Schylling NeeDoh Advent Calendar 24 Days of Surprise Toys is perfect for any Christmas tradition. Usually I run to Walmart or shop online to find a cute and festive advent calendar. This year NeeDoh sent us this one to review and the kids were very happy to open it months early. And to be honest? I kind of want to buy another one for leading up to Christmas.
The surprises are bright, tactile, and endlessly squeeze-able. Each little piece has its own shape and texture. They’re cute, fun and my kids have spent more time playing with them than I expected. Because these are small and compact, a couple of our favorites have even found a second life as ornaments on our Christmas tree. Some come with a hole that you can use as a keychain attachment or throw a Christmas ornament hook on. A squishy tucked into the branches adds that playful pop of color, and since they’re durable enough to hold their shape they hang pretty well. And yes, if you’re wondering I do have a tree up. We start with Halloween and then decorate as the holidays change.
Other squishy surprises are things like finger puppets, or can be used as accessories for other small dolls to play with.
In terms of quality the items hold up well to repeated use. The squish toys don’t fall apart, lose their shape too quickly, or peel in weird ways. That gives a lot of value for something marketed for ages 3 and up. The countdown format also adds structure to the excitement. If we had done this the right way and waited until December, the kids would have had a lot of fun opening one each day. I will probably buy another one just so they can do this again.
Some of the surprises are quite small and might get lost in a toy bin; you’ll want to keep an eye on them so they don’t wander off. I know that one of them, a little ice cream now lives on my bathroom floor. So they will get played with and end up everywhere if you don’t have a storage receptacle already picked out. I usually use small bins.
I do have to shout out my favorite squishy from the lot and that’s a tiny snowball that is filled with some kind of powdery substance. It’s really neat because when you squish it it actually sounds like boots squishing in the snow. I’m lucky enough to know the sound because since moving to the Midwest, we actually get to enjoy the snow.
If you’re looking for an advent calendar that offers more than chocolate, with tactile fun, surprise, and the added novelty of hanging a squishy on the tree, the NeeDoh calendar hits on all those. My kids are already asking when we’ll do it again (sooner than they think!), and that’s about as good a review as you’ll get from an eager 5 and 11-year-old.
