This post was written in collaboration with Wicked Uncle but the words, pictures and opinions are all mine.
The very first review that I did on this website – back when it was barely six months old – was of the toy website Wicked Uncle. You can still read the old post here and ‘ahhhh didn’t they look young‘ at the kids who have changed somewhat in the intervening seven years.
At the time I was so excited that someone wanted to work with me; I just wanted to share the frustrations of parenting and here I was, getting free stuff! Whoever knew that was a thing.
Hopefully my blog posts have improved a little since then. Arguably not. But either way, I am fortunate that they still want to work with me and it’s a great website so I’m always happy to do so, even seven years later.
I’ve very recently moved in with my partner, who has two children slightly younger than my two (yes, it’s chaos). Wicked Uncle gave me £50 to spend on their website so I gave all four kids the opportunity to filter by age and pick what they wanted for themselves directly from the site, to test out what it’s like for a range of age groups.
Who are Wicked Uncle?
Wicked Uncle is a website that helps you to choose the perfect gift for any kid of any age. They sift through, test out and choose interesting, fun and unusual presents for each age group so you can be sure that the gift will be hit rather than searching endlessly, getting them something they’ll already have, or relying on the parents to tell you what they want.
As a parent, it’s hard enough picking my own kids’ birthday presents, let alone being responsible for what everyone else gets too. In fact, I’ve often turned to Wicked Uncle for gift inspiration for my own children and they’ve not got it wrong so far.
We’ve been working with Wicked Uncle since I had a two year old and a baby, so I’m fairly confident that they cover most bases by now. It’s very easy to use; you can sort by gender (if you want to, you definitely don’t have to) and age from baby up to 14, and then 15-105. There are also categories to browse if you aren’t sure.
The age and gender categories work very well; they’re automatically filtered by most popular but you can also filter by price, and there are plenty of options in each category but not so many as to be overwhelmed with choice.
Also, I feel like I should mention that Wicked Uncle use Royal Mail, which means you actually might receive your purchases rather than find them in next door’s hedge – and they have excellent Trustpilot reviews for their customer service.
What the kids chose from Wicked Uncle
So, how did we do?
Girl, age 4
Obviously, four year old girls love unicorns. Mine certainly did, and our littlest housemate is no different. She chose this Unicorn puppet which costs £10.95.
What the description says: This cuddly puppet is shaped like a cute little unicorn with a pink woollen mane and tail and sparkly silver horn. Made of 100% polyester, the pretty puppet measures 22cm in height and is fantastically soft to the touch. Lined with soft velour for maximum comfort, you can retell classic stories, create new ones, practice communication and more. A must-have for the unicorn lover with a big imagination – just magical.
What we think: It’s a unicorn puppet and you can make it burp and trump and that’s very funny.
Girl, age 7
Sticking with the unicorn theme, she went for a game of Stacking Unicorns, £10.95.
What the description says: Perfect for two or more players, this quick game of balance combines gravity-defying towers with everyone’s favourite animal… unicorns! The set includes 15 figures in blue, white and pink – each with smiling faces and spiralling horns. Simply stack them on each others backs, creating a teetering tower! Challenge yourself or compete with your friends to reach the highest number. The ultimate test of steady hands – you just have to believe!
What we think: They’re a little hard to balance, but they’ve very cute, and the game is simple enough. They’re also fun just to hide around in people’s shoes.
Boy, age 8 (almost)
My youngest has become obsessed with the idea of pranking my partner. Ever since he got him snakes in a can for his seventh birthday, it’s been prank war. This Fifty Pranks To Freak Your Friends, £15, was his instant choice.
What the description says: With this in your hands you can amuse your friends with freaky practical jokes and stunts. The featured booklet has fifty classic pranks to play, including the fake coffee spill, computer/windscreen crack, the fly in ice-cube, sponge rock and many more. Marvin’s Magic is the best in the world and this is an essential kit for cool kids to freak out their friends and adults.
What we think: An instant hit. Loving the spilled coffee stain, and the old ‘bug in the ice cube’ never gets old. The parking ticket might have worked better if the car wasn’t on the driveway at the time, and all the kids were giggling their heads off.
Girl, age 9
My oldest is very into art and drawing, and chose this ‘Create Your Fantasy Face‘ art book, £12.95.
What the description says: Crammed full of faces to colour-in and make your own, there are beautiful design ideas to help you get started. Get really creative making half-human and half-animal designs. Young artists will love the three fold out drawing instruction sheets, three fantasy stencils and the sheet of glittery stickers. From popular brand Top Model, perfect for fun creativity with a difference.
What we think: The Top Model range is a popular choice – she’s had books and sets from them before and always used them up completely. More generally, I find anything arty is a good present for her age group. They’re good to take to boring places like pubs and restaurants. The animal girls are a bit odd, but my oldest doesn’t seem to mind.
All in all, everyone’s very happy with their choices.
Basically, if you aren’t quite sure what’s going to be a hit, or you don’t want your life to ebb away while you scroll the infinite possibilities Google offers, then it’s a great site – even for your own kids.