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If you have a lot of travel ahead of you to visit friends and family this holiday season, you can make the long drives a bit less lonely with a Grinch inflatable that rides right in your passenger seat.
The Airborne Inflatables Dr. Seuss Grinch Car Buddy is easy to set up. Simply plug it into your vehicle charger, let it inflate, then strap it in with the passenger seat belt. The Grinch inflatable can be purchased at Walmart for $19.98.
Although there aren’t a ton of reviews, the product has a 3.8 out of 5-star rating. On Amazon, an almost-identical item from the brand Christmas Inflatables can be purchased for a much higher price; that Grinch inflatable has a 4.9-star review from around 40 customers.
One Walmart customer did complain about the fact that it can only be inflated with a car charger and another said it wouldn’t inflate, so they returned it. Another customer said their grandchildren love the Grinch inflatable, but are disappointed that they can’t see him when he’s strapped in the front seat and they’re in the back. This slightly mixed 5-star review indicated that leaving and returning home took a bit longer than usual to allow the kids to get the full Grinch inflatable experience.
“So I had to have them stand on the stairs while he blew up when I turned the car on … strapped them in the car … then on arrival they had to touch him and look at him; then I had to leave the car running and put them on the stairs so they could see his face disappear as I turned off the car,” Walmart customer songsinger wrote.
You’ll also find a few other inflatable Car Buddy products on Amazon, like this Christmas Inflatables Santa version — or for “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” fans, this GemmyClark Griswold Car Buddy.
The Clark Griswold inflatable works the same as the Grinch version, but features a photorealistic Griswold wearing a Santa hat and holding a stack of presents. Measuring close to 3 feet tall, it also lights up and costs $17.03.
More than 70% of customers gave the inflatable 5 stars (it has an overall score of 4.4 stars), saying it’s “so much fun” and “exactly as pictured.” Some customers had issues, however, saying they wish there was an option to leave it inflated outside of the car or that it didn’t work.
If you want to have a travel companion all winter, this light-up Christmas Inflatables Snowman Car Buddy can be used before and after the holidays.
Just like the others, the snowman plugs into your car’s 12-volt DC car charger, then you simply buckle it in. Along with the car adaptor and a 3-foot cord, it also includes a repair patch in case the Car Buddy develops a hole.
If you’d rather stick to placing giant inflatables in your yard, you’ll find dozens from both Walmart and Amazon.
Walmart has everything from a 4-foot Santa or a 3.5-foot unicorn for $16.88 each to a 6-foot tall nutcracker currently on sale for $39.99. More than 60% of customers give the nutcracker a 5-star review, saying it’s the perfect size, of good quality and comes at a great price. It has a 3.9-star rating from over 50 customers.
Inflatables from Amazon include a 7-foot tall light-up snowman for $41.99 or this 13-feet light-up Santa Claus with his sleigh and reindeer for $89.99. This inflatable includes a 10-foot power cord, 10 ground stakes, five drawstrings, four sandbags and a built-in fan.
It’s time to get excited about holiday decorations!
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