I’ve long been a fan of Mookie Toys who sell all sorts of indoor and outdoor toys. They first introduced me to the now famous Scuttlebug (which is suitable for both in the house and out) and I love it for three simple reasons! It’s small and simple to store because it folds up, is very easy to use and the cost is just fantastic at under £30! Florence has a Ladybird one and my Mum was SO impressed with it and how much Florence liked it that she even bought another one to keep at her house! I was interested then, to see the differences between that and it’s brother toy, the Scramblebug and we have been busily testing it with fairly high expectations actually, after how much we like the Scuttle!

So, how does the Scramblebug differ to the Scuttle? And is it better? It’s a little bit pricier with an RRP of £39.99 and I wanted to find out if it was worth it? Well, actually I think it is. It’s not better than the Scuttle but it is entirely different so fulfills a totally different purpose and having the both of them I can see why one of each is really quite a good idea. Regards to the price, because it could even be suitable for a crawler (it’s slightly lower and they wouldn’t hurt themselves if they fell off), it could be used instead of other products meaning in the long run you’d save (plus you wouldn’t have loads of items to store)!

Firstly, it has 4 wheels instead of 3. Instead of the wheels being rigid and steering being taken control of by the handle (as per the Scuttle), with the Scramble the wheels all turn 360 degrees so the steering is largely down to these – they can go backwards, forwards, round in a circle and even side to side. The handles are just to hold on to and do not have any bearing on which direction you go in. It is also lower to the ground which means that for a younger, or smaller in height child, they can sit on it and reach the floor. It took Florence a while to be able to do this on her Scuttle. Even though they are both recommended for the 1-3 age range I think a younger child would prefer to use the Scramble because of that reason plus, like I said, it moves more easily and with less control needed from the driver. That doesn’t mean it won’t interest an older child of course. Florence is almost 3 and she could whizz around on this with little effort which is very appealing – it is, as the name suggests a scrambler and the Scuttlbug, funnily enough, scuttles! Both are of course, ride on toys but whereas the Scuttle is more about scooting with both feet whilst using a bit of thought, the Scramble can be whipped about and round corners with little effort. It’s much fun both indoors and out!

Again with the Scuttle to the left and Scramble to the right, you can see the differences with them folded up. They are entirely different but both fold flat and are easy to store and carry.

Just as with the Scuttle the legs fold down in three easy moves making it flat enough to fit under our buggies (although it is longer than it’s Scuttle friend) and store in the toy box! A major plus when you live in a flat. I actually found it easier to fold than the Scuttlebug which is pretty uncomplicated itself! It can also be easily carried flat by the handlebars, it’s not quite as compact at the Scuttlebug but then it does have an extra wheel. My children don’t have bikes and trikes at our house and have to save that for when visiting the Grandparents as we simply don’t have the room but something like this Scramblebug and it really doesn’t take up much room at all. It’s a fantastic idea! Even though Florence is nearly three now, the Scramblebug goes so fast that it definitely has a place for her and it will be a great thing for Jimmy to learn how to scoot on when he gets to the age that a ride on toy will interest. It has longevity for that purpose and because Florence is quite little in stature I can see she will be able to use if for much longer than the manufacturers intend as with her Scuttlebug. Perhaps a taller child might struggle and it is lower, if ever so slightly than the Scuttlebug but I think most little ones would be absolutely fine on it. For the price, efficiency of storage and way that it moves with ease I have to say it will make a fab Christmas present! We don’t like it more than the Scuttlebug but we certainly don’t like it any less. I think people are confused as to which one they should go for and in my opinion it shouldn’t be an either or situation anymore than you would say should we get a bike or a scooter. They are different toys with different plus points but they just happen to have the same ideal storage solution of fold down legs and because they are made by the same people they have similar colours and faces. They are definitely in the same family but should not be played one against the other as they both most certainly have their place – and that should be on the Christmas list of every toddler going! There’s simply nothing to dislike!

For more information on both bugs and all Mookie toys please see the website www.mookie-toys.co.uk.

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