The Puppet Company, Strider Puppet 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 H Chan
We received a gorgeous puppet, from The Puppet Company, who have over 22 years of experience with making high quality, fun and educational puppets. Our puppet, was named Doodad the wolf. I don’t think you’d have guessed he was a wolf without being told, but we loved him! He is bright blue, bright orange and stripey! It’s perfect for imaginative play and role play, a perfect addition to the family.
Doodad is so soft! There are no hard parts which could hurt a child during use, which is great. The materials are really good quality, and we’ve lost no fluff so far from the body or mane of Doodad. The toy is quite large at 60cm tall when held up, and as it contains no batteries or electronic components, is suitable for children over 12 months (although I am sure younger ones would enjoy it if an older sibling put on a puppet show for them using the Strider puppets). The mouth parts open and close really well, and you can fit your hand in nicely. The body of the puppet comes down to my elbow, so that my forearm is completely covered.
His neck is the perfect size for a little arm! All three of my children played with the puppet, (Ages 15, 12 and 9) as did my husband and myself. My husband did struggle getting his hand in though, and his arms aren’t much bigger than mine, but there is a little give in the fabric. We all found it really easy to use and to make him stomp along the floor or table top as if he was dancing. It was great to have the effect of the puppet walking without needing strings like some others.
I really like the shape of this puppet, it hangs in such a way that you can make it look like it’s walking. He looks like he is full or stories and even sat there on the toy box is full of personality.
We have had puppets created by The Puppet Company before and can vouch for their lasting quality through play. We only had seven days with this particular puppet, but we’ve had some of the others for a few years.
Any of the Strider puppets would make excellent Christmas gifts. They’re bright and colourful so appeal to children of all ages. They’re really eye catching. There are five in this brand new range, including the wolf, a dragon, a bird, a cow and a rabbit. Each striking and unique, they look like such a fun collection. The Puppet Company also provide a wide range of different puppets of varying sizes, right down to finger puppets! They also have a range of Wilberry soft toys and eco comforters for very young children.
You can find Doodad and his Strider friends here https://www.thepuppetcompany.com/product-category/hand-puppets/new-striders/, where you will be redirected to their https://puppetsbypost.com/ for purchase. They also offer a list of companies stocking the puppet. Doodad retails for an RRP of £29.99, which is a fair price point for a toy of this quality.
Once we discovered Puppets by Post, we enjoyed browsing their page looking at their imaginative play ideas and story section, which includes puppets made to match popular children’s books. These can be used alongside the books to enhance a child’s imagination.
The children gave this puppet 5 out of 5 stars. The only things I noted were the higher price point which might price some families out, and the fact that it is hand wash/ surface washable only, which means that I can’t through Doodad in the washing machine if anything happens to him.
Rating: 5/5