Bigjigs Toys are delighted to announce that they are sponsoring Sussex Mummy and Being Mrs C to represent the brand at this year's BritMums Live! event. The two Play Patrol agents will descend on London to take part in the UK's largest two-day social media conference and blogger event which will see over 500 delegates hit The Brewery, London on the 21^st and 22^nd of June. The agenda allows plenty of time and scope for networking alongside sessions that help bloggers improve their skills, increase their social media profiles and work better with brands. Sarah said "I am thrilled to be heading to Brit Mums Live again this summer, and so proud to be representing such a quality brand as Bigjigs Toys. I love their toys, especially their wooden sets and their Green Toys line, and its always a pleasure to deal with them, either as a customer or as a new member of their Play Patrol. I am really looking forward to working with Bigjigs Toys this year and promoting them at Brit Mums Live to the 400+ attending delegates as well as the thousands following on social media. Bring it on!" Penny stated that she is "I'm both excited and proud to be sponsored by Bigjigs to attend BritMums Live!. They're a brand I feel very passionate about and I'm looking forward to telling everyone about their fantastic toys." Marketing and PR Coordinator for Bigjigs Toys, George Poole says, "We are thrilled to be working with both Sarah and Penny for this prestigious event, promoting and championing the Bigjigs brand. This is our first foray into BritMums Live! and is compliments our Play Patrol scheme really well." You can follow Sarah's and Penny's progress at BritMums Live! 2013 on their blogs: http://sussexmummy.co.uk/index/ http://www.beingmrsc.com/ Alternatively you can follow their progress right here!

Archaeologists have discovered a 220-year-old railway tunnel believed to be the oldest in the world.

So it is week 2 of the Easter Holidays...this is the week where everybody starts becoming a little aggy with each other, so us creatives at Bigjigs HQ have come up with some superb colouring sheets to help everyone mellow and to pass some time... we are also giving you the chance to win one of our delightful Junior Arts Easels! Simply download the sheets below - get your little ones to colour them in and then post them on our Facebook page! Remember to leave a little comment of your childs name and their age! You have until Monday 15th April to post your entries on our wall! We will be marking on creativity, originality and use of imagination. We have three wonderful scenes which are perfect for adding to or to be coloured in just as they are: Download here: BigjigsRail CityScape_ColouringSheet Download here: BigjigsRailHills Background_ColouringSheet Download here: BigjigsRailVillage_ColouringSheet Arts and crafts is a great way to encourage creative play developing both mental and physical skills :-) So get your pencil cases at the ready... and GO... get colouring! Good Luck Bigjiggers - we cannot wait to see your masterpieces!

As you know, we had over 100 hundred entries for our Play Patrol scheme and it was a really difficult decision just to cut them down! Alas! We managed to whittle it down to just 12 lucky hopefuls. Each of the 12 applicants were asked to submit a review on our gorgeous new Farm House Sorter: We sent each Play Patrol hopeful one of our Farm House Sorter along with an Top Secret letter detailing what they had to do next to try and secure Play Patrol Agent status. All we wanted was a honest review that showcased all aspects of the Farm House sorter from its play potential through to its developmental abilities. Remember we are always after honest assessments, so have a look at what our Play Patrols hopefuls had to say:

• Petit Moi Big World - http://petitmoibigworld.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/big-jigs-farm-house-sorter-review.html
• Being Mrs C - http://www.beingmrsc.com/being_mrs_c/2013/03/review-bigjigs-farm-house-sorter.html
• Emmys Mummy - http://www.emmysmummy.com/2013/03/bigjigs-farm-sorter-play-patrol.html
• Edspire: Then There Were Three - http://www.edspire.co.uk/year_2013/03/26/big-jigs-farm-house-shape-sorter-a-review/
• The Ramblings of a Formerly RockNRoll Mum - http://www.rocknrollmum.com/2013/03/Bigjigs-farm-sorter-review.html
• Gifts from the Pirates - http://www.giftsfromthepirates.com/2013/03/classic-wooden-childrens-toys-done.html
• ChelseaMamma - http://www.chelseamamma.co.uk/2013/03/bigjigs-farm-shape-sorter.html
• Mama Geek - http://mamageek.co.uk/2013/03/26/review-bigjigs-toys-farm-house-sorter/
• Inside the Wendy House - http://insidethewendyhouse.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/bigjigs-farm-house-sorter.html
• Monsters Fun House - http://www.monstersfunhouse.com/bigjgs-farm-house-sorter-review/
• Ramblings of a Sussex Mummy - http://sussexmummy.co.uk/index/2013/03/bigjigs-farm-house-sorter/
• Mummy, Not Big Milk Thing - http://blog.bigmilkthing.co.uk/?p=1323

As you can see - each blogger has approached the task in hand from a different angle which is great... just makes it hard work to pick the top 5. Play Patrol Agents will be announced on Monday 8th April 2013 - good luck all!

Hello Bigjiggers, Some of you may, and some of your may not know that Thursday 21st March 2013 is world poetry day. We thought that we would share some of our favourite poems from the staff in the office. Enjoy! My Cousin Fred by Gareth Lancaster He came, he saw, he trashed my room, He pushed, he shoved, he broke a broom! He sniffed, he snarled, I stood stock still, He biffed, he bashed, my drink did spill! He mumbled, he grumbled, he kicked my door, He grunted, he groaned, he stamped on the floor! He's evil, he's mean, but I like him this way, It's funny when my cousin Fred comes to stay! He's trouble, he's bad, but it works out for me, His thrashing and bashing just fills me with glee! As my mum and dad think that Fred's the bad egg, So I can be naughty and blame him instead! Food Fight by Ken Nesbitt We'd never seen the teachers in a state of such distress. The principal was yelling that the lunchroom was a mess. It started off so innocent when someone threw a bun, but all the other kids decided they should join the fun. It instantly turned into an enormous lunchroom feud, as students started hurling all their halfway-eaten food. A glob went whizzing through the air, impacting on the wall. Another chunk went sailing out the doorway to the hall. The food was splattered everywhere the ceilings, walls, and doors. A sloppy, gloppy mess was on the tables and the floors. And so our good custodian ran out to grab his mop. It took him half the afternoon to clean up all the slop. The teachers even used some words we're not supposed to mention. And that's how all the kids and teachers wound up in detention. I A'int Been to School by Robert Pottle I ain't been to school, not never before. That's all changin' now as I run through the door. I drool on my worksheet then chew on a book. I eat off the floor and growl at the cook. I drink from the toilet. I spill all the glue. I lick my new teacher and leak on her shoe. The principal says that I broke every rule. I just learnt the reason dogs can't go to school. Attack of the Vegetables by Gareth Lancaster Clouted by sprouts, And harassed by carrots! Poked by the beans, And screamed at by salad! Poisoned by cabbage, And pinched by the peas! Tripped by the spinach, And peppered with seeds! Hair pulled by parsnip, And bruised by tomato! Glared at by swede, And thumped by potato! Battered by beetroot, That pinch, punch and poke! Slapped by the onions, And Arti, who chokes! We hope that you and your little ones enjoy these as much as we did :-)

The words on the street in recent weeks have all been about Play Patrol! We have had a huge response from mummy and daddy bloggers all over the country wanting to put their families forward to become members of the Bigjigs Toys Play Patrol team. We received over 100 applications, all of which come in variety of creative ways including videos, images, powerpoint presentations, songs etc! It was really great to see that so many people wanted to be involved. Unfortunately not everyone could be chosen to progress with their application this time around despite us wanting to increase the number of Play Patrol agents! We have just selected 12 Play Patrol hopefuls who have progressed to the final stage of application process (not an easy task!). If you sent in your completed application form, today you should have received an e-mail concerning whether you have progressed or not. Here are the full list of those who have progressed to the final stage:

• Sonya Cisco - The Ramblings of a Formerly Rock 'N' Roll Mum
• Laura Pettitt - Petit Moi - Big World
• Zoe Corkhill - Mama Geek
• Sarah Lovett - Ramblings Of A Sussex Mummy
• Penny Carr - Being Mrs C
• Pauly Twinklestar - Gifts from the Pirates
• Wendy McDonald - Inside the Wendy House
• Nicola Hinchliffe - Monster Fun House
• Clare Nicholas - Emmys Mummy
• Jennie Henley - Edspire: Then There Were Three
• Kara Guppy - ChelseaMamma
• Alice Ready - Mummy, Not Big Milk Thing

If you haven't progressed we hope you are not too disappointed, but the standard was better than expected and it was a really difficult decision to make with so many superb and suitable families. If anything this application process has shown us that we have plenty of families that would be suitable when we roll the outreach programme out further in the summer. If you have progressed, well done, and keep an eye out for the postman! Finally, thanks to everyone that applied to be apart of the Bigjigs Toys Play Patrol team - and we hope that you enjoy the agents work!

As you know the Harlem Shake is doing the rounds... and the Bigjigs Dolls did not want to be left out! We thought you might want to see them shake it Harlem style: Bigjigs Dolls do the Harlem Shake Enjoy!

Bigjigs Toys are putting fun to the test and we need you! We are looking for 5 families with youngsters aged 2-6 years old, who LOVE playing with toys and who are interested in sharing their thoughts and feelings with the rest of the world! We are on the look out for 5 families to help us review our most popular toys by sharing your thoughts and feelings (good and bad) in a creative and imaginative way! If successful, your family will receive Play Patrol agent t-shirts, backpacks and secret agent packs to help you in 'putting fun to the test!' To find out more and how to apply for the scheme head over to our Play Patrol page.

Howdy Bigjiggers. Apologies for the lack of blog posts in the past month, time seems to have evaded us in the past few weeks, especially as we have been showcasing our hundreds of new toys at toy fairs all over the world including the Hong Kong London, Nuremberg and New York toy fairs. The much anticipated 'toy fair' season gives manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors the chance to showcase their newest toys for 2013. As we had over 200 new lines, it was a big ask this year! If you have never been to a toy fair before - you are missing out!! (Just have a look at the pictures below) London Toy Fair - 22nd - 24th January 2013 Toy Fairs are extremely busy places with wholesalers and suppliers building and setting up their stand for the much anticipated arrival or retailers, press and customers. As you can see in the image below, there are hundreds of exhibitors all trying to promote their toys and gadgets all under one roof! [caption id="attachment_767" align="alignnone" width="590"] London Olympia - 2013[/caption] Our stand this year was bigger than ever (yet we still didnt manage to fit all of our wonderful toys on it!) Our Bigjigs Rail had a huge presence as it continues to be a crowd favourite. You can also see our brand new Track Stop Station which enables customers to purchase single pieces of track, so ask your local retailer next time you pop in their shop! [caption id="attachment_769" align="alignnone" width="590"] Bigjigs Stand - Bigjigs Rail[/caption] [caption id="attachment_770" align="alignnone" width="590"] Bigjigs Stand - London Olympia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_771" align="alignnone" width="590"] Bigjigs Stand - London Olympia[/caption] We were lucky enough to demonstrate several products including our brand new Around the World Train Set to ToyFairTV which was beamed around the show and on their website. Presented by Anna Williamson (from GMTV and CITV), our Laura got in amongst the action and explained this amazing new set and helped the 'Toy Testers' play with it. They gave it a credible 9/10! [caption id="attachment_772" align="alignnone" width="590"] Laura demonstrating at the Demo Zone - London Olympia[/caption] When Laura was not demonstrating products, she was busy meeting off meeting famous people including the Queen. [caption id="attachment_773" align="alignnone" width="590"] Laura met the Queen![/caption] and of course we all deserved a well earned drink at the end of the show!! [caption id="attachment_774" align="alignnone" width="590"] Areeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeba![/caption] Nuremberg Toy Fair - 30th - 4th February 2013 Like the London Toy Fair, Nuremberg is huge with manufacturers and suppliers from all over the globe showcasing their products to the European market. [caption id="attachment_776" align="alignnone" width="590"] Our stand at Nuremberg[/caption] New York Toy Fair - 10th-13th February 2013 Despite the huge snow fall in the North Eastern seaboard of the US, Liz and Sam made it to New York to showcase our new toys the American toy market. [caption id="attachment_757" align="alignnone" width="599"] Sam and Liz at the American Toy Fair[/caption] So after almost six weeks of Toy Fairs and Shows, our feet are firmly back on the ground! We will be announcing our new toys to the public very very soon :-)

We saw this in the news today and thought it was such an incredible story! A cleaning woman stole an empty commuter train in a suburb of Stockholm and crashed it into a house, injuring herself, Swedish officials say.

A few months back it was highly publicised that the West Coast Main Line was in disarray.