It goes without saying that being in lockdown is a strange experience for everyone but I’ve been determined to make sure that the boys remember this time as a happy one rather than a scary one. If you follow us on Instagram you will have seen that I’ve been coming up with all sorts of crazy ideas to keep them entertained - we’ve done everything from turning the house into a soft play to taking a pretend day trip to Disneyland Paris!
Our latest activity was easily the most fun (and the simplest to set up!) yet though - we decided to make the most of the summer sunshine and had an impromptu bubble party in the garden with Gazillion Bubbles machines!
Funrise Toys kindly sent the boys 3 different machines from the Gazillion Bubbles range to play with. Each one comes in the same vibrant green, yellow and purple design and gives out an impressive amount of bubbles, but we soon learnt that they all work in slightly different ways.
So which one did we like the best? Here’s what happened when we put them to the test:
Gazillion Bubbles ‘Bubble Storm’ Machine
We started by setting up the smallest and most affordable of the 3 Gazillion Bubbles machines. This was really straightforward and simply involved using a small crosshead screwdriver to undo 4 screws on the side of the unit, then inserting 4 x AA batteries.
Each machine comes with a reusable bottle of bubble mixture (it’s really thick, high quality mixture too - a world away from the watery stuff you’d usually find in party bags!) and two lids - one flat lid for storage, and one with a hole in the middle to attach it to the top of the bubble machine.
Tipping the bottle upside down and attaching it to the Bubble Storm made the machine whir into life, instantly sending a steady stream of bubbles up into the air. I don’t think Finley or Jacob were expecting so many bubbles to come out of it so quickly - the force of it made them jump back and sent them into fits of giggles!
They began running, jumping and dancing around the machine, trying to catch and pop the bubbles as they floated past them. It was amazing to see something so simple filling them with so much joy - both boys were grinning from ear to ear and didn’t want the fun to end!
When the mixture did eventually run out, we found it super simple to refill. All Gazillion Bubbles machines feature a drip tray with a lip which catches the mixture and makes it easy to tip it back into the bottle. Obviously this can only be done so many times but I was really happy that we weren’t wasting loads of mixture in one go.
Gazillion Bubbles ‘Bubble Rush’ Machine
Next up was the Bubble Rush, a slightly larger machine with a bit more power. I thought that the Bubble Storm was easy to set up but this one was even more straightforward!
This machine takes 6 x AA batteries but only needs one screw removing to get to them. The only slight difference is that the battery compartment is on the base of the Bubble Rush, so you need to make sure there’s no mixture inside before tipping it upside down!
The Bubble Rush also features an on/ off switch and this made the machine much easier for the boys to operate by themselves. Bubbles began filling the garden from the moment they pressed the button and, once again, the sheer amount of them appearing at once made the boys giddy with excitement!
We were all really impressed with this machine. I found it quite noisy in comparison to the others but the boys didn’t seem to mind (probably because they were whooping and giggling too much to notice!) and it was a small price to pay for the amount of bubbles that came out of it.
Thanks to the rotating motion of the motor, the Bubble Rush sent huge streams of bubbles out in every direction which made it loads more fun to play with and prompted both boys to run around the machine in circles, trying to catch the bubbles before they floated away!
I loved the design of this one - not just because it was so simple to set up, but also because it comes in two halves that can be easily taken apart for cleaning. The Bubble Rush also seemed to catch more of the mixture in its tray and lasted a lot longer before it needed refilling.
Gazillion Bubbles ‘Whirlwind Party’ Machine
The Whirlwind Party machine is the biggest of the lot and, put simply, it absolutely blew the boys’ minds!
This one was noticeably more powerful than the other machines but that did mean that it took a little while longer to set up - with 8 screws to get into the battery compartment, 8 x AA batteries needed to run and double the amount of bubble mixture, the Whirlwind Party doesn’t do things by halves!
Again, this machine’s battery compartment is positioned on the side and it has an on/ off button that was easy for the boys to access. As we fired it up, we were all blown away by the amount of bubbles that started streaming out of it (there were so many that I’ve since been told they filled the garden of our neighbours at the other end of the street!)
For a while, this machine stopped the boys in their tracks. Jacob stood gazing in awe at the sheer amount of bubbles surrounding him and Finley spent ages mesmerised by the mechanism turning around, trying to figure out how it worked. Of course it wasn’t long before they were back to chasing bubbles around the garden, but their reactions just go to show how impressive they found this machine!
Now it’s worth noting that the Whirlwind Party machine has a separate tray to catch the mixture which isn’t shown in these photos as I stupidly didn’t spot it until after they were taken. I thought it was strange that the mixture was running out so quickly, but when I spotted the tray hidden under a layer of cardboard in the packaging I soon realised why! If you’re planning to buy one of these then don’t make the same mistake as I did!
All 3 Gazillion Bubbles machines make for really affordable summer holiday treats, with the Bubble Storm retailing at £15.00, the Bubble Rush at £20.00 and the Whirlwind Party at £30.00.
It’s no surprise that both boys declared the Whirlwind Party their favourite of the 3 Gazillion Bubbles machines. They were seriously impressed by it and loved the vast amounts of bubbles it gave out! I can see it being perfect for family BBQs in the summer or children’s birthday parties all year round (it would definitely save on the cost of hiring one, too!)
However, from a parent's perspective I’d totally recommend the Bubble Rush machine. As well as being slightly more affordable than the Whirlwind Party, it’s also much easier to set up and maintain thanks to its two-part design and the need for fewer batteries. It’s also better suited to everyday use and adds an extra element of fun to simply playing outside!
Our Gazillion Bubbles machines were collected from Argos, who are still operating their Click & Collect service throughout lockdown with the appropriate social distancing measures in place. You can check out the full range of Gazillion Bubbles products and order online by simply heading to the Argos website.
Disclaimer: Products in this post were gifted to us in exchange for an honest blog review and social media coverage. All views expressed within this post and across social media are our own.
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