Suds & Shine Carwash

By Recent Toys International
Price $14.99
Age 3+

Suds & Shine Carwash has several distinctly wonderful things going for it. The imaginative play it inspires and stimulates is, of course, one of its finest features. Kids will be enthralled by the little world they have created. That the playset is made of soft foam (no sharp edges, no breakable pieces) adds to its safety and makes it light enough that even very young children can easily lift and carry it. The design of the colored foam pieces and the way they are fitted together during assembly (using nothing but your hands), is half the fun. There is an educational component to the assembly process, which, while easy to do, can involve a certain amount of visual inspection and trial and error. This is a very good thing - contemplating the color, shape, and orientation of pieces and how they fit together focuses several key areas of developing thought and motor skills. With Suds & Shine Carwash, kids have a miniature world they'll take pride and pleasure in having helped create, where they'll spend countless hours creatively acting out one original story after another.