Octonauts Toy Review!

Octonauts Explore, Rescue, Protect! If that motto sounds familiar then chances are you have some Octonauts fans at home. These undersea adventurers are popular with children all over the world and thanks to their new range of toys from Fisher Price they’re bound to feature heavily on Christmas Lists. We were sent a few items from the range to review and today I’m sharing our thoughts.

Deep Sea Octo-Lab

‘The Deep Sea Octo-Lab opens up to reveal two floors of play inside, and comes with air-powered rescue tools for deep sea rescue. Hook up your rescue tools to the hoses, turn the dial on the base to select the tool you’d like to activate, and push down on the pump to shoot a kelp cake, launch a rescue flare, or activate the volcano! The pump also activate lights and sounds that will prompt you through the ultimate deep sea adventure. All pieces store inside. Deep Sea Station Playset includes playset with lights and sounds, Shellington Deep Sea figure, Octo Bot, kelp cake, rescue flare, volcano, lava rocks, and three air power hoses.’

OctolabMy kids were highly anticipating receiving this particular toy but did the reality live up to the hype?

It’s probably safe to say that the air-powered rescue tools are one of the most attractive features of the Octo-Lab. However you have to make sure that the hoses are really well pushed into their holes, otherwise the air-power is somewhat lack lustre. The tools don’t shoot far and wide which I personally think is a bonus as we’ve not lost any of them or accidentally poked anyone in the eye! At the end of this review I’ve included a video to show just how effective they are.

The lights and sound are great fun and the Octo-Lab is actually surprisingly loud. Batteries are required to make this feature work though and they don’t come included in the box.

From a parents point of view I love the fact that everything can fit neatly within the Octo-lab which makes tidying a breeze. From a kids point of view:

Agent G – It was wonderful and great!

Lieutenant I – I love pumping up the hose toys!

Captain N – I like Shellington and the jellyfish and the lights are brilliant!

Gup-DGup D Crab Mode

‘Barnacles, in the GUP-D, is ready to lead the crew on exciting new adventures! On land, the GUP-D’s drill can move and spin for pretend excavation and repair work! For undersea missions, submerge the GUP-D’s drill & press the fin to see the drill spin & squirt water! The rescue claw is perfect for transporting wounded creatures back to safety! Also included is Barnacles in his special deep sea suit and a Blue Crab, too!’

The Gup-D is a lot of fun and a really nice size for my youngest to carry around, I also think it complements the Octo-Lab brilliantly. My favourite feature has to be the ability to use it underwater so the claw can spin, bath-time has never been so exciting in our house!

Agent G – It’s really cool because it has a drill.

Lieutenant I – You can make different Octonauts sit in it and it can go in the bath and it squirts water which is amazing!

Captain N – I love Captain Barnacles and the squirty claw.

 Kwazii Plush

Mini Plush Kwazii

Kwazii is without a doubt the favourite character for my youngest and he was ridiculously happy when he arrived. The plush is well constructed and beautifully soft. Beyond that I can’t tell you much more because Kwazii was snaffled away by Captain N and rarely leaves his side.

Captain N – Kwazii is the best! He’s cool and he’s a pirate and he’s really soft and I love him!

Final Thoughts

All my children have really enjoyed playing with the Octonauts toys and have now requested more, which says it all really!

They appear to be well made and durable. The RRP is quite high in some cases (The Octo-Lab has an RRP of £39.99) however most stores are currently selling it for £19.99-£29.99 which seems more realistic.

Overall I don’t think any Octonauts fan would be disappointed if Santa dropped some of these down the chimney for Christmas.

The Toys in Action

What better way to explain the toys than with a little video showing them in action, enjoy!

Explore! Rescue! Protect! Octonauts Training at Westfield Derby!

Octonauts ShowIf you’re not familiar with the Octonauts then chances are you don’t have any small children. They are popular (animated) underwater characters who spend their days dealing with sea-life emergencies. They explore the deep, rescue creatures that need help and protect animals from harm.

KwaziiIt’s a positive message that kids seem to really identify with. Yesterday they surfaced from the deep blue sea and made their way to Westfield Derby to train wannabe Octonauts (aka fans!) Timed wristbands were available to pick up from the concierge desk for the various shows throughout the day. Each show was entirely free and quite long to boot.

Octonauts ShowAs you might imagine the show was packed to bursting, it’s rare to get anything for free these days, let alone a decent length well rehearsed production. The characters sang and danced to all the familiar songs from the TV show, plus a couple of new ones. I am always amazed how the actors/dancers in these kind of shows manage to seem so agile while wearing extremely heavy costumes.Captain Barnacles

Captain Barnacles (the polar bear) and Kwazii (the cat) asked the audience to perform actions as part of their ‘training’ and amazingly no one was hurt as the huge crowd jumped and shifted about. There were some exceedingly well behaved children out in Derby yesterday 🙂

Octonauts ShowKids shouted out answers to questions about absent characters and seemed truly engaged throughout the entire production. I believe they may have already performed at other Westfield centres around the country, so definitely check out your local one if your kids might be interested.Captain Barnacles

If you missed the show yesterday don’t worry, Westfield are running an Octonauts themed colouring competition and treasure trail around the centre. Just pop along to concierge to pick up the relevant forms and don’t forget to check out the remaining free events scheduled throughout the summer holidays.Kwazii

For More information

For more wonderful events ranging from indoor shows through to craft activities visit Westfield Derby online.

Or you can contact the Westfield team on Twitter, or through Facebook.