Xia-Xia ... Toys, A Party...and A Giveaway {CLOSED}

Congrats to the winners!!

Random.org chose #3 and #11 and those commentors are:

Tabathia is the winner of the Crab and Shell set

and

ClippingMoney is the winner of the Crab.

Check your emails for details on how to get your prizes...

you have 48 hours to get back to me!!

When I was given a chance to preview a new toy on the market, called Xia-Xia Pet Crabs, I knew that our youngest would freak out if I didn't go for it.  She is a huge fan of the "zhu zhu pets"..and since these were put out by the same people, she was the first one to break open the box when it showed up on our doorstep. Once open, she could hardly wait for me to snap a pic before she started playing with the new colorful crabs, their shells and the "houses" for them to live in.

While she didn't take much time to notice the packaging, I thought that the colorful, girlie boxes were adorable...she just wanted to hold a Xia-Xia crab...now.

We decided to spread the wealth of color and fun with a few of our friends...to see it all in action and to get some feedback on the new friends, now running all over our house.

What are these colorful crustaceans??  Here's what the company calls them:

The latest toy craze from Cepia, LLC (the master mind behind ZhuZhu Pets® and DaGeDar™) has arrived and we want you and your kids to be among the first to experience it!

Moms, meet Xia-Xia™. From a far away land where the Carnivale runs all day, Xia-Xia are crazy crustaceans, who love to dance and play. Costumed in wild and wacky shell fashions, Xia-Xia love to change their shells for their festivities. Press their claw and the parade begins; Xia-Xia have a wacky Xia-Xia shuffle that is tons of fun to watch.

These new colorful, collectible creatures combine the loveable charm of a real hermit crab but add a twist of imagination. Each Xia-Xia comes with a candy colored shell in which kids can fi­nd a little friend hidden inside. Additional shells can be purchased so children can style their Xia-Xia in their favorite fashions. For an added bonus, each additional shell contains two little friends. Xia-Xia have colorful playsets, bringing alive a world of color, magic, and imagination for kids to enjoy!

My Review:

First of all, I have to say that this company was more than generous, providing more than enough for a party full of happy little girls!!!  I was blown away by all they gave us...and very grateful to have this chance to play  :)

The positives?
Much like their cousins, "zhu zhu pets", these lively little creatures run around in all directions, which I found brings laughter and interested girls as they try to keep up with the zooming colors.  The habitats provided are easy to put together, just as vibrant as their tenents and big enough for little hands to reach into. On that end, my daughter and the other little girls loved the crabs, shells and habitats.

A couple of areas of concern? 
A couple of times, the legs of the crabs popped off a bit too easy for the intended age set (4-11 year olds) for just casual play...and since you have to push down on them to get the little guys to move, that causes an issue.  I also noticed that they all needed help in switching out the shells on the backs of the crabs.  They were all slightly different in shape, so when they wanted to put a new one on...it was a little confusing for them to figure out which direction to have the crabs and the shells.

Overall?
I think they are best suited for the younger fans of these type of toys, as they are more colorful and cartoon-ish.  BUT I think that they are adorable and I loved to watch each girl as they were first handed a crab...seeing them explore the toy, make it "go" and watch it run all over the place.  The girls who came to our party were VERY happy to take home the Xia-Xia Crabs and the giveaway of one of the habitats was greatly appreciated!!

Giveaway:

Want to win a crab and shell (or a crab) for the little one in your life??  Well you can...one of these:

To enter to win one of the items pictured above, visit the Xia-Xia website and leave a comment telling me something you discovered while looking around. (mandatory entry...be sure to leave an email or twitter ID in your comment!  No contact info, no entry)

Extra Entries (leave a seperate comment for each):

• Follow my blog fan page on Facebook (click here)
• Visit my main blog and leave a comment on one of the posts.
• Follow me on Twitter  (@binaspad)
• FB or tweet about this giveaway (linking either my fan page or twitter ID)

Giveaway starts 10/27/11 and is open until 11/01/11. 

First name chosen will win the orange crab/shell set.
Second name chosen will win the blue crab. 
Winners will be chosen by random.org and be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond or new winners will be chosen.

**Cepia, LLC provided me these toys for review purposes & is allowing me to keep all items once finished with my review. I get no other compensation from the company...all opinions expressed are strictly my own. **

Still Playing...
Bina