Greetings and salutations fellow Disney fanatics! Today I will be reviewing the Disney Smoothie Maker. This great item from Back To Basics has everything you could wish for in a smoothie maker. It’s got a pull-lever style spout, a 400 watt motor, 40 oz jug, a handy stirring wand that doubles as a tasting spoon, and it’s designed to look like Mickey’s pants. This is another one of my wife’s early presents (read: excuse to get her more Disney things) and it has received much use in the last 2 months.

Let me just tell you how easy this is to use, and why it’s so much nicer than just a regular blender. First of all it’s got the stirring wand, which can also be used for tasting your concoction during mixing. This is handy because otherwise you would need to pour some out, taste it, then pour it back in. It’s also got the neat no fuss, no muss pull-lever dispenser. Simply leave the smoothie maker running, position your cup under the spout and pull the lever. In seconds your smoothie is in your cup, waiting to be enjoyed.

The folks over at Back To Basics have also included a couple other useful features on this Disneyfied smoothie maker. For one, there are handy measuring marks on the outside of the jug itself. Smoothie making has never been easier! Another great, and important feature included on this machine is the safety lock. Unless the lid is LOCKED in place, in just the correct way, the motor will NOT turn on. This seemingly simple feature is really a key selling point for people with children. Now you can let the kids make tasty and nutritious smoothies without worrying about them getting hurt.

As with the Popcorn maker this smoothie maker is themed after the “Big Mouse.” It’s a deep red, the same shade as Mickey’s shorts, the placement and shape of the buttons look very much like those on Mickey’s shorts. It’s even got large Mickey shaped feet.

Now, my wife and I have used this smoothie maker quite a bit, and we’ve discovered two things that I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out. One is that a times, while mixing, an air pocket will form, and you will have to really stir around to get it, otherwise your ingredients won’t mix well. Another thing is the dispenser; this is a great feature, if you like your smoothies fairly runny. If you like them thick, as we do, you may have some trouble using the dispenser. These are 2 rather small things, and should not dissuade you from running out and getting one today. Target sells these for around $30.

If you’ve never made smoothies before, don’t worry, the smoothie maker comes with 2 delicious smoothie mixes, and a recipe book. You can also buy more at the store. Smoothies are so good, and so nutritional, there’s really no excuse not to get one of these and start enjoying smoothies right now.

Well that’s an earful – until next time, I’m Scott Short