Hey, we get letters! And some of you get really perturbed, too. Still, we have to admit that our toy reviews have been avoiding the infant crowd. That’s partly because we figure toddlers have low standards for what will entertain them. But now we feel like raising our own standards after checking out the Tobbles Neo toy.
But first, let’s start with the fact that the manufacturer’s website for the Tobbles Neo set has a recommended minimum age of 6 months. On the same page is a warning: “Please purchase at your discretion if your child is younger than 1 years of age.” Go to another website, and it will tell you that this toy has choking hazards and is not for children under three. But then there’s another site assuring us that the recommended age for playing with Tobbles Neo is zero to four.
Once you get through all that confusion, though, you’ll find that your toddler will probably really love this colorful and exciting stacking toy. It consists of six weighted pieces that nest and spin. They provide hours of play as the balls are stacked, toppled, spun, balanced and tilted. The colors are bright and attractive to toddlers. The texture of the Tobbles Neo is meant to enhance the tactile experience and they are perfect for helping to develop a toddler’s coordination and fine motor skills.
The toy biz is sure behind Tobbles Neo. The toy won plenty of major awards last year, and was named the 2013 Toy of the Year at the Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair. Parents seem to really enjoy it, too. Tobbles Neo ended up being the most popular toy from the Fat Brains toy line, as voted by consumers at that Fat Brain website. Frankly, we’d be surprised if Tobbles Neo didn’t end up on the desks of a few executives, too. It’s really fun–but we’d prefer ours in basic black, and maybe a few grays. We’re grown-ups.
