The Snowman & The Snowdog

"We're walking in the air, we're walking in the moonlit sky"

If you're a thirty-something like me than that will be the voice of the angelic Aled Jones before he really went off the rails and became the presenter of Songs of Praise. (Ironically Aled Jones is actually a Satanist but has been typecast now as a goody two shoes god botherer.)

Anyway the follow up to the slightly wistfully melancholic The Snowman airs at the preposterously late time of 8pm on Christmas Eve, when most of it's target audience will be tucked up in bed.  The Snowman and the Snowdog will be watched by the aforementioned thirty-somethings, and Aled Jones with a big bucket of coke and some hookers wondering where it all went so wrong for his much dreamed of rock career.  But thank heavens for Sky+ where you can be nostalgically reminded for the next 365 days of your childhood Christmas, and that year you didn't get the Girls World/Evil Knievil / Speak & Spell / Spirograph.

Anyway because the little darlings will miss it seeing it at the first airing Channel 4 have brought out a wonderful little app for Android, iPhone and Ipad for you to experience flying over London with a snowman first hand, which is normally only done with the again aforementioned bucket of coke.

Anyway far too many edgy jokes for a parenting blog.



The game is lovely, catch the snowflakes to extend time, let the snowdog show you different routes from Hastings upto London then on to the North Pole.  Gain bonuses by following the prompts on screen to find 10 angels, snowmen on the street or other such festive findings. The music is terrific wonderful as befitting such an icon of so many peoples childhood. It really is a wonderful little game, which will be loved by the kids and get the parents welling up with memories of Christmases past.

The best bit is this is totally free. Experience it yourself... it's better than that stupid Evil Knievil toy ever was.

Out of the mouth of... Number 1 aged four and a half

"I've got a coconut in my pocket"
She had a conker


"Hopefully a bad man won't kill Father Christmas and ruin it"

i assume she;d picked up on the news of the US shootings, after explaining that killing was very bad and death was very sad she replied...

"Except for greatnan she was very old and just wanted to go..."


...she's far too smart for her own good sometimes.

Wonderbook Book Of Spells - Review

Wonderbook Book of Spells, Sony’s latest family offering for their PS3 console gives budding Harry’s, Ron’s and Hermione’s a chance to experience visiting Hogwarts without the need to be locked in the cupboard under the stairs. Social services breathe a sigh of relief, and I get to regurgitate the same joke I've made in a previous post…

The set-up is very simple.  PlayStation Eye Camera that plugs straight into PS3’s USB port on the front of the machine, a ‘Move’ controller that a cross between an Lightsabre and an expensive Myla toy, and a book that looks like a series of big QR codes.   Put the disc in and away you go.  Simple.

What comes out is simply magical, the Camera reads the series of images on the book and the Ps3 creates an image on your TV of a virtual world where the book transforms into a magical artifact while the move Move controller is your wand.  Of course this would be nothing if you didn't also see yourself on screen, you are very much the lead role in this Harry Potter film.

In front of your eyes and around your living room Dragons swoop, bubbles appear on your head to help you breathe under water, while the lore of the Harry Potter universe is explained in a series of short stories where Children can choose which missing word to insert. You’re encouraged to learn spells and cast them with a swish of the wrist or a more complex wave of your wand.  In a nutshell it’s lovely lovely idea, both encouraging children to play but also learn and read without even realising they are.  While it won’t ever replace books and will never be a bedtime story it is a nice fun way for kids to have fun than the more passive and less social TV watching

Number 1 is only four and while she knows of Harry Potter she’s not really aware of the wider universe, but she had great fun squirting virtual water over Daddy in a spell.  Although her hands were a little small to handle the controller she’s of the age, where she can get the hang of it and gets frustrated when she can’t do it, so frustrations were solely with herself rather than the Wonderbook itself. Number 2 was equally entranced although it involved hitting the TV to interact as most things do when you’re not yet two.  The game itself is much more suitable for slightly older Children aged 7-12, although Adults will find it equally as enchanting to play along on Christmas day.

The only real downside we could find is that your living room needs to be lit with a wattage akin to Wembley stadiums floodlights for best performance. Although it worked perfectly well in our more mood lit lounge, the cheap camera seems to not quite display at it’s best level.

The starter pack is £50 and contains everything you need to get started - Camera, Move Controller, WonderBook & Game

All in all it gets a big recommend from us.