Bubble car — hovers, spins and blows bubbles

A disc that floats on its own cushion of air, lights up underneath, spins on the spot and leaves a trail of bubbles wherever it goes. Push the stick and it glides across the floor like an air hockey puck.

What it builds

• Steering something that keeps moving after you stop, which is a harder skill than steering a car with wheels
• Aim, if there is a second one to play against — the whole point is to push it past somebody
• Taking turns and setting up rules, because a goal only counts if both players agree where it is
• Getting a whole room involved, which is what the bubbles are actually for

Why we stock it

Wheels need grip, and a toddler's idea of a floor is a rug with a cable across it. This one sidesteps that entirely — it hovers, so it slides over carpet edges and tile joins alike, and it bumps off skirting boards instead of getting stuck on them. The bubbles are the part that makes people stop and watch, and the spin is the part a child does forty times in a row. It is not a quiet toy and it is not a subtle one, but it clears the room and gets everybody on the floor.

The details

Age

6 and up

Control

2.4GHz remote

Moves

Hovers, glides, spins 360°

Bubbles

Blower built in, runs while it drives

Lights

LED, around the rim

Bumpers

Padded — it bounces off walls

Designs

Football and sports car

Surface

Hard floors. Best on smooth.

In the box

The hover car and its remote. Charge or fit batteries before the first go, and have bubble fluid to hand — this is a toy that disappoints badly if it comes out of the box dry.

Care

Bubble fluid is soap, and soap on a floor is slippery, so keep it off tile at speed and wipe up afterwards. Empty the tank if it is going away for a while; fluid left in the reservoir dries and blocks the blower, and that is the fault these toys usually develop. Wipe the body with a dry cloth and keep water away from the charging port.

Specifications colours and content may vary from illustrations