Monday, January 30, 2012

Trunki by Melissa and Doug - Cool and Perfect for Sleepovers at Grandma's House


The International Toy Fair in New York is just a couple of weeks away and my email is full of invitations to special events for attendees.  I just can’t wait.  I’ll have things to write about for the next year!  As a warm up I want to do a few product reviews in the next couple of weeks.  Here’s the first.

In December I went into New York for a special event for bloggers at Melissa and Doug hosted by Momtrends.   We got to see the whole Melissa and Doug line.  At the end of the evening each attendee got to bring home a “trunki.”  They were all lined up in six different colors and there was a mad dash to get your choice of color.  I got this beautiful blue one for my grandson, Zach.  Well, I intended to use it as a Christmas present, but I left it on my kitchen counter and Zach saw it immediately when he visited the next day.  And so, I did just what he asked and took it “down.” 

The trunki is a combination ride-on toy and sturdy children’s suitcase.  (Perfect for overnight visits to Grandma’s house).  It took Zach two seconds to use it as a ride-on and then we showed him that it was also a suitcase.  Young children love containers that carry things.  He put his shoes in the Trunki and closed it up.  It’s a good thing we saw him or he would have gone home barefoot!



Zach enjoyed opening and closing the trunki and figuring how it locked. You can carry it by hand, pull it or use the shoulder strap.  His Mom, Fran, was thinking ahead to next year’s vacation.  Zach will be three years old in June.  He’ll be able to wear his backpack and carry Trunki….hmmm…one less trip for Mom and Dad from the car.

Grandparents – for some of us Melissa and Doug is not a familiar brand name.  Melissa and Doug was founded 23 years ago by Melissa and Doug.  That’s the name of the owners – not “characters.”  Melissa and Doug have 6 kids of their own and they know their toys.  Their philosophy is to make classic toys that help children develop their imagination.  When you see their whole line, you can see that they are true to this philosophy. They specialize in high quality toys.  M&D have a full line including food play, classic, puzzles, arts and crafts, games, trains, puppets, stuffed animals, and more. 
Take my word for it, All parents know the Melissa and Doug line.  It can be a little pricey and since sometimes grandparents get to make “special purchases" you may want to become familiar with Melissa and Doug.  They are sold everywhere from ToysRUS to upscale specialty stores and online at Amazon and at Melissa and Doug’s own website.  You can sign up for email specials at the website.
If you'd like to see a quick video, check this out:


If you’d like a trunki click below to see it at Amazon.com

1 comment:

Webgrandma said...

Thanks for the review. I've looked at these, and thought about one for our toddler granddaughter. Looks like lots of fun, and useful too.