If you’ve been checking out the annual lists of 2015’s Hottest Holiday Toys, one item that’s been consistently appearing is Spin Master’s PAW Patroller – the rolling command center from the hit Nickelodeon series, PAW Patrol. The PAW Patroller is making an appearance on my 2015 Holiday Wish Guide here on THE ROCK FATHER Magazine as well – and I’m declaring it to be not just one of the hottest toys of the season, but one of the year’s best overall. After going hands-on with our review sample for over a month as of this writing, the PAW Patroller has proven itself to be worthy of its acclaim – a perfect mix of vehicle and playset, and while it’s scored big with The Rock Daughters, it recently hit me that it’s sort of a toy that I’ve been waiting for… since 1982.
Essentially a semi-truck with a non-removable cab and a trailer that opens into a two-level playset, the PAW Patroller can hold three basic vehicles while closed, or six vehicles while fully-opened. There’s an elevator that can move a vehicle from top to bottom and back again, and the rear gate folds down to become a ramp. Show-specific sounds come from a button up-top, and the cab opens to allow up to four pups (or Ryder and three pups) to ride in style.
While the box does picture the PAW Patroller fully-stocked with the whole crew and a variety of accessories (as many toy packages do), what you get here is the PAW Patroller along with Ryder and his freewheeling 4-wheeler/ATV. Additional pups and vehicles are sold separately.
The PAW Patroller is sizeable, well-built, and reasonably-priced at around $50. It’s also a throwback to my own childhood, were larger vehicles and playsets were commonplace – something that I’ve been noticing less of lately – unless they’re really expensive, or just not made at all. What I didn’t notice until the other night – and I’m surprised it didn’t strike me sooner – is that the PAW Patroller reminds me a lot of a vehicle that I wanted as a kid but was never made: The F.L.A.G. Mobile Unit from KNIGHT RIDER.
The PAW Patroller is available now at Amazon, Walmart, and numerous other retailers Nationwide.
