Editorial Review

This light gray 15-by-15-inch LEGO base plate makes a great foundation for all kinds of fascinating LEGO creations. LEGO pieces snap easily onto the textured surface of this flexible plastic board, which is large and sturdy enough to support even your more elaborate scenes: space stations, launch sites, castles, forts, and cities--whatever you can imagine. The base plate holds your LEGO creations together and makes them easy to move around and display. (LEGO pieces are sold separately.) --Elisabeth Fredrickson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

It's not what I remember.....
Yes, it's a grey 15" square Lego plate. But I seem to remember the "baseplates" being the same thinkness as a regular Lego piece. ...the base plate is a thin (1/16"?), flexible Lego baseplate that will allow you to build really big stuff, but it's tough to use on the "living room carpet" because it is so thin it flexes into the carpet when you try to press a "house" onto it. The result is that either only one corner of the house sticks, or it sticks fine, but all the other structures you've put on, flex off.

Anyway, it's a vital item in any kid's (or adult's) Lego set....

Big board is the biggest fun ever!!!!!
The replay value of the big blank board is unbelievable. I've spent hours playing with just this piece.

A big blank canvas always presents a challenge
And this is the biggest one Lego offers. I still have mine from childhood, so it does last if you are careful with it, but any child old enough to play with it could snap it in half without too much effort. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Chairs
I really liked the idea of this table set - but when we got it home for my busy 20-month old, he had problems sitting in and keeping the chair upright. Just watching him manuver in the chair concerned me so much I put the chairs back in the box. I plan to take the set back.

Awsome Table Set
We purchased this for my 1 year old and she loves it. We have no problem with the chairs tipping. She actually climbs on them to sit. She loves to open and close the little drawer. I will be buying another set for my sun room, so during the summer she can get lunch out there. I also purchased the kitchen set and matching toy bin both excellent items!!

Gorgeous table & chair set!!!
We had to have this table & chair set to go with our Step 2 Lifestyle Deluxe kitchen set. It is very durable and will last for years. It can be used for play time or to do homework at. I just wish the drawer couldn't come out all the way. We were having a hard time finding a child's decor to go with this set to decorate my 5 & 6 year old daughters' room, but we finally decided to do Disney's Little Mermaid with it. The green matches her fin great! I'm going to find Little Mermaid stickers to go over the pictures of fruit in the green squares on the kitchen set. Now we just have to get the matching storage chest and desk set to go with it.

I Wish I'd Tried it BEFORE Buying it!
We bought this table set because it matched the Lifestyle Deluxe Kitchen we bought for our 2-yr-old for Christmas. It is very pretty & looks so nice with the kitchen. However, the chairs will not stay up! My daughter has another table set from Ikea, and the chairs are very stable & sturdy. These chairs are so narrow & top-heavy. She keeps flipping over. My nieces and nephews all have flipped over in them, too. I'm sending it back & getting something else. I don't want to have to worry that she's going to get hurt. It's looks are just not worth risking my daughter's safety to me!

Very pleased...would recommend
We bought this for our 18 month old daughter. At first I was a bit concerned that she may not be able to get into the chairs without tumbling, but she has had no problem so far. She loves to sit in the chairs and look at books on her table or color in her coloring books. We have not had any problems with the table or the chairs wobbling...they both seem stable and durable. We also love the neutral colors. It is really an adorable little table/chair set. I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dora Legos are Adorable
Our family loves legos and my 22 month-old daughter loves Dora so it is a great combination. One thing I really like about this Lego set is that the Dora and Diego figures look like the cartoon renditions. There are so many Dora toys out there that are just ugly. These are cute and of course since it is Lego it is extremely durable. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This handy 10-by-10-inch LEGO base plate, made of sturdy green plastic, is the perfect building surface for your LEGO creations. The plate's textured surface is designed so that you can attach your LEGO pieces to it and create all sorts of scenes: castles, fortresses, farms, towns, or anything else you can imagine. With the base plate, even your more elaborate creations will hold together and be easy to transport and display. (LEGO pieces are sold separately.) --Elisabeth Fredrickson ... Read more

Reviews (8)

This baseplate greatly resembles the earth's crust
This is a comment in response to the review from the "Toy Enthusiast in Belmont"; perhaps he should become a little less enthused about toys and more enthused about the english language. The definition of Geology is as follows:

ge·ol·o·gy ( P ) Pronunciation Key (j-l-j)
n. pl. ge·ol·o·gies
1. The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth.
2. The structure of a specific region of the earth's crust.
A book on geology.
3. The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the solid matter of a celestial body.

I'm interested in learning what significance this term has in reference to the Large Green Baseplate. Perhaps he should spend less time playing legos and get an education. I suggest a geometry class for starters (but that's just me......)

Great for building a quidditch pitch!!
I was a bit disappointed with the quidditch practice LEGO set so I decided to buy this green baseplate and to buy two of the quidditch practice sets to make the ultimate quidditch pitch. I had a lot of fun and whatever you use this for it is sure to be a lot of fun

This Leggo baseplate Y
This baseplate makes it very easy for the kids to build their toys. No slipping all over the place and makes a lovely base to display the toys.

Essential for Lego Builders
My son has at least four of these boards, and he uses them all the time. I agree with the reviewer from Virginia that these should be included with every major set because the Legos do fall apart when they have to be transported from one place to another. I also think the boards are somewhat expensive, but at least they're sturdy and you can connect them with Lego blocks to build bigger scenes.

Gray base plate is better!
My daughter and I have found the 15X15" baseplate a better size to make our structures on. If Lego would market an even huger one, my heart would be content! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Although we suspect that real pirates were never actually this benign when they menacingly patrolled the high seas, looking for booty to loot, the lack of realism is completely forgivable since these pirates look like a lot of fun. The included eye-patched captain and happy crewmember carry no guns, choosing instead to cavort on the high seas with a parrot, a monkey, and a mermaid. Only the large cannon connotes any hint of menace although were certain they only use it for celebratory purposes. Pirate music and ocean sounds, played at the touch of a button, add to the fun. There are 12 blocks in all and they are all compatible with other Mega Bloks sets, creating plenty of possibilities for creative play even outside the narrow bounds of the buccaneers life. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Editorial Review

This 15-inch-square green base plate provides a building surface for anyDUPLO set. It is made of the same sturdy, impact-resistant plastic as other DUPLO toys, and has smooth, rounded edges. DUPLO sets are designed for use by toddlers (ages 18 months to 5 years), and have bigger pieces and more rounded shapes than traditional LEGO pieces, so they can accommodate the needs of younger users. If you are shopping for a baby, try the LEGO PRIMO sets, which are even bigger and easier to handle. --Katherine Ferguson ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A must have if you have Duplo
A base plate will make Duplo easier to use for your toddler. It provides a great base for their structures and towers. And if they want to keep their "masterpieces" up for a few days it makes it very easy for you to pick up the entire structure and put it somewhere safe until the next day. An fantastic accessory for any Duplo set.

Not just for Duplos!
My two-year-old daughter was just given one of these and a nice big tub of Duplos. Without a base, all she could do was build long chains of a single block type (and she'd get frustrated when the tower wouldn't hold together perfectly). I had tried to get her to see how to link things in other ways, but she just didn't see it. Enter the baseplate. Aha! She suddenly figured out what to do with the blocks, and builds little walls and houses and beds and things. Much more fun. It's also much more fun for Mom and Dad to play along with her when we can get more creative.

Now, here's the kicker. She had had a set of Maxi Mega Blocks for ages, but hadn't used them much (because of the tower-building problem). It turns out that Maxi Mega Blocks will also fit on this baseplate! You can't build Duplos on top of them, but that's not a big problem here. The Duplo baseplate rejuvenated the Maxi Mega Blocks as a cool toy for a toddler who likes to build.

If you're thinking about buying something for a kid who is too young for Duplos, try Maxi Mega Blocks and a Duplo baseplate (the Primo sets are nowhere near as good as MMB for actual building).

The only bummer is that the baseplate we have is rather thin and flexible, and I'm worried about her stepping on it and breaking it (hence the 3 stars for durability). It hasn't broken yet, but I've taken a fair bit of care to make sure of that. But don't let this deter you!

Duplo Baseplate
It has been the best to buy. This keeps the duplo in place and less cleaning. My 2 year old loves it. I had a toddler table and used velcro to attach it, instead of buying the table.

Great.

A essential piece of equipment
An essential piece of equipment for the Duplo blocks!

highly recommended
if you bought any type of duplo set for your little one, you totally need this! it goes hand in hand to keep your little busy. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great combination of a train and a puzzle.
My almost 2 year old daughter received this for Christmas this year (1 month ago).

She loves to play with it as a train - she lets her stuffed animals ride it and even tries to ride it herself.

As a puzzle, she has mastered the 'take it apart' aspect, and is learning to put it back together. It is a well designed puzzle that will be challenging for younger toddlers - some of the reasons that you'd choose block X over block Y are subtle - but it is still a serviceable train most ways you can put it together, although it might look odd.

It is very durable and safe. My daughter has sat upon it, stood on it, and dropped it on a wooden floor. So far it is still completely intact. Nothing has chipped or come loose.

This is another great Melissa and Doug product that will be enjoyed for many years, provided we can avoid losing the pieces. Toddlers can play with it on a simple level - it is a train - or a more complex level as a puzzle.

The Stacking Train is HEAPS of fun!
At first, I wondered if the Stacking Train was ever going to entertain my son. You see the cars slide off the linking dowels, if pushed down too hard. Well, at least when traveling on carpet, which is the main playing surface in our home. What's more, the order in which the blocks stack onto the cars is essential for movement. The blocks don't have to stack in perfect order, but certain blocks must be stacked in the appropriate places, otherwise the wheels cannot rotate. My husband and I noticed how aggravated Will became when he first started playing with the Stacking Train; thus, we intervened as the toy frustrated him so. Once he became familiar with the puzzle, (2 weeks later) he began to enjoy playing with it. The Stacking Train soon became a favorite, and now, 7-months later, it still amuses him for 30 minutes or more a day.

I have found that sometimes the age recommendation on toys is not always accurate. This plaything is appropriately labeled for 2 and up, and will probably continue to entertain my son for another 6 months or more. As a side note, the stacking order is quite complex for little minds. Although this does not take away from the fun-factor, it can add to the level of frustration. This mommy had to go on-line to see the stacking sequence so she could teach her son.

The Stacking Train is a well-built puzzle! It has been tossed around, stepped on, and even chewed upon, yet keeps on rolling. There are NO sharp edges on this toy, but we have had a few minor mishaps when my son, who plays rough, has pulled the dowels off the cars. We glued them back with wood glue, and the following day this choo choo is back to rolling around on the floor. Recently, my son lost one of the blue dowels, which links the cars together. I called the customer service number, found on the bottom of the toy, and the company replaced the entire train for nothing. Now that's excellent customer service! Overall, I recommend the Stacking Train as it's engaged my son for hours on end, plus the educational values are significant.

Other Points of Interest:
· No batteries required
· There are NO safety concerns with this plaything, i.e. strangling, smothering, cutting, or swallowing
· Gender neutral plaything
· No assembly
· Lifetime guarantee

Happy Playing,
Mary

reaches for train again and again
My child loves this wooden train set.
She started playing with this at 21 months
and still loves it at 24 months.
Great job guys!!!

Great durable toy
My son ended up getting 2 sets of these trains. I can't tell you how much he loves them. The first set he got as a gift last year when he was 10 months old. He got a second set as a gift a month ago (at 20 mos) and we were going to return it, but he became so excited when he saw them, we let him keep it. I am so glad we did, he has combined the trains, can now sort the blocks by color, "parks" the trains and takes them everywhere. Our Parent Teacher Educator commented that he plays really well by himself, ESPECIALLY with the trains. They look simple, but they are great for children to develop imaginitive play.

Brandon loved this toy
I first saw in the store I didn't buy it because the 2 age was older than my 16 month old, but then he played with it at his cousin's house. I couldn't get him to let go!

He loves this train at 17 months, he plays with it everyday, he takes the blocks off and puts them back on. He also is learning his colors.

Great toy! We have quite a lot of Mellisa and Doug products in our house! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Interesting, good for dexterity
I bought this as a change of pace to Duplo blocks, which my 3-yr-old daughter plays with every day. The kit is fairly small, so it would seem that there are few things to create with it. Not so! She makes everything from satellites to lollipops and bouquets of flowers. She was initially interested in the "creature" creations but now finds the challenge of snapping the pieces into limitless combinations engaging. We found that creating the creatures was difficult, since the "feet" and "eyes" are oddly weighted and often cause your creature to be unable to stand. A child with better understanding of weights and balances will have more fun making creatures.

Pros: it takes some dexterity and even hand strength to snap the pieces together. It has a nice, compact case with a handle. K'Nex teaches another kind of connection than the standard block. The abstract nature of these kits really engages kids' imagination.

Cons: A few of the pieces are a choking hazard to anyone under three. Even the long "sticks" could prove disastrous to a child that is unable to resist mouthing and running around. You child may need your help a lot in the beginning until they get the hang of how the pieces attach to each other.

Great Toy
I purchased this for my 4 yr old daughter before going on a trip to keep her busy and this was the only toy she played with the entire time. This was over two months ago and every day she is still playing with this set and building something new. We are amazed at her creativity and the complexity of her designs. I plan on including this on my gift giving list. It is the best toy buy we have made in quite a while.

Best quiet-time toy in the house
This is a truly amazing toy. Both of our boys (3 and 5) play with our sets (we have several) almost every day and it never bores them. I have been most impressed with the way even the younger boy is able to follow the included directions to build really fun toys, almost without any help from us. He has now progressed to inventing his own toys, which are increasingly complex and three dimensional. Including eyes, feet, ears, wheels and propellers was inspired--it allows kids to make animals, people and "space aliens" to play with. Our only problem with the sets are that the boys don't like to put them away, and with so many small pieces picking up is essential. This is also one of our favorite birthday presents for other kids.

Amazing
My child loves a ton of toys, but this one inspires him. The only problem is that he has gotten in trouble for not being able to take his mind off of them long enough to eat breakfast. He's not terrific with small motor skills but he can handle these, he can follow the directions because of the colored pieces and their distinctive shapes and the eyes seem to make them even more interesting. It's as if he is making a small friend. Then, he started making objects outside of the directions and there's no stopping him.

Love this toy!
My son received this set for his 3rd birthday and just loved it. He and his brother play for hours with the pieces, building everything in the manual they give and anything they can think of. Now that my son is turning 4, he is getting more sets so he can build even more things! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The best blocks for the littlest babies
My son would beam himself in the head with just about everything when he was younger. These were the only blocks I would consider and he loved them from day one (about four months old). He plays with them in the high chair after eating and they keep him entertained for quite a while. They are also great for teething. He is now ten months old and still loves these blocks. He plays more appropriately with harder blocks as well, but we still love these best.

Wonderul Pooh Toy
I think I had as much fun playing with these blocks as my son did. They are very cute and so much fun to stack and knock over. I usually did the stacking. These kept us busy for hours. Wonderful blocks that are highly recommended.

This is a great toy
My mother recently bought these blocks for my little brother that we are adopting. I was a little bothered by the smell at first to but it really doesn't matter. So what if they are banned in Dutch Toys'r'us stores because if they were making kids sick then they would ban them in the U.S. Don't not buy this toy because that review because they will definatlly keep your child busy.

Almost a 5
My daughter recently cut three teeth, and she loves the soft blocks. She loves to knock them over when her daddy stacks them, too. The only flaw... they are a bit smelly. They remind me of my dog's chew toys a little bit.

Very Chewable!
My 6 month old daughter loves these blocks. They are soft, squeaky and seem to help satisfy her urge to chew things. They are a definite favorite and a great value for the money. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Mix one 82-piece box of Gears! Gears! Gears! Gizmos with a handful of children and what do you get? A tableful of swirling, whirling, twisting, turning, cross-your-eyeballs thingamajigs! The Gizmos advanced set includes some unusual connectors, including a couple of comical 8-inch springs, some angled joints, and a working propeller--along with a generous helping of the basic stuff. With three sizes of meshing, stackable gears, and simple snap-together bases that can be arranged scores of ways, kids have the freedom to create all kinds of gyrating gadgets. Even with the outlandish decals and Day-Glo shades, Gears manages to teach budding builders an astonishing amount about how machines work. --Julie Ubben ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Fun
Gears was bought for my 4 year old nephew and he just loves it.
I would recommend this toy for education, imagination, and just plain fun!!!

Gear, Gears, Gears Motorized Monsters
I bought the Motorized Monsters set here (I don't see it listed now) based on fabulous reviews. I was very disappointed in the set and so was my 6 year old son. It is noisy, clunky and not at all the fun toy that we were expecting.

Fun and educational; should get more for money
My 5 year old son has advanced rapidly in just two days of playing with this. He is describing and building complicated gear layouts that incorporate gears of different sizes and gears at different angles to one another. Very nice!

My main complaint is that the set should include more pieces. I cannot see more than two kids playing with the contents of this set, and even then I think there would be some fighting for scarce pieces.

PROS
* Durable pieces
* Well-designed pieces connect well and allow for excellent spinning action of the gears
* The type of toy that kids will play with for hours on end and go back to again and again

CONS
* Not enough pieces for the price; you can get hundreds of lego bricks for the same price
* What do the gears *move*? There is only one propeller included and no wheels or other items that gears might control. Instead, we just tend to move more gears, which is fine for a 5 year old but not for an 8 year old

PURCHASING RECOMMENDATION
This is fun and very educational. I will buy the additional sets and give this one as a gift to other kids. I do wish they put more pieces in it, but it still is worth buying.

Fun for the whole family
I bought this gift for my nephew. It seems to be a great toy. All ages from 6 to 44 sat down and played with this toy. The only thing was the hand cranks came off way to easy. And one of the springs that rotates broke off within 15 minutes. We will look into getting that replaced though. Lots of fun for all ages.

A great add on
We have the original Gears! Set and love it. This is an add on that you can use to make bigger, better, more exciting things.

This inspires creativity, fun and imagination. It is more than a push the button type of toy to make some annoying noise. This encourages exploration of the world around you and more.

My husband and father (both engineers) love this toy and have a ball getting down on the floor playing with my son while he tries to put new contraptions together. This addition only makes it more fun.

If you are like and look for toys that inspire imagination, exploration, creativity. If you want toys that are not very loud and are easy to play with. If you want something that the whole family can enjoy. If you want a toy that is more than a push the button type of toy, this is the toy you might want.

My only complaint of sorts? I wish that there were books available for each add on set that is available similar to the book you can buy for the original Gears! set. And maybe there are books out there, but I haven't found them.

Enjoy. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

My daughter loves this toy
I purchased this toy for my daughter when she was 9 months old. She is now a year old and has loved this toy from the first day she got it. When she first got the toy she would pull the animals off of their little stools. Now she pushes the buttons to make sounds. She has also started pushing the tractor around the house. She enjoys listening to the animal sounds and music. I don't think she will get tired of this toy for some time since she still needs to learn how to build the blocks and pretend play. It is still the first toy she grabs when she wakes up in the morning. This is a great toy and my husband and I enjoy it as well.

2 year old son LOVES this
My 2 year old son can't get enough of this play set. He is so into mega blocks now. He puts all the figures in the tractor and makes all the sounds of the animals. I like that it has 3 options for volume and that the plastic is durable.

A favorite Mega Bloks toy!
My son saw this in the store when he was 10 months old and was immediately attracted to it! We could barely pry it away from his grasp, so we just had to buy it.
He's now 14 months and still absolutely loves to play with it. He thinks the music is just great. It also has three different volume levels- which is nice from my perspective.
The top of the barn comes just below his waist, so he do some building with the blocks even from a standing position.
He also has the fire truck, the boat and the Mega Truck. This seems to be the easiest and most fun to build on to. He also likes the see-saw in the front of the barn that he can put a couple of animals, or the farmer, on.
If there was one negative thing about this toy, I'd say that it's the doors of the barn loft. They come off very easily and are difficult for him to open when they are closed.
Other than that, it's been great!

He Loves It!
My 9-month-old son loves this toy. It is fun to eat and keeps his attention for lengths of time. It is also the first toy where my son and his 4 and 7-year-old cousins actually play "together." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A keeper!
I bought 2 of this for 2 3-yr-olds at my son's daycare. They happened to be Bob the Builder fans and really loved this toolset!

Build Fine-Motor Skills with a favorite toy!
Besides being one of my son's favorite toys, I feel great about him playing with it all the time because he is building on his fine motor skills. Also, it is adorable to watch him follow his father around the house when his father fixes things. Cleap up is made easy by the tool box that comes with it - and this toy is holding up unbelivablly well considering how quickly my son's toys normally break! ... Read more