Toys R Us: Dressy Upsy Daisy Doll (by Anna)

As admittedly rather oversubscribed In the Night Garden viewers and fans, my two year old daughter and I were most excited to receive ourDressy Upsy Daisy.  Given that we have a number of ITNG toys already including a small plush set of the characters, we have certainly already noted our daughter’s affinity with the character of Upsy Daisy and her charisma!

On opening the doll, Lucy was certainly taken with the idea of UD having a number of accessories which she liked to name as we got them out of the package; flowers, bag, shoes and skirt all got a mention.  Despite the main purpose of the doll seeming to be a dressing toy, after this initial assessment,  Lucy did not seem to pay much more attention to the accessories and began to play with UD much as she did with her other plush toy.  This play also very much reflected her own personality and what she had seen UD do in the TV show: She put UD in her bed and said “Night night”; she woke UD up; she played singing with her; she introduced UD to the other ITNG characters and to her other toys. And, as I type, she has taken UD to her own bed and is chatting to her about her day as she goes to sleep. She has really seen her as a familiar old friend rather than a new toy.   Interestingly, however, I noted that when our 8 month old god daughter came to play, she handed her the old,small, Upsy Daisy whilst she kept the largest Dressy Upsy Daisy for herself. Maybe it’s to do with size.

If the idea of Dressy Upsy Daisy is that young begin to use fine motor control to dress a toy, my daughter is not really interested and may still be a little immature for this concept. She remains, however, captivated by her personality and characterisation which has seen her play imaginatively as she continues to develop her language communication skills. Given I have not seen Upsy Daisy dress or undress in the show, it is possible my daughter is only at the stage where she imitates what she has seen in the TV program.  I am most certain she will return and use the accessories as she matures in her play. In this respect, the toy has an element of longevity in it, so long as my child remains interested in the character.

As a parent, I have no hesitation in recommending this product to others on the grounds that it is a quality well-made product from a creative and imaginative program. I would certainly recommend it to other ITNG fans.

Anna and Lucy Thorpe (23 months)