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Zhu Zhu Pets Review

amomentwithfranca · 31 August 2017 · 19 Comments

I remember about 8 years ago when the Zhu Zhu Pets first came out! I didn’t have my daughters at that time but my niece was about 8 years old when she got some! They were so adorable! My niece was so hooked on them. She would play with them for hours. They made all these weird but cute noises and would go all around my sister’s house, LOL! They were a huge hit everywhere in 2009 and every kid wanted one!

So now, 8 years after, they have relaunched with new hamsters and new accessories! I am so happy that I now have my own girls to play with these adorable hamsters. I was really intrigued to find out the differences from the original range as well as what cool new features they have.

ZhuZhu Pets are an unpredictable, crazy and silly interactive product that can really move! The smart technology in each Zhu creates endless play opportunities, allowing kids to connect and create a loveable bond with their Zhu just like a real pet.

We received 3 products to review: Zhu Zhu Pets – Num Nums, Zhu Zhu Pets – Adventure Ball and Zhu Zhu Pets – Hamster House Playset. My girls had the biggest smiles on their faces when they saw these boxes arrive! They were so excited, bless them!

Several of the characters can be recognised from the ZhuZhus, an animated series produced in partnership between Nelvana and Cepia LLC. featuring Pipsqueak, Num Nums, Chunk and Mr. Squiggles.

ZHU ZHU PETS – NUM NUMS – £12.99

The girls decided to open first the extra pet we were sent. We got Num Nums. She is Pipsqueak’s right-hand hamster. They have been together since they were pink and hairless (which were their original names). Num Nums is Pipsqueak’s hamster bestie. She will do anything for him. Num Num’s birthmark is a heart because she always wears it on her sleeve!

This cute and colorful hamster features increased playability with 4 modes of operation: Explore Mode, Nurture Mode, Dance Mode and Sleep Mode. The pet has two activation buttons, a nose sensor, and a tilt sensor. The buttons on its head and back activate the play. The sensor on its nose acts as a bump sensor when in Explore Mode. The Tilt sensor tells the pet when it is in an upright position allowing the motor to run. To stop the motor either push the Head or Back Button or simply turn the pet upside down, triggering the tilt sensor.
  • Explore Mode – this is your pet’s adventurous mode. Set the pet down on a flat surface then press the Back Button. The pet will make sounds and move in random patterns. It will automatically back up when it bumps into an object or wall. If the pets.
  • Nurture Mode – this is your pet’s nurturing, loving mode. From Explore Mode, press the Head Button to activate Nurture Mode. Use this mode to give your pet special attention without scurrying away from you. Press the Head Button to make the pet coo, chirp and make a variety of cute sounds.
  • Dance Mode – this is your pet’s secret mode. To activate Dance Mode, press and hold the Back Button for 3 seconds. Your Pet will dance and sing for a short moment then return to Explore Mode. Dance Mode may also be activated from playset floor codes.
  • Sleep Mode / Try Me – your pet will enter Sleep Mode after 4 minutes of being left alone, this is how you conserve power. To fully wake up your pet simply press the Back Button. The tilt sensor has no effect in Sleep Mode. If you press the Head Button your pet will make simple sounds each time the button is pressed. Immediately after making those sounds it will return to sleep.

Your kids can also collect Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles and Chunk to assemble a team of their own Zhu Zhu Pets! They are suitable for kids aged 4 years old and over. They require 2 x AAA batteries which are included! I really like this idea because then your kids can start playing straight away.

Zhu Zhu Adventure Ball – £9.99

Then the girls decided to open the adventure ball. They were very curious to see how this ball works. These colourful spheres come in different colours. Ours was purple.

The Adventure Ball comes with two interlocking halves which you will need to put together. It also has a little door that you will need to add to the sphere so you can get your pet in and out.

It also comes with a stabilizer plate to attach to the hamster to avoid rolling over inside. This will help to get the hamster moving and therefore the ball will be rolling too. Once the hamster is inside the ball you will need to press and hold for 3 seconds the Back Button before you close the door. This way the hamster will start moving.

This Ball is made of durable plastic and is designed specifically for Zhu Zhu Pets. The only thing I didn’t like was that despite looking pretty easy to put together, it actually took time to get both halves together. I ended up asking Nick for help, LOL!

The Adventure Ball is made for kids aged 4 and over and no batteries are required.

Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster House Playset – £29.99

Last but not least the girls opened the Hamster House Playset. They were really looking forward to this. This playset is the perfect place for any Zhu Zhu pet.

Included in the set is an extra Zhu pet called Winkie who is a purple colour hamster. It also comes with a room, a spiral slide, and one tunnel.

It comes with lots of pieces in order to build the house. I felt a little bit overwhelmed when I saw how many pieces I needed to put together. The instructions were very helpful but because Nick was around we asked him to do this job. He took his time but he managed to do it. As soon as he finished the girls were so happy playing with it. It is quite big so if you have don’t have too much space you will probably have to disassemble it when your kids are not playing.

You can see below some videos of these toys from a Facebook post I published:

WHERE TO BUY

The Zhu Zhu Pets range are available from all major retailers such as Toys R Us, Smyths, Argos, Amazon, etc. You can see the Amazon details below:

 

OUR THOUGHTS

My girls are loving the Zhu Zhu Pets range. They are so happy with their hamsters and the accessories. They think it is so much fun. They laughed a lot with the Adventure Ball and the House is just really cute. They would like to get the other Zhu pets from the collection, so I guess that is the start of their Christmas list!

Do you remember the Zhu Zhu Pets when they originally came out? If so, did you or your kids have one? What do you think of this new range? Which hamster is your favorite? What accessory did you like the most?

*Disclosure: we were sent the latest range of Zhu Zhu Pets for the purpose of this review. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Contains affiliate links. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Love you all ❤️

Franca  💋

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Filed Under: Toys & Games, Bella, Review, Reviews, Sienna

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The Mummy bubble says

    2 September 2017 at

    These look so amazing! I would have loved these toys when I was a little girl, I was animal mad and would have filled the house with pets if my mum had let me. X #kcacols

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      2 September 2017 at

      Haha I know what you mean! Xx

      Reply
  2. Rachel George says

    2 September 2017 at

    I love these and have tried to get my son interested but, sadly, they just aren’t his thing. There is surely nothing wrong with a 40 something year old mum having a few of them though? 😉 #KCACOLS

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      2 September 2017 at

      Lol not at all! I like them too! 😉 x x

      Reply
  3. Lydia C. Lee says

    2 September 2017 at

    That’s cute – pets without the smell! 😉 #KALCoLS

    Reply
  4. Rainbows are too beautiful says

    3 September 2017 at

    Oh my… Jane would LOVE these! #kcacols

    Reply
  5. Ren Taylor says

    3 September 2017 at

    these look cute xx

    Reply
  6. RACHEL BUSTIN says

    3 September 2017 at

    Oh this looks like great fun! Hours of activities! It would make an excellent Christmas present. xx

    #KCACOLS

    Reply
  7. Life as Mum says

    4 September 2017 at

    These look so fab! The girls look really happy, bless! My girls would love these and they’re quite decent price too – which is a bonus.
    #KCACOLS

    Reply
  8. Fiona Cambouropoulos says

    4 September 2017 at

    They do look cuter, I can see all kinds of imaginative play with these. Popping by from #KCACOLS

    Reply
  9. Amy says

    4 September 2017 at

    My son loves these, they do take up a lot of room and the squeaking can get annoying, I recently bought him the mini set, which is great for taking to nanny’s house. #kcacols

    Reply
  10. Pen says

    5 September 2017 at

    Goodness me, these are a little bizarre. Pen x #KCACOLS

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      5 September 2017 at

      Lol Pen! You made me laugh! 🙂 x

      Reply
  11. Cassie Parish says

    6 September 2017 at

    George sees these on the tele and says “I want one of those”. To be fair he says that about a lot of stuff but these I actually agree with. He loves my nieces real life hamster but I totally don’t have it in me to look after anything else so I think Zhu Zhu is defo one for the birthday list.

    #KCACOLS

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      6 September 2017 at

      It is much easier and tidier to have Zhu Zhu Pets! Lol xx

      Reply
  12. Sinead (shinnersandthebrood.com) says

    7 September 2017 at

    These look really cool. I haven’t heard of them before but I think the four-year-old would really enjoy them. #kcacols

    Reply
  13. jeremy@thirstydaddy says

    8 September 2017 at

    i wish I had heard of these before we went out and got a bunny and a puppy! could have saved myself a lot of work! #KCACOLS

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      8 September 2017 at

      Haha … wow you have a bunny and a puppy too? You are brave! Lol 🙂

      Reply
  14. Madeline (this Glorious Life) says

    8 September 2017 at

    Oh wow, my two would absolutely love these! They look like they would be so much fun, and a great way to introduce the idea of a pet for families who don’t have the space for a real animal, or whose children aren’t quite old enough for the responsibility! x #KCACOLS

    Reply

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