The Bop Along Buddy is probably best described as a more stable moon-hopper, suitable for children from 1 year old right up to 6 years.

There is also an XL version suitable from 6 years to a maximum capacity of 120kg. They’re available in a range of fun characters and colours: I received Digga the Dog for this review, and my boys both loved its big eyes and the protruding ears and tail!

Ok so I’ll start with a little bit about the product itself. The Bop Along Buddies are made from a very special exclusive child/friendly PVC, and is quite robust.

The instructions state that they’re suitable for indoor & outdoor use, however we keep ours indoors as I couldn’t eliminate all the sharp things that may cause punctures. It’s wonderful for getting the kids active indoors on a rainy day too!

My 3 year old son just adores his dog, and from the moment he saw it, he jumped on its back and bounced right out of the room, little hands gripped onto its ears and calling out “boing, boing, boing” all the way down the hallway! I have no idea how kids just know how to use toys the right way instinctively, but it put a smile on my face immediately. His 18 month old brother didn’t want to hop on the bouncer’s back at first, and was content to drag it around in a headlock kissing its nose constantly! After watching his big brother bounce around for a while, however, he was happy to sit on the dog and stand before sitting down on it with all his weight calling “jup, jup, jup” with a big grin on his face. He gets a little frustrated trying to get on, but when he’s sitting on the Bop Along Buddy he stays on it easily. I really love how stable it is, and it really has proven to be great fun for the kids to play with.

The fact that it promotes balance and motor skills and helps keep the kids active while also having fun is all I can ask for!

For instance, my 3 year old sits on it watching telly in the morning (they only have the TV on for half an hour each morning then night), bouncing away in the one spot, or up and down the lounge room in time to the Wiggles!

The Bop Along Buddies come with a pump and needle inflator, along with a set of instructions for inflation. Set up was very straight forward and even I had no problems getting it together! It’s also great that the Bop Along Buddies Inflatable Animals are warranted to be free from defects in the material and workmanship for the initial 3 months from date of purchase or initial inflation. I received one that did unfortunately, have a defect: however upon contacting the company, another was sent out straight away with a big apology and I received the new one a few days later. I was very happy with their handling of any issues, and that’s a must when buying online. I’d have no issues whatsoever purchasing from them again in the future, given my positive experience.

Overall I rate the Bop Along Buddies is a fantastic product that kids from a wide range of ages can enjoy!

RRP: $44.95 – $64.95

Available From: www.bopalongbuddies.com.au or through their national network of stockists