Editorial Review

Just like any great artist, your little one should be preparedfor that moment when creative inspiration arrives. Featuring a largechalkboard on one side and a blank pad of paper on the other, thisDouble Easel will ensure that your pintsize Van Gogh can capture amoment of inspiration before it passes. The Double Easel is made ofdurable plastic and comes with wide trays on both sides for storing artsupplies (not included), as well as a large piece of chalk and aneraser (included). A large plastic clamp on one side of the easel holdsdown a 50-sheet pad of paper (included), and the two storage trays areremovable for easy cleanup. Designed for use by one or two children ata time, the Double Easel folds together for compact storage. Measures43.5 inches tall. --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (34)

A fun toy
Everyone knows that easels are a great toy for children, they encourage creativity and give them a reason to turn off the tv... My son has this easel, and it is really nice, I just wish that when they constructed it they would have bothered to put holes in the wide trays so when water or paint is spilled in them, it can drain out. As it is, I have to invert the entire easel to drain the trays. (Yes, this is an outdoor toy.) The only other major drawback to this easel is that the pad of paper that is provided is quickly used up, and I don't know where to find replacement pads. My son (who is a young 4) loves to draw on the plastic chalkboard side with his sidewalk chalks, and enjoys painting when I can find paper to use with it. Assembly was not as easy as we'd hoped, my husband is a real Mr. Fix-it and this gave him a little trouble. It was also missing a small part. BUT all these things aside, I would reccomend this to a friend, and I think your child would have fun with it also.

Most durable one out there - like new after 4 children!
This is just a great toy. Ours has gone through 4 children, 3 of them boys, and it's still like new. Little Tikes makes things that last forever and this is no exception. The trays snap off for easy cleanup, but stay on when needed by children. It's just so much fun for them to be able to draw on one side and paint on the other at the same time. We buy the finger paint sets and use the paper that is included in them and also, they make extra paper sets sold separately that provides the slippery side needed for finger painting. I love how easily this easel cleans up and requires very little maintenance. A great buy for a lot of fun!

Disappointment
How can you review something that is missing parts and you can't use? After trying to pick out the perfect easel for our grandson who just turned 3 - we picked this one because of the reviews it received. You cannot imagine how upset we were the evening before we were to travel to Richmond to give it to him, already put together when we were missing major parts. Too late to call the store to correct the mistake and we are leaving very early in the morning before the stores will be open again. You would think that when you purchase something that all the parts would be in place - especially something for a child. So, we head to Richmond tomorrow morning - with a new broken birthday present for our grandson. This is not acceptable - and will be last item I purchase from Little Tikes. I've called Little Tikes and left a message for them, but this won't fix the face that I will see in the morning when I tell him his birthday present isn't ready yet and he can't play with it. Come on people - if you have a job - at least do it right!

Great toy--even secondhand!!
I bought this easel used and it was still in perfect shape after being played with at a daycare. We are using it outdoors and plan to use it inside all winter. My 2 year-old loves to hide inbetween the easel for fun, paint, and use the chalkboard. I love the removeable trays. I do wish it was height-adjustable--or at least the paper clip was, but that's ok. We just use clothespins to pin 2 pieces of paper together to "lower" the paper.

BEWARE of chalkboard
I have brought home 4 different easels, and ALL of them have had broken chalkboards. As another review said, it is a very sharp plastic material and can be very dangerous for young children. I'm going back again today to see if I can find another one that is not broken. The manufacturer needs to be aware of this defect!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Rather than worrying about forming an increasingly complex, unbroken line of metallic dust with squeaky knobs for navigation, this sketcher is an easy schoolmate with lights, sounds, and flash cards--all designed as a 15-inch school bus. There are buttons on one side of the bus for drawing, quizzing, problem-solving, and repetition activities. There are also five, two-sided, interactive learning cards, stowed in a side compartment, used as visual aids. Logistically, a large, attached stylus with a magnetic tip allows small hands to draw big letters and words; a sliding eraser makes it easy to start over; and there are only a few loose pieces, so it's a good travel pick. Required: three AA batteries.Diane Beall ... Read more

Amazon.com

Doodle Pro is not as challenging as its predecessor-sketcher, but it's just as intriguing for younger kids, who will ponder the mystery of the sketching surface just the same. Unlike with the trusty Etch-a-Sketch, kids who are just developing spatial and coordination skills don't have to worry about an increasingly complex, unbroken line of metallic dust, and there are no knobs to contend with. That's all too tricky: they just want to draw! To that end, there's a fat, easy-grip stylus with a magnetic tip, and four magnet stampers stored in a pull-out drawer. When the molded forms are pressed on the 10.5 by 7.5-inch doodling surface, shapes are created. And, instead of shaking (again, exertion), there's a sliding eraser for starting over instantly. Because there's no mess, and only a few loose pieces, it's also great for travel. Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The best toy we have for our 21 month old
My daughter played with the magnadoodle at my mother-in-law's house so much that we bought her one of her own. It was great for a plane trip, because the pen only writes on the board, not on paper, the chair, her leg, etc. Plus, she loves the stamps. (Note to the other reviewer: the magnets are stickers that you have to attach when you first get the box open.)

If I have one complaint, it is that you have to push the stamps down pretty hard to set them back into their drawer or the drawer won't close. On the other hand, it keeps them from falling out too easily.

We never had a problem with the hand pinching. I recommend the magnadoodle for anyone wanting a great gift for a toddler.

BADLY designed new model!!!
My 4 1/2 year old son had the older model of the magna doodle and LOVED it, he used it almost everyday for his "artwork" in bed rather than markers or crayons. Needless to say it got worn out as toys tend to do, I was satisfied with how long it lasted since he used it daily for over two years.

We decided to buy him a new one so he didn't have to work around the permanent star in the corner (from pressing to hard) When I went to the store to get him a new one I was VERY disapointed with the look of this new model and a little nervous about the "drawer" for the magnet shapes (which by the way work well IF you actually put the magnets on the shapes...they come in the box and you have to stick them on yourself.) But since he "needed" one I bought it and we gave it to him for the first time at the beginning of a 4 1/2 hour car trip. He was playing with it for a TOTAL of five minutes before he pinched his little finger in the drawer...and needless to say it was PINCHED, he couldn't get it out himself. Fisher Price will be getting a call about it, it just is NOT safe. The old model had I believe eight NOT FOUR stamper shapes, so it was a let down. The ONLY improvement on this is the pen is spring loaded so you can't press as hard. Although he is being VERY careful now with the drawer he is still getting stray fingers pinched...the only way we see to fix it is to cut apart the back of it! um, no!

If you can buy the old model I totally recommend this toy, but I have a feeling fisher price will be redoing this one soon! It's just an awful design! THe old design would have gotten 5 stars all across the board...but how can a toy that "hurts" be fun OR educational...and that drawer is bound to break off.

My 2 year old loves this
We bought this for my son's 2nd birthday recently and he really loves it. The only thing is, it comes with these "stamps" but we tried everything and they just don't work. I thought you just push down on the board with them like regular stamps but it does nothing. We could trace them but on the package it shows them as stamps, not traces. So if anyone knows how to use them, I'd appreciate some insight.

The board and pen are great though. It draws dark and nice and erases just as well, unlike a similiar toy he had. I definitely recommend this toy for kids that love drawing. It mess free, a big plus! We've only had it a few days but it seems durable. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Doodle Pro is not as challenging as its predecessor-sketcher, but it's just as intriguing for younger kids, who will ponder the mystery of the sketching surface just the same. Unlike with the trusty Etch-a-Sketch, kids who are just developing spatial and coordination skills don't have to worry about an increasingly complex, unbroken line of metallic dust, and there are no knobs to contend with. That's all too tricky: they just want to draw! To that end, there's a fat, easy-grip stylus with a magnetic tip, and four magnet stampers stored in a pull-out drawer. When the molded forms are pressed on the 10.5 by 7.5-inch doodling surface, shapes are created. And, instead of shaking (again, exertion), there's a sliding eraser for starting over instantly. Because there's no mess, and only a few loose pieces, it's also great for travel. --Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good clean fun with Thomas!
Educators may think this product stifles free play and creativity, but if your son or daughter is a Thomas Fan, this packet of Aqua Doodle mats are ideal for paint-time without the usual mess.There are four mats, each with a different picture.The nearly blank mats are smaller than a regular 8x11 sheet of paper, and when water is applied with the crayon sized aqua doodle pen or even a regular paint brush then the Thomas picture is revealed.My oldest prefers to use a paint brush rather than the AquaDoodle pen that is included.After a few minutes, depending on saturation, the page dries and is ready to be "painted" again.Clean up is easy requiring only a paper towel to wipe up and water left over.No mess, no fuss, and my kids love them (ages 3.5 and 15 months!!!!)

I also purchased the Pooh set, but found that those sheets are already partially revealed, more like the paint with water coloring books.The Thomas set is only shows the Thomas emblem when dry.

Overall, I recommend this product for good clean fun. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Doodle Pro is not as challenging as its predecessor-sketcher, but it's just as intriguing for younger kids, who will ponder the mystery of the sketching surface just the same. Unlike with the trusty Etch-a-Sketch, kids who are just developing spatial and coordination skills don't have to worry about an increasingly complex, unbroken line of metallic dust, and there are no knobs to contend with. That's all too tricky: they just want to draw! To that end, there's a fat, easy-grip stylus with a magnetic tip, and four magnet stampers stored in a pull-out drawer. When the molded forms are pressed on the 10.5 by 7.5-inch doodling surface, shapes are created. And, instead of shaking (again, exertion), there's a sliding eraser for starting over instantly. Because there's no mess, and only a few loose pieces, it's also great for travel. Diane Beall ... Read more

Amazon.com

Doodle Pro is not as challenging as its predecessor-sketcher, but it's just as intriguing for younger kids, who will ponder the mystery of the sketching surface just the same. Unlike with the trusty Etch-a-Sketch, kids who are just developing spatial and coordination skills don't have to worry about an increasingly complex, unbroken line of metallic dust, and there are no knobs to contend with. That's all too tricky: they just want to draw! To that end, there's a fat, easy-grip stylus with a magnetic tip, and four magnet stampers stored in a pull-out drawer. When the molded forms are pressed on the 10.5 by 7.5-inch doodling surface, shapes are created. And, instead of shaking (again, exertion), there's a sliding eraser for starting over instantly. Because there's no mess, and only a few loose pieces, it's also great for travel. Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I Can't Say Enough About This!
My son received this for his second birthday and we play with it every day. It is his absolute favorite toy. He has learned to draw faces and we use it to practice reading words. It can keep him occupied for quite a while (much longer than crayons and paper) and it's such a relief to have a toy that doesn't sing, flash and twirl. I think it's great that he's learning that it's not a big deal to make a mistake; he just slides the piece on the bottom and it's time to start over. The price is so reasonable...I plan on buying this as a gift for all future toddler parties!

Lot's of doodle fun!!!
My son got this doodle pro for his third birthday and he is still playing with it 2 years later! In fact his little sister who is 1 also loves to play and doodle with it! (it keeps them from writing on my walls!) The handy sliding draw on the side is perfect storage for the four shape magnets that come with it, we have not lost one yet! The magnets are an extra bonus to this toy as it adds more hours of creative fun! The screen is also VERY durable and erases without a problem. A wonderful toy to bring on your travels! My son and daughter love to draw and this toy is a perfect toy just for that! ... Read more