Ranger Rob toys and DVD were provided at no cost for reviewing purposes, all opinions belong to the author.
This fall, your preschooler’s favourite adventurer, Ranger Rob, is taking the leap from the small screen and will be landing in a store near you. Just in time for the holidays. Gabe and I were given a sneak peek at some of the new Ranger Rob toys, books, and DVD’s and I must say, we were not disappointed.
If you’re not yet familiar with Rob, let me give you a quick Ranger Rob 101. Our hero is a young ranger in training who hikes, runs, swings and even zip lines his way around Big Sky Park, a fictional national park which features a variety of environments and ecosystems. Rob’s mom and dad are the head rangers and their son sees Big Sky Park as an endless playground which he explores with his friends.
Ranger Rob is all about adventure, exploration, and getting out to enjoy nature and watching the green-hatted adventurer on-screen together, Gabe and I have enjoyed getting to know Ranger Rob and his best friends, Stomper, Dakota, and Sam. Our little man is especially fond of Dakota and is always waiting for her to swing in on a vine to surprise Rob – her trademark move.
So, do the toys, books, and DVD’s deliver the same level of enjoyment as the show?
Let me share our thoughts with you.
Ranger Rob: My Essential Ranger Guide: A Carry Along Book
First up out of the box was the “Ranger Rob: My Essential Ranger Guide: A Carry Along Book.” The handle on the spine of this book is a fun touch which makes it easier for little fingers to carry Ranger Rob’s guidance with them, wherever they go. It doesn’t sound like much, but it is a thoughtful detail that is actually functional instead of just gimmicky.
A plasticised cover keeps the Ranger Guide safe from light rain sprinkles and the thick, board pages mean it stands up to even the roughest trip through the local park. Gabe is very much a rough and tough, throw himself straight into it kind of boy and Robs Ranger Guide stood up to some seriously boisterous play.
The contents of the book are not a disappointment either. True to the show, Ranger Rob: My Essential Ranger Guide is brightly illustrated and covers, among other things:
- Being properly prepared for a hike
- Helping others in need
- Celebrating friendship and family bonds
- Respecting animals, our natural environment, and other people.
We would certainly recommend buying your own copy of Ranger Rob: My Essential Ranger Guide: A Carry Along Book. Not only is it a fun book in and of itself, but it is a marvelous book for introducing the concept of how to enjoy the natural environment safely and responsibly to your little ones.
Ranger Rob: Friends Figures 4 Pack
When I am looking at reviews I like to see decent, good sized, clear pictures of the item I’m reading about. Especially if I am likely to buy it online, So when I write a review, that is exactly what I like to provide. Actual, taken in my home, by a real mom, photos, not a stock image that’s been copied and pasted from Amazon.
However.
On this occasion, I opened up the box, took out the Ranger Rob items and laid them on the table while I went to get the camera. Cue the doorbell and when I returned I found this:
Needless to say, Gabe was a tad excited about getting his grubby little fingers on the Ranger Rob figures. When I tracked him back to his bedroom, Gabe had already made a spot for them on his “These are my most favourite things and I have to line them up here so I can find them easily” shelf.
The pack contains Ranger Rob, Stomper, Dakota & Sam figures. At about 5 cm or 2 inches, they are chunky enough to be safe for the 3+ age group but still small enough for little hands. All four figures are articulated at the hips and shoulders so you can move the arms and legs up and down but we had a little trouble moving one arm or one leg independently. This might be just because the figures are still new, but Gabe found it a bit frustrating when he wanted only one of Ranger Rob’s arms up in the air but the second arm followed the first.
At the other end of the articulation spectrum, our Max figure had exceptionally loose legs which meant when Gabe tried to have him sit around the “campfire” we created, Max always ended up laying flat on his back. We worked around this by deciding Max had been hiking all day and must be so tired he kept falling asleep.
That hasn’t stopped him enjoying them though, and Ranger Rob and Dakota have been accompanying him everywhere. Word has it that there are Ranger Rob vehicles in the pipeline, which would be fantastic. I can just see Gabe outside in the garden creating his own Big Sky Park and riving his little Ranger Rob figures around it. For now, he has to be content with having them scale rocks, hike through the grass, and swing down from the sky on whatever plants he can reach in our garden, rather than vines.
Finally, we watched some Ranger Rob on one of the two DVD’s currently available.
Ranger Rob: Monkey Business DVD
The DVD is much as you would expect from this kind of animation tie-in disc. There are no extra features, which I prefer because it stops little fingers going for the control, trying to explore, and accidentally changing the settings on the DVD player. If you’ve had the pleasure of spending an hour trying to work out how to change the settings back to normal because your son has pressed random buttons and now your viewable screen is a tiny square in the corner, you know what I mean.
Anyway, I digress.
The DVD has six shows and runs for 1 hour and 13 mins. On “Monkey Business” you have these episodes.
- Monkey Business In Big Sky Park
- Garbage Growlers of Big Sky Park
- Big Sky Park Animal Sitters
- A Ranger Campfire Story
- Rumble in the Big Sky Park Jungle
- Stuffy Stories in Big Sky Park
All in all, we loved the Ranger Rob toys, book, and DVD and can’t wait to see the other items that are set for release soon. I say go out and grab yourself some today and enjoy your own Ranger Rob adventures with your boys.
Ranger Rob airs Weekday mornings at 5:10 a.m. and 7:40 a.m., weeknights at 6:10 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and Weekends at 5:10 a.m. and 12:40 p.m. on TreehouseTV. It is also available on the Treehouse Go app!
You can win a Ranger Rob prize pack! Enter below telling me your families favourite Ranger Rob character for a chance to win. Open to Canada only, ends November 7th 2018
My son likes Stomper best
My grandson likes Stomper!
My kids love Ranger Rob the best. They love Stomper too.
My daughter loves Ranger Rob best. My twins love Stomper the best.
my niece loves Dakota
My granddaughters favourite character is Stomper
We love Stomper!
We don’t have a favourite…yet
Love love stomper!
My little cousins like Stomper.
Thinking my granddaughter would love Dakota!
My daughter loves Stomper!
Our family loves Ranger Rob the best. Thanks for the chance to win.
My granddaughter likes Stomper the best.
We like Stomper.
My niece loves Dakota.
My son loves Ranger Rob
Favourite is Ranger Rob.
Our family’s favourite Ranger Rob character is Ranger Rob !
Stomper is my man!
my granddaughter loves Dakota.
My daughter loves Dakota
Our son loves Stomper!
This is so cute… .my nephew would love to sit and watch with me while he is over 🙂
Only one of their names I hear is Ranger Rob.
My nephews like Stomper.
Dakota is our favorite!! 🙂
My family’s favourite Ranger Rob character is Stomper.
My daughter likes Ranger rob and Dakota. Thanks! 🙂
my granddaughter loves Stomper
My favourite is Ranger Rob.
sam becucase he is always using his imagination.
my daughter loves Dakota
Stomper is a favourite here 🙂 But they are all cute.
my son loves Stomper.
My boy loves Stomper
we love stomper best
Our families favourite is Stomped!
Ranger Rob is the best
Stomper is our fav!
Patrick says Dakota is his favorite. Thanks for the super giveaway opportunity.
Ranger Rob is our family favourite.
Stomper is a favourite in our home
My daughter loves Stomper!
My grandson is fascinated with Dakota.
Stomper is a hit in our family.
I tried the Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins and they were yummy.
Great to hear!
We love Stomper!
My grandson like Stomper the most.