2012: A year of Classic, Creative Play (and a Trunki Giveaway!)

You may have noticed that we are BIG fans of pretend play around here. Some of the reasons why I’m so passionate about pretend play are because it promotes creativity and imagination, helps to develop early problem solving skills, fosters important social skills for kids, and it’s FUN!! Over the years, we’ve found some of the best products for pretend play and learning to come from the lovely toy company Melissa & Doug. I’ve hosted many giveaways from their products (art easel, travel games, and sand toys), which were all extremely well-received! But in the past, I’ve also written about how much we love their unit block set (a favorite battery-free toy), stamp pad (for all kinds of art projects), lacing cards (perfect for quiet time activities), and more!

That’s why I’m SO excited to announce that Amy from Teach Mama (who is totally awesome) and I will be working with Melissa & Doug (also totally awesome) as their first official blog ambassadors to help make 2012 a year of classic, creative play!! ((Insert happy dance here.))

I had to keep pinching myself because not only do I love Melissa & Doug, but I also adore Amy — I listed her as one of Five Fabulous Bloggers! Amy is THE expert at creating rich learning experiences from everyday happenings, and she is super-sweet too!!

To help us kick-start this year amazing year of classic play, one very lucky Frugal Family Fun Blog reader will win a Trunki (shown below) courtesy of Melissa & Doug!

Trunki is an adorable 3-in-1 toy — it’s a suitcase, ride-on toy, and pull toy all in one. Clara loves to use Trunki for storing toys, and she especially loves to take Trunki for walks!

It’s great exercise!! Also?? Trunki is made in the USA! These cute suitcases really come in handy for short trips to Grandma’s house too!

Here’s a short video of Trunki IN ACTION!

Fun, right?? To enter for your chance to win, leave a comment on this post sharing which color Trunki your child would like best (Ruby (Red), Trixie (Pink), Sunny (Orange), Jade (Green), Terrance (Blue), or Iris (Purple)). Giveaway is open to US residents only, and winner will be chosen at random. (See Official Giveaway Rules.) This giveaway ends Friday, January 13th @ 6:30pm EST.

Good luck!!

Disclaimer: I was given a Trunki for the purposes of the this review and giveaway. All opinions are my own. Some links are affiliate links.

[Update: This giveaway is now closed, and the winner is… Trish! Congratulations!! A big thank you to everyone who entered and to Melissa & Doug for sponsoring such a fun giveaway! Another great giveaway starts soon!!!]

Comments

  1. I’d probably love the red, green, or blue the most since the boys outnumber the girls in this house. 🙂

  2. I so enjoy all your wonderful ideas and am looking forward to using them when my granddaughter gets a bit older (she’s one). The Iris Trunki would be perfect for her!!! I love that it’s made in the USA too! Thanks for the chance to win!

  3. I would love the orange one! My son would love it for his first big overseas trip this summer.

    (P.S. Although I live abroad, could I still be eligible if you send to my parents in the US?)

  4. The girls would probably choose Iris!

  5. I would pick Sunny or Jade.

  6. I love the tiger stripes on the Sunny orange one!

  7. ooh yay! iris purple. my daughter would love this…she is just getting old enough to really start pretending. playing house with her babies, cooking in the kitchen. thanks for such a great giveaway!

  8. I like Sunny (Orange) for my son 🙂

  9. You had me at made in the U.S.A.! But, oh, I love the Trunki (my little ones are always carrying their treasures around the house and would love it) and I love what I’ve seen of Melissa and Doug so far.

    I would choose Ruby Red – (my daughter would love the purple, but red is so my boys will play with it too.)

  10. Very cool! Thanks for the giveaway 🙂 Sammy’s favorite color is red so I think that would his favorite!

  11. I love this! I would go with Sunny!

  12. The girls would totally love the Iris Trunki! This is an incredible giveaway! Thanks!

  13. i think she’d like the Ruby one! super cute.

  14. Blue. With three boys I think that’s the safest way to go.

  15. I think my daughter would love the purple one so that she can both store all of her new trains in and pull her little brother around! Thanks for another great giveaway!

  16. Sunny. Orange is dd’s fav color.

  17. What an awesome company to work with! I’d pick the Sunny one =)

  18. Eileen Ramos says

    I would love a jade green trunki! It is so cute…both my little girl and boy can use it! I hope I win! 🙂

  19. My guy would love the Orange Trunki for trips to Gramma & Grampa’s and to the beach! yay!

  20. I have seen these before and always thought they were adorable. I have two boys so we already have TONS of blue stuff around the house which is why I think Sunny would be a good color. Plus, how cool is it that it looks like a tiger?! The options are endless with an item like this, I can imagine my older son setting my younger son on top and them laughing and giggling while pulling each other around. Fun!

  21. We had a Melissa & Doug Christmas this year! My daughter (she’s 2) absolutely loves everything she’s gotten and I LOVE the quality of their toys! She would Love yellow but since that’s not an option she would pick either Ruby or Sunny (red and orange are tied for her second favorite, lol she’s so funny).

  22. I would pick the Sunny (orange) one! Great giveaway!!

  23. I love Ruby red! Thanks!

  24. I would love any of them, but i will choose iris!!!

  25. My three year old watched the video and says he wants to win the blue one! Thanks!

  26. I would love the blue Trunki. Looks like such a fun and innovative toy. Thanks for sharing this giveaway with us! Hope I win! 😀

  27. Congrats on working with Melissa & Doug! We absolutely love their products!

    Our girls would love the Trixie (Pink)Trunki. So cute! Thanks for the chance to win one!

  28. Oooh, he’d love Sunny!

  29. Terrance!! Thanks for the opportunity!

  30. M.F.Peterson says

    Hmm…My daughter would love the Iris because EVERYTHING is purple these days. My son would like Terrance because he gravitates to blue. These are SO cute!

  31. I drool over this everytime we go to the toy store about 20 minutes from us. They have areas set up by creative play: trains, blocks, kitchen, dress up, etc. Many Melissa and Doug. Hard to leave empty handed! We would love Sunny–nice happy orange. This would be so handy in the airport but also just around the house and neighborhood!

  32. Wendy Chandler says

    WoW! What am awesome toy!!!!! My Sadie would just be delighted to have a Ruby Red Trunki!!!!!

  33. I love Ruby Red! We are in LOVE with Melissa & Doug, so excited to see you doing this!

  34. my boy loves green!

  35. Thanks for this opportunity. Our girls would love the Jade. Perfect for an upcoming trip!

  36. My girls would love the Trixie (pink)!

  37. What a creative idea! Both of my girls would love to have the purple one! I can see them playing with it around the house or going on a trip with it.Thanks for the chance to win one!:)))

  38. I have twins, so Im sure my Boy would love Terrance, and my girl would love Trixie or Iris 🙂

  39. With a mix of boys and girls in our family the kids would love Ruby (red)!

  40. Fun! I love the Terrance (blue).

  41. Ashley Hatten says

    We would choose Blue if we won! thanks so much! these are wonderful 🙂

  42. These are so cute! A Friend of mine told me about them awhile back and i thought they were a great idea. My son would love the green one!

  43. Shannon Cunningham says

    my 2 1/2 year old would LOVE the sunny orange one! i’ve been wanting to get him one for a while now…thanks for this great giveaway!

  44. My boys would love the red, orange, or blue Trunki. They admired them on our last trip as we dragged through various airports. As a family that lives far from our extended family, we do travel a great deal (my five month old has been on 16 flights) so anything that helps with travel is greatly loved in our house.

  45. My daughter would love the pink one. Thank you for the great giveaway!

  46. We are big fans of Melissa and Doug in this house too! My 2yo daughter would LOVE the Ruby (red) one. Thanks for promoting a cool American made product. *fingers crossed*

  47. My boys would love the orange or purple trunki!

  48. LOVE the Trunki! I would choose Ruby Red!

  49. My daughter would love the jade green since it is her favorite color:)

  50. Melissa Foster says

    I love the sunny orange!

  51. My little guy would LOVE one of these in Jade or Terrance! Thank you!

  52. i would love purple!!

  53. Purple is the queen of all colors in this house. Love Melissa and Doug.

  54. We’d love a jade trunki

  55. We are an all boy family so definitely Terrance (Blue)! SO FUN!!!!

  56. Jade would be great!

  57. Definitely the pink one (we’re all girly girls over here! 😉

  58. I like Ruby the best!

  59. Sunny Orange would be perfect for a bright little guy I know. Thanks for the chance to win!

  60. Candace H. says

    We should probably play it safe and pick the Sunny color so my son and daughter can share!

  61. My kiddos would LOVE Sunny!

  62. My daughter would love Iris!

  63. Any of my children would love Ruby! Great website!

  64. We would definitly love any color, but if we have to choose one, it’ll be the sunny orange!!!!!

  65. My daughter thought about it for a minute and then decided that Ruby would be the best color. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

  66. kath goldin says

    ohhh soo adorable! what to choose..we watched the video’s & were hard pressed to choose :o(
    We have Never ever seen these at ANY stores near us.
    What a Brillant idea! So many uses. My guy immediately knew his many legos and little animals & books would be `safe’ inside this.
    ~~~ we would be feel so blessed to be included this drawing (~.~) THANKS SOOO MUCH!!

    • kath goldin says

      WE FORGOT TO GIVE OUR CHOICE–SORRY:0(
      is it ok to say that we would not mind if you choose.
      we would take what is avail :0) & would dance a happy dance
      thanks so much

  67. What a great giveaway, would love to win a orange one!!

  68. My little man would love this! We were looking at a friends pictures who has this for her kids and we loved the idea. He would love the Blue (Terrance) one!

  69. Def the blue one – my son loves blue =)

  70. This is great giveaway, hope we win this for my little one.

  71. Kim Pollock says

    I would love Jade (Green)! My son and daughter would love it!

  72. Thanks for the opportunity. I would like either the pink or purple if I am lucky enough to win! Thanks for an awesome blog!

  73. I just discovered your blog thanks to the Artful Parent blog! I have to say that I love it…so many great ideas. I have 2 daughters so I’d say either the pink or purple Trunki would be high on their lists!

  74. Another amazing giveaway! My boys would love Trunki Terrance. Thank you so much for the chance to win! Happy New Year to you and your family!

  75. Blue. Everything in my house is blue. I have two boys (3 if you count my hubby…5 if you count the pets).

  76. My sons would love Terrance!

  77. We LOVE our Trunki’s. I took both girls (6&7) through the airport this summer, and it was such a help. When they got tired, I was able to pull both of them, with my backpack on my back. We entertained other kids by giving them rides while we waited for the flight. If we should happen to win, it will go to one of our downstairs neighbors (5 and <1), so I'll say orange, which is MY favorite color.

  78. Sarah Yang says

    Sunny Orange! Love the Tiger-like reference! Love your blog!

  79. I think my boys would go for Jade. These are so cute! Thanks for the giveaway!

  80. My daughter would love the Iris (purple) and my son orange or Jade. They are cute!

  81. My daughter would love the purple one for trips back to CA to visit our family:). We recently moved out of state….

  82. We would love Iris. This is a great blog, just found it from The Artful Parent which is my all-time-favorite! Thanks!

  83. I would choose a neutral, happy color, aka Sunny!

  84. How fun! My boys love green!

  85. We would love the red one to please both my boys and girl! Thanks for all the ideas and inspiration.

  86. Ruby, please! Looks like something my daughter would love.

  87. Donna Clary says

    I think the red one would be awesome…I have 3 grandchildren 2 of whom are brother and sister and they love playing “pretend”!….they would love to have one to play with! thank you

  88. although I would prefer the blue color, I know my son would pick orange!

  89. Love all things Melissa and Doug! We’d choose Terrance.

  90. I think Trixie pink would make 2 out of 3 kids happy!

  91. I love Trunki!! Loving the red or the pink!!! so fun!

  92. Oh, they are all so cute. Iris is probably our favorite.

  93. Stephanie Hampton says

    My boys love to put their things in luggage and carry it around the house. The Trunki is perfect! It is adorable, durable and it rolls. I know my boys would enjoy riding it too. Any kid would love to store their favorite things in it. I also love the stickers and saddlebag accessories that you can buy to go with it. Both are great ways to personalize the Trunki. I think my boys would love either the Jade, Terrace or Sunny.

  94. My little guy would really enjoy riding on Terrance

  95. My kids would love sunny(orange)!

  96. We would love Iris, the purple Trunki!! Thanks for the chance to win 🙂

  97. How fun!! We would like the green one!

  98. M&D sure know how to pick ’em! :>) Congrats – the honor is well deserved! We’d love a Trixie. Thanks for the chance!

  99. Love Trunki! My oldest has a pink one we love, but I sure could use a green one for my son and a purple one for my younger daughter.

  100. We’d love a purple one!

  101. mary norman says

    Fantastic. Thanks for the chance.
    Mary
    Ladefly@aol dot com

  102. My daughter loves anything & everything purple, so it would have to be Iris!

  103. The sunny (orange one) – my kids love orange!

  104. Blue one, this looks adorable! Thanks for the chance!

  105. My son would definitely want Trixie, the pink one.

    Congrats on being a blog ambassador for Melissa and Doug!!!

  106. My three year old declared red her new favorite color so I am sure she would love ruby red!

  107. Erin Zackey says

    oh that’s exciting news, congrats!
    I think my daughter would love the purple one as her current obsession is purple everything!

  108. I think these are so cute! I would pick Jade 🙂

  109. would love the purple one for my daughter!

  110. both my kids would like the blue one! 🙂

  111. I was just looking at these for an upcoming trip! My daughter claims she loves all the colors, so I’m going to pick Sunny orange for her 😀

  112. Sunny!

  113. Sunny is super cute!! Well, they all are. 🙂 Thank you so much for the opportunity. Fingers crossed!!!

  114. Green is our favorite (and I adore M&D toys as WELL- always a winner!)

  115. My daughter would absolutely love the blue… plus the blue would be perfect for our son when it is passed down 🙂

  116. What a smart idea. My son would love the green one! My 2 3/4 year old has been interested in luggage for a few months, this would be perfect for him!

  117. I think Trunki looks so great! We like the Jade Trunki (the most gender neutral), but would love any color. 🙂

  118. Iris or Jade!

  119. That would be much better than the backpack we use right now! Sunny or Ruby are the cutest, I think it’s the stripes and polka dots. 🙂

  120. The red one for sure!

  121. Sunny orange or Ruby red! So cute and love the multi functional aspect!

  122. My little guy would love a green one to take on our trip to Legoland this spring, thank you!

  123. my granddaughter would like pink

  124. How fun! We’d love the blue!

  125. Trunki looks like so much fun! And useful, too. My dd would love it in pink.

  126. Teresa Young says

    The red Trunki would be great for my nephew.

  127. Jackie Mennella says

    I would love a green Trunki for my kiddos 🙂

  128. Judy Hershey says

    I would love the Sunny orange for my grandson. He lives 2 hours away, so he travels here a lot.

  129. I would love a ruby one so both my boys and girls can use it! I think they are so cute!

  130. My daughter would love to get an Iris (purple) Trunki!

  131. We would love the red one! If I won, I would have to buy two more because my twins and single would totally fight over it on trips! LOL

  132. The Iris (Purple)! My daughter’s name is Lila (pronounced Lee-LaH) which means purple ( in German and Greek)!!!!

    Yea she would like it 🙂

  133. Kathleen Foley says

    I would love the purple one! What a wonderful giveaway and I just love your blog!

  134. I love that these are made in the USA! Terrance would be a hit at our house.

  135. Red all the way for this family!

  136. I’d choose purple for my niece

  137. There is no choice…it MUST be purple.

  138. I love the tiger stripes on the orgnge one! I know my kiddos would have a blast with these. Thanks for all of the great ideas on your blog, I love it.

  139. My son would love this! When we take walks he always wants to take his sister’s baby doll stroller, which she lets him take tuns with, her, but this would be great to win! Then he’d finally have something of his own to take on walks. He would like the orange or the green one. We love Melissa & Doug!!

  140. I would love the sunny orange for my Grandson!

  141. For sure, the iris (purple) one. Purple has been my fav color for years and now my daughter has the same feeling about it (well, purple AND pink in her case!).

  142. Ruby!

  143. I would LOVE Jade (Green)

  144. Cute! Orange and black are my son’s favorite colors…so we’d love an orange one!

  145. I’d like purple

  146. We adore arts and crafts, and are right there with you on being thrifty. My boy and girl would love a red trunki.

  147. Kimberly Schotz says

    I like Sunny
    Kims2312@verizon.net

  148. What a great giveaway, thank you! I would chose either the pink or the purple.

  149. We’d love orange or green!

  150. oooh!! this is so cool! since my little boy and little girl would be sharing this, no doubt. I’d go for the green or orange! 🙂

  151. Oh my gosh, my kids would love this…. my 3 year old, in particular! I would pick Sunny(orange) for them!

  152. I would love Trunki in red or blue as these are my boys favorite colors…and he is super cute!

  153. How fun! My girls would love Iris! Thanks!

  154. My daughter would love a ruby red trunki!!!

  155. Just found your blog, and I’m loving it. Thanks for all the great ideas! As to the Trunki, the red one, Ruby, is adorable!

  156. Leah powell says

    my daughter would love Trixie or Iris!! 🙂

  157. Nikolette B says

    My kids would love Sunny! These are so cute!

  158. Alashandra Reynolds says

    So fun! we would need the green one to keep everyone happy.

  159. would love to win the green or blue for my grandchildren. they would love this!!!

  160. My son turns 3 at the end of Feb. He’d love Jade the green one the best. What a great present this would be for him. He’d feel like such a big kid, like his older brother, if he had something like this of his own.

  161. My 3 year old would absolutely love the iris one! She is in love with anything and everything purple!

  162. I would love Iris for my daughters!

Trackbacks

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  2. […] am in great company too. Amy from teach mama , Valerie from Inner Child Fun , Stacy from kids*stuff*world and Zina from Lasso The Moon are all ambassadors . Have you ever […]

  3. […] seen adorable photos of the Trunki in use and have read wonderful reviews. I admit this video makes me smile […]