Review: Melissa and Doug Puppet Theatre from www.greatgifts4kids.co.uk

Squeals of delight could be heard all round my house yesterday.  The introduction of a beautiful puppet theatre caused somewhat of a stir.  For months we have been looking for a good quality puppet theatre, my little boy has become transfixed with the one in his playgroup and so I was unsure whether any puppet theatre we introduced would live up to the one he is already familiar with.

But the quick and simple answer to that is that it exceeded his expectations and more......

We knew as soon as we took the pieces out of the box that this was going to be a great quality item.  Each item that needed assembling was strong, weighty and felt very durable.  It seemed like a long wait when we were so excited, but the whole of assembly time took around 30 minutes (less time if you haven't got an eager 4-year old helper).

Even the pieces laying unassembled on the floor caused excitement; they were so vibrant and dramatic that you could almost imagine you were part of some West-end stage show.  The top part of the puppet theatre is so extravagantly shaped (carved or cut) out of wood that it adds real character to the puppet theatre and makes it outstanding to look at.

The completed puppet theatre looked astounding and really had 'wow' factor.  It will transform any child's bedroom to look a place of imagination and delight.  With this in a child's bedroom there is tons of potential for creative play; you don't even have to use it just as a puppet theatre either - you could turn it in to a shop front, a post office etc.

The puppet theatre is mainly made of wood, but at the sides you have black pieces of fabric hanging off the wooden frame which makes the inside of the puppet theatre feel den-like.  Which is a great thing because whilst doing a puppet show your child can feel hidden if they so wish, allowing them to get whisked away in a world of imaginative play.   To children their performance will seem more believable, if they think they are putting on a squeaky voice and you can't see them.  They will think that you really believe a wolf is about to eat Little Red Riding Hood.  The look on my son's face whilst playing is priceless!

The size of the puppet theatre is fantastic too; it's around 4 feet high and 2 feet wide.  It's the perfect size for children to stand behind and also they can even house a little stool behind there if they are doing a lengthier performance.  You do need to think about where you will house the puppet theatre before purchasing though as it doesn't fold down.

As with all Melissa and Doug products every last detail is thought of; from the luscious velvety curtains, clock with moveable hands and blackboard for advertising upcoming shows there is  something to please the most fussy of children.  

The clock also has dual-purpose as it is a great tool for teaching children time-telling and the chalk board can also be used for general drawing.

I left my son for five minutes and was thoroughly overwhelmed when I came back in and he had made up his own performance, he'd even thought of music.  See what you think....

Now for the good news! One of my favourite websites www.greatgifts4kids.co.uk stocks this puppet theatre and usually it is priced at £69.99, but at the moment it is on offer for £59.99!  What a bargain!  I would snap it up at that price.  I am so pleased with this puppet theatre; I know it will give us years of fun.  And because of the great quality of the puppet theatre it is the kind of item that can be passed on to future generations...

Now www.greatgifts4kids.co.uk have lots of fantastic products and they have kindly provided a prize for one of my lucky readers to win.  You can win a Mudpuppy Finger Puppet set. http://www.greatgifts4kids.co.uk/mudpuppy-toys/b75?min=6&max=7&submit=Go&p=1 You can choose which pack you would like.  

Now to enter just follow the rafflecopter steps below.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entrants can choose which design they would like to win.

Our T&C for competitions are as below – please confirm  that you are able to collect the entries and provide us with email addresses of all entrants

• There is no cash alternative.
• Only one entry per household.
• Open to UK residents only.
• Prizes will be despatch 48 hours after the winners are selected.
• Competition winners are not expected to pay for delivery.
• GreatGifts4kids will collate the entrants, randomly choose the winner/s and notify the winner/s via email.
• Personal details, including the email addresses of entrants will not be shared with any other organisations.
• Ends 14th December