Tim the Musical Tiger

Tim the Musical Tiger — the one that isn't a lullaby

Pull the cord on his lower front and a mechanical music box inside plays "Talk to the Animals", then slows and stops. No batteries, no speaker, no app — just a clockwork movement in a soft tiger, 17cm tall.

And that tune is the reason to buy this one rather than its three siblings. The other three animals play lullabies. Tim plays a song from a film about a man who chats to parrots, and it is cheerful rather than soothing. Which makes him the daytime one.

🎵 Why a cheerful tune earns its place

A music box does not have to be for bedtime. A tune that lifts the mood is the one you want at eleven in the morning on day four of a cold, in a car seat in a traffic queue, or on a changing mat with a baby who has had enough. Those are the moments a lullaby is no use at all — you are not trying to send them to sleep, you are trying to get through the next ninety seconds.

So if you already have a bedtime music box, this is the one to add rather than a second lullaby. And if you are buying your only one, decide honestly which problem you have more of.

🧩 A mechanical movement, which is rather the point

Clockwork rather than electronic means no batteries to replace, no volume that creeps up, and a tune that winds down naturally instead of stopping dead. It also means the thing cannot be left playing in a bag.

The trade-off is honest: a mechanical movement plays one tune, at one volume, and it will eventually wear out. These are lovely for a few years rather than heirlooms for three children.

🐯 The smallest of the four, which matters for a daytime toy

At 17cm Tim is noticeably the most compact of the musical animals, and for the one you take out of the house that is the right way round. He goes in a changing bag without taking the room a muslin needs. He is a proper plush tiger rather than a hard music box in a fabric jacket, so he is also a cuddly toy when the music has stopped.

🌿 PVC free, and quiet in the nicest way

Little Big Friends make these PVC free, and the range runs on muted colours rather than primary brights. He carries UKCA and CE marking and is suitable from birth.

What we like about it

• Plays "Talk to the Animals" — cheerful, not a lullaby, and the only one of the four that isn't
• The right music box for daytime grumbles, car seats and changing mats
• The smallest of the four at 17cm, so the one that travels
• A mechanical music box, so no batteries and nothing to leave playing in a bag
• A pull cord on the lower front, so a toddler can start it themselves
• PVC free, UKCA and CE marked, and suitable from birth

Specification

• Suitable from: birth
• Tune: "Talk to the Animals" — not a lullaby
• Mechanism: mechanical music box, started by the pull cord on the lower front. No batteries
• Size: 17cm tall
• Materials: soft plush with a smooth texture. PVC free
• Safety: UKCA and CE
• Care: wipe clean with a damp cloth and air dry. Not washable — there is a music box inside

❓ Frequently asked questions

I bought it for bedtime and it isn't a lullaby — is mine faulty?
No, and this is the one thing we want you to read before ordering rather than after. Tim deliberately plays something cheerful while the other three play lullabies. If a settling tune is what you are after, Vincent plays Brahms' Lullaby, Gina plays "Hush Little Baby" and Jackson plays Beethoven. Tim is for the rest of the day.

There's a cord on a toy for a newborn — is that a problem?
The cord sits on the lower front and retracts into the body as the music plays; it is how you start the tune, not a pull-along lead trailing behind a toddler. Even so, our line on anything corded does not change: this is for supervised play, and it should not be left in a cot, a pram or a playpen with a baby on their own. Clip him nowhere, start the music, and put him away with the cord retracted.

Can he be washed?
No — wipe clean with a damp cloth and let him air dry. There is a clockwork movement inside, so soaking or a machine would be the end of it. That is worth thinking about for a toy you take out of the house: he will meet more of the world than the bedtime ones do. If you want something built for the dribbling phase, Tim's squeaker rattle is the same character, wipe clean, and a fraction of the price.

What does a newborn actually get from it?
At first, a repeated sound in your arms, which is plenty. Around four to six months they start turning towards it. By a year they have worked out the cord and will start it themselves, over and over — and a cheerful tune survives that stage rather better than a lullaby does.

Does it make a good gift?
The interesting one of the four to give, especially to a second-time parent who already owns a lullaby music box. Easy to post, no batteries, and the tune gets a smile from the adults in the room, which the lullabies do not.

🎶 Which tune? All four musical animals

Same soft make, same mechanical movement, same pull cord. The tune is the real difference, so choose on that:

• Tim the Tiger — this one, 17cm and the smallest. "Talk to the Animals". Cheerful, not soothing. The daytime one.
• Vincent the Elephant — 19cm. Brahms' Lullaby, the tune most people mean by "music box".
• Gina the Giraffe — 21cm. "Hush Little Baby", the one most parents can sing along to.
• Jackson the Musical Lion — 21cm. Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata". The grown-up choice.

Three lullabies and one that isn't. Plenty of households end up with one of each.

🐒 The rest of the Jungle range

Tim has more of the range to himself than the others — he is the one Little Big Friends built the jungle set around:

• Tiny Friends Tim — the pocket version with a rattle inside, from birth
• Tim the Tiger Comforter — flat, with ribbons and a teething ring, from birth
• Tim the Tiger Squeaker Rattle — the cheapest way into the range
• Gina the Pull Along Giraffe and Vincent the Pull Along Elephant — for new walkers, from 12 months
• Jungle Activity Spiral — for the pram and the car seat
• Wooden Activity Arch and the Reversible Playmat — the floor-play pair
• Activity Cube and Roly Poly Balls — for once they are sitting up
• Jungle Baby Gift Box — Tim's comforter, his rattle and the soft book, ready wrapped

The whole lot sits together in our Little Big Friends Jungle Collection.

Our guides to the Little Big Friends jungle collection and baby musical instruments go into more detail.

❤️ From our family to yours

Carefully chosen products for babies, toddlers and parents. Browse more baby musical toys and our toys suitable from birth — free UK delivery on orders over £25.