Tom and Jerry are timeless classic characters. I remember watching them often when I was little, and now my children have been introduced to their adventures too.
We were sent the Tom and Jerry Tricky Trap House from Flair for review.
The house opens up to reveal:
- 5 rooms (3 up, 2 down)
- outside area
- 10 mechanical traps (falling piano, the burst-through wall, the surprise fridge, the falling chandelier, a dangerous shower and more)
- 2 mini characters (Tom, 6cm; Jerry, 3cm)
- furniture and accessories
- removable rocket
The house is a replica of the Tom and Jerry house in the TV episodes and it’s definitely a fun idea for fans of the show.
The house is recommend for age 3+, and although all my boys enjoy it (3, 4 and 6) I would say that for children at the younger age range it would be better if the house was a little sturdier built and maybe a little chunkier. At times my younger two found aspects of the house fiddly to use and the build quality is a little flimsy. It does have some very small parts like the cans that come in the surprise fridge, so you do really need to stick to the 3+ guidelines at least, and I would not give it to a two year old.
Here you can see Tom upstairs in the shower room and Jerry down in the living room.
The house folds up when not in use but this is also quite fiddly. The boys wanted to open and close it during play but I had to ask them to just leave it open because they weren’t able to close it properly and would get frustrated. If you are having difficulties closing the house, then you need to fold up a piece in the bottom corner because this unfolds when opening and will prevent you closing it again, so once you adjust that it should be okay. You also might need to remove all the furniture to fold, and then place it all back in through the door but it will all fit inside whilst closed.
When closed the house is quite easy to store on a shelf and would be handy to take to keep the kids entertained at friends or relatives houses as everything fits compactly inside.
While closed, you can still access the outdoor area which has a swing trap. This swing can be made to break when a character sits on them, giving them a shock! Unfortunately our swing actually did break, as a bit of it has come off! I think with this toy the children do need to be pretty careful and gentle as it is a little bit fragile, so depending on the child it may be suitable or not. If you have children who can be on the heavy handed side then it won’t be suitable. We found that due to the small-ish size and the delicate nature of the house, it’s best for one child to play with it at a time.
The boys have enjoyed the toy, and they have been returning to it a few times but I do think if the build quality was improved and perhaps the size increased a little then it would offer more play value. Their favourite part of the house is the rocket. This does open and allow you to place either Tom or Jerry inside and the rocket seems stronger and more durable than some parts of the house.
For a big Tom and Jerry fan though it would be a fun addition to their toy collection. It is on the lower price range for a play house (currently £19.24 on Amazon although RRP 27.99) so I think what you get lines up with the price quite well.
Do your children like Tom and Jerry? What do you think of the Tricky Trap House?
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
This looks exactly the sort of thing my 2nd son would have absolutely adored when he was around 4-7. He played with small world’s loads and loved little playsets such as this – plus he was a fan of Tom and Jerry! It’s got so much going on inside, I can appreciate it wouldn’t be suitable for younger or less careful children, but it would be absolutely hours of fun for my 6 year old (who hasn’t given us any ideas for Christmas yet…).
I agree it does look a bit flimsy for the age range. It does look really fun though 🙂 x
this looks fun
I was so excited when I saw you were reviewing this, but unfortunately it doesn’t sound too suitable, anything easily breakable and fiddly is out for me (I’m more likely to break it than the kids, being the heavy handed one who ‘makes’ things fit!) 🙁
Where can i purchase one having a hard time finding
I can still see it available on Amazon, although through 3rd party sellers. Here’s a link if it helps: http://amzn.to/2ftsCkE – Unless you’re in the US in which case I’m not sure as it looks to be out of stock there