Matchbox Big Boots Toy Line #Review

We try to avoid gender stereotypes with toys for our daughter and hope to do the same when our son comes along.  I am not a “girly-girl” so I actually discourage princess stuff as much as possible.  However, she still loves to dance and twirl and wear ballerina tutus.  She also loves to play baseball and soccer, build towers just to kick them down, and race trucks!

I was super excited when I got the opportunity to review a few items from the Matchbox Big Boots line of toys.  We were sent the Ambusher and Fire Truck and both presents from Santa were some of the most played with gifts since Christmas!

My husband was totally geeked out when he opened the Ambusher.  Who knew you could get pretty much every type of toy my husband played with as a kid and combine it into one awesome truck.  Action figures that always land on their feet?  Four different ways to fling said action figures?  Dinosaurs, missiles, escape car, weapons and endless buttons and hidden compartments?

The fire truck comes with three Big Boots figures, each of which can be fired from the truck at the touch of a button, hurling through the air but always landing on their feet, thanks to their large, weighted boots.

The Big Boots figures remind me a lot of Weebles and like Weebles don’t fall down.  However, these are so much more than Weebles and have the advantage of being super cool.  Simply put, the Big Boots figures are awesome (the set comes with 4 figures).  They have soft hands which can grip tools, weapons or the controls of the ATV escape vehicle

What is great about this toy line is it encourages imaginative play.  Kids will come up with their own story lines — maybe the Big Boots in the fire trucks are trying to save the T-Rex, perhaps some of the Big Boots figures are bad guys hiding away in the secret compartments on the truck.  We see these toys having a very strong play value because it is an open ended tool that encourages kids to play in an imaginative way.

Parents will love that these toys don’t beep, flash or need to sync with a computer.  The trucks are well made, large, brightly colored and seem hardy, having survived being dragged, flipped and dropped by Monkey Girl and Hubs in the course of testing.

Do your kids have Target, Toys R’ Us, other gift cards, or cash from Grandma to spend now that Christmas has come and gone?  These awesome toys can be purchased at a number of retailers or through Mattel where you can currently get free shipping on purchases over $25.