of how your Snackle fell in love with this snack. Although there are only 4 pictures to follow it didn’t make sense to the children and adults reviewing this toy. There are also a couple of sticky labels included advertising the brand.
Our conclusion is that the Snackles are a lovely toy to gift at a fair price, are well made but include some random snacks and sadly have more plastic to dispose of than we would like.
RRP: £9.99
Rating: 3/5
This product can be purchased from Smyths Toys