When Swashbuckle started on CBeebies it was all Florence talked about for ages! She absolutely loved it from the off and so did all her friends which made a very nice change to all the Disney Princesses and Barbies. I don’t have a problem with any of that but it was a refreshing change and it reminded me of the sort of shows I used to watch as a child myself.

The interactive format makes me think of Pat Sharpe’s Fun House and Rod Hull’s The Pink Windmill from my era. The latter I have introduced Florence to fairly recently and she is addicted watching on YouTube although she finds it hard to understand why she can’t enter the competitions or meet Rod Hull. It’s so innocent watching her on her top of the range from 2015 iPad getting excited thinking about winning a top of the range from 1984 pocket radio and so far I have dodged the inevitable answer to the can she meet Rod Hull question… One not quite for yet I think!.

The format of ‘Swashbuckle’ is pretty similar to those sort of shows with live audience participation and children competing. I ALWAYS wanted to go on Fun House and ride on a Go Kart at the end… My husband DID actually get to go on Timmy Mallet’s Wacaday and I had an Ex boyfriend who was a contestant on Top Banana but forgot his vowels when asked… Seriously, I can totally see the appeal to Swashbuckle and why Florence wants to be a contestant herself! She loves joining in and when they do the Swashbuckle cheer her and Jimmy march in front of the TV; it’s very cute!

And now, the Beeb have launched a Swashbuckle magazine to go with the programme. I knew it would be a hit with us even before I saw it because, well, it’s Swashbuckle. Usually Florence and Jimmy read Blossom and In The Night Garden magazines respectively and are quite different in their requirements for magazine reading. Jimmy likes a nice juicy goodie on the front with lots of stickers and Florence prefers to have something with a bit of a challenge in it, competitions to enter, stories and colouring. She also usually likes a bit of a girlie element to her magazines and the new Swashbuckle publication, just like the TV programme, isn’t heavily aligned to any gender. Doesn’t matter with this one though as it really is one for everyone and Florence and Jimmy are both big enough fans to be able to enjoy it together!

The magazine has literally JUST been launched today and is on sale now but we have been lucky enough to have been sent a pre-release copy and for a few days now we have been enjoying all it has to offer!

There are plenty of stickers, stories, colouring sheets and challenges just like on the show. It’s easy to follow and read and for Florence who is a very accomplished reader she can do it all on her own. For Jimmy he just loves the stickers, pictures and of course the free gift which is a treasure chest, some jewels and a pirate’s hat as well as a spinner which you use in the magazine!

A pull out game and poster, a competitions and even a Blipar Ap to download which means you can turn some of the pages completely interactive with your tablet or phone. Florence thought this was really cool! Imagine what the children on the Pink Windmill would have thought!

We loved the magazine for both of them, Jimmy is 3 and Florence is 5 so they both got different things from some elements from of it and enjoyed other things together. They say the core age is 4 but it should appeal from 3 to around 6 and we can agree with this thoroughly. CBeebies programmes are usually directed at pre-schoolers but Swashbuckle is one of the more sophisticated ones and I know for a fact that much older children enjoy it too. I’m pretty certain children will love this magazine just as much at age 7 or 8 as they do at ages 3-6, why not! Pirates, jewels, challenges and fun.

Great little read and entertainment while at £2.75 it’s definitely one of the more affordable magazines which can be extortionate and not contain half as much content!

We were sent a pre-release copy of the Swashbuckle magazine for the purpose of an honest review.

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