Crate Creatures Surprise Review (age 4+)

Crate Creatures are a brand new toy and they're actually rather good. Furry animal monsters captured inside a crate, your job is to release them and befriend them. It's easier than it sounds - although these little critters will shout and growl and try to scare you off. It's as if they don't understand you're being kind...

This is packaging genius. The crate is the packaging for the toy, but also the storage and the actual toy. It's brilliant. It's common for my 8 year old to play with the box, he doesn't usually play with it more than the contents.

Before you start an adult needs to remove several cable ties, then pass it over to the child. You need to follow the instructions on the crate to open it, and it feels very special. All the while your little animal is sticking his tongue out. There's a warning not to pull his tongue, and as soon as you do, he growls and howls and roars at you, and sometimes stamps his feet and shakes.

The crate needs to be opened using the supplied crowbar to jemmy the lock and prise open the lid. It's great - my 8 year old is OBSESSED.

Once you undo the crate, your creature pops out of the top. The base of his crate is sprung, so when you put him back (how cruel), you'll need to press him in and shut the lid.

The Crate Creature's eyes light up when he's active, and through the bars of his crate he is very cute. He's in demo mode when you get him - he has an opening in his back for you to switch him over to 'On' (Demo/ Off/ Quiet/ Loud). Demo batteries are included, how long they last will depending on how much he's been played with in the shop.

The Crate Creature has a good range of about 45 sounds and we've not seen any pattern yet, so it's nice and varied. He comes with food! Blizz has an ice lolly and when you put it in his mouth he slurps. He'll also talk and growl and fart and burp, but he's not overly-disgusting. The whole thing is very well done and looks and feels like a really good quality item.

They are really very sweet. We chose Blizz because we like snow and he's a bit like a cuddly abominable snowman. His fur is soft and his face tries very hard to be scary, but he does like it when you tickle his nose (he makes noises) and if you press his tummy, he'll record your voice and play it back in his monster accent. He's not very ferocious really.

Here's a quick look and listen to Blizz in action, including my boys' first reactions to him straight out of the crate...

Crate Creatures Surprise costs £39.99 which is comparable to similar toys and he really does offer a lot. He is a soft toy, he records and plays back sound, reacts to motion and touch, and he comes in the coolest packaging around. We think he's a real winner and he's very much a hit with both my 8 and 9 year old boys, and myself.

Crate Creatures Surprise is available now from good toy shops, including Smyths, in a choice of 4 different characters:

Blizz, an arctic type of creature from Icicla, with his ice lolly

Pudge, a more urban creature with a slice of pizza

Sizzle, a fire-breathing dragon with a toasted marshmallow

Snorthog, from the muddy jungles of Tussk with his corndog

We were sent our Crate Creatures Surprise for review.