Reviews (4)

Disappointed
My 7 month old daughter is strong enough to pull herself up, but she is not strong enough to activate the toy. I have to press fairly hard myself to get it to work. It is a wonderful concept and she loves to hear the rhymes, but it would be nice if she could do it herself. We also have trouble with one of the buttons. It occasionally starts at the end of the song instead of the beginning or says welcome instead of playing the music. I love all of our other Leap Frog products, but this is not one that I would recommend.

EXCELLENT TOY
I puchsed this toy for my neice for Christmas and when I received it I was so impressed I bought one for my 5mth old. Its great for the crib and to take in her car seat.

Not as great as I'd hoped
Leapfrog has a great rep and we received this as a gift. I do think that my 14 month old son enjoys the toy - he claps when the classical music or color songs play, but he gets very frustrated because he can't easily press the sections of the caterpillar. I sometimes have trouble getting them to play - and I shouldn't. It also seems to have a slight glitch where the on/off button and the numbers button do the same thing sometimes - I am guessing it is our particular unit. In all, I think the concept of this toy is great, but it would be nice if it was more baby-user friendly.<br />

Best Value ever from Leap Frog
This has got to be the best value ever from Leap Frog. You get numbers 1 to 5 with cute visuals that go with each number. The plush is soft and easy to hold or squeeze. My 5 month old neice can't put it down. A must have. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

GREAT GAME!
Our daughter, Mary, age 4, received the Leapster system and the Dora game for her birthday in June, and she absolutely LOVES them. They are great learning tools, but they are fun as well. We already had to replace the batteries, so I can't wait for the rechargable battery thing to be available in stores!

2-1/2 year old son zooms through level 1.
The 3 year old listed by LeapFrog is accurate. Our son was zooming through level 1 at 2-1/2 years old. Maybe our son is above average. Haha.

The Leapster products are AWESOME!

Thanks, Brett

Cute, a must for your Dora Fan!
This is a good cartridge if your child likes Dora the Explorer. My 4 year old son loves the show, so he really wanted this for his Leapster. I have liked all the cartridges so far, and I will keep buying them for him. The Leapster is a great idea for young children.

Great Game
My 4 year old GRandddaughter loves this Game for her leapster! I love the leapster game to BUT it's very fragile! I've returned it 3 times now. My granddaughter gets very upset when it just stops. No it's not the batteries. She's only 4 so she's not rough on things yet but it has been dropped on the carpet on one of the occasions. The others were just a mystery.

My 3 Year Old Loves This!!!
I have a 3 year old who is not ready for a Gameboy (NOT that I would rather her be playing with a Gameboy), but I bought her the Leapster, and WOW! She loves it! It's easy to use, and she is even using the Kindergarden software already (she has Dora, Spongebob, Drawing, and Kindergarten). These games are very educational and keep her entertained for quite awhile. What a great alternative to the computer, Playstation, Gamesboys, etc...even my 8 year old loves it. I can't wait for new software to come out! It's well worth every penny! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Returned it to the store it was so bad
I bought this title because I wanted my two children to practice writing their letters correctly. However we could never get the lines to correspond to where the pencil was. In order to trace a letter you had to actually draw the line an inch inside the line you were supposed to trace. Two calls to the company couldn't solve this problem and since we didn't have any problems with any other leapster software we were sure the calibration was right. This was very frustrating for my children especially because Mr. pencil cuts you off and makes you do it over if you go out of the line at all. There is no margin for error, very bad for kids just learning.

We have 5 other Leapfrog cartridges and we love using the leapster but Mr. Pencil is a DUD.

Absolutely wonderful
I have 5 year old twins who received this leapster toy for Christmas. They have since received many of the cartridges appropriate for their age group. They have learned an awful lot from all the leapster games. My son went from spelling simple words and not really reading very well to now reading 5-6 letter words. Not just this cartridge but the Kindergarten and some of the other game cartridges have helped with my kids' reading level. I felt really good about spending the money on the leapster and have not regretted it in the least. It is well worth the money and new cartrideges are becoming available all the time

Mr. Pencil - very problamatic
I have a 5,3,2 year old. We bought leapster for the oldest and realized the others would benefit too. So we bought each one their own module. We purchased all the cartridges. I highly recommend the leapster and its games. Very educational and fun. However, Mr.Pencil is very frustrating. I thought it was due to lack of skill for the kids, but even I and my wife could not make MrPencil happy. I took my time and tried my hardest and could not do well. Very disappointing for the kids that are learning, because when they are actually doing it right, they recieve no credit from Mr. Pencil. Anyways. we love Leapster and want new games.

Our favorite cartridge!
We bought the Leapster for our 4 1/2 year old son for christmas. I have nothing but positive things to say about it. Our son LOVES video games...borderline obsessive! We bought this because he had seen older kids with gameboys and was fascinated. I wanted something that kept his interest like the video games, but was educational. This is perfect! Now, upon saying that, we have Mr. Pencil cartridge, Dora and Spongebob. I asked my son which he liked the best, and he said he loves them all. I have to say that personally, Mr. Pencil is my favorite. It goes right along with what my son is learning at preschool...how to write his letters, both capitol and lowercase. I do agree that the pencil is sensitive, but I think it just forces the kids to go slowly and write the letters correctly. There are times that he has to retrace the letters, but he doesn't become frustrated, because Mr. Pencil is very encouraging. ("almost, try again!") I like that it draws the letter for you, then shows you the starting point for each line, and has an arrow for the direction to trace it. It's just like the preschool worksheets. It waits until they've drawn the first line, and then goes on to the next line of the letter. It's been a great tool. We also have a writing leap pad, and it just doesn't hold his interest like the leapster. We couldn't be happier! My 3 year old also loves to putter around on it as well, but the software is a little above his head still. Soon enough, I'm sure!

Mr Pencil has so much fun to offer!
While the other reviewer are right that the pen is a little sensitive, there are so many other great things about this game that I would still gladly give it 5 stars. My 3 year old actually loves mixing the colors and seeing what colors mix to make what, and then painting with the colors. She likes using the stamps and changing their size and rotating them. She like the color drop game where you have to pick the right 2 colors you need to mix a secondary color, and the maze game where you have to make it through the maze without touching the lines. My seven year old loves to paint pictures on it, and she love the learn how to draw animals and objects. She likes how you can save your artwork till later so she can pick up and work more on a picture, or animation. She likes the game what picture is it, where they start to draw a picture and you have to figure out which of the pictures at the bottom is the one they are drawing and see how many you can guess in the time frame. My son who is 10 even likes it. He thinks the maze game is cool, and he likes doing animation/flip books on it. This is a great cartridge and so many kids of so many ages love it. It even has cool things to learn about shading objects, making fun looking alphabet letters, lessons in color mixing and so much more. If you are buying it for just the learning to do letters with your young toddler, then you need to know that the first few times you have to be prepared to sit down with them and draw with them, because they just don't have that steady of hand, but don't ever disqualify this one because of that, it has way too many other things to offer. I even think it has more on that cartridge to do then any of the other cartridges, plus it's fun for all ages. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Love this!!
my daughter rec'd this as a present when she turned one. She is now 14 mnths and is still enthraalled with it. it is a very sturdy toy and has great educational value. I would definitely recommend this toy.

Doesn't hold attention
My twins got this when they were 18 months and loved it the first day then got bored. They are 2 now and still won't sit and play with it. I'll try it again in a few months to see if it will hold their attention and help with their ABC's.

Boring toy
My 2 year old daughter played with this toy exactly 5 minutes and has not picked it up since. It was a Christmas gift and I almost returned it and I wish I had. She would much rather use her imagination or sing the alphabet than use this. It has no learning value except repetition.

Can't leave the house without it!
My son is now 16 months old, but he received this toy as a gift a couple of months before his first birthday and he plays with it all of the time. When he's fussy in the car and won't get in the carseat, I hand him the radio and he sits right down and plays. It's been dropped in the van countless times and is still working fine. I also received the Leap Frog Alphabet Pal (catepillar) and we keep it in the house (which is also a 5-star toy) and the radio is kept in the car. We also have a "Melissa and Doug" alphabet board; with all of these educational toys, he's already learning his letters. He picks up the 'P' and says 'pa' and picks up the 'D' and says 'doggy.

Excellent Educational toy!
After reading the reviews I had to purchase this for my year old son. Not only does it withstand the 5 foot throw, 2 foot drop, and the walking on all that happen daily.. it is a great learning toy and I do not regret the pruchase. I highly recommend this to everyone. On another note.. it has been on every day since receiving it and on the same batteries...I wish more electronic products would be this reliable! ... Read more

Teacher Review

Toddlers love to hear their favorite nursery rhyme songs, and of coursethey love anything with sound effects and flashing lights. This electronicmusical toy is 45 inches long and 11 inches wide, with a large, one-octavekeyboard sporting a plastic handprint on each key and a red button above thatflashes when the key is played. The keyboard can be played in five differenttones: piano, bells, doggie barks, kitty meows, or birdie tweets, and in severalmodes: complete songs, free-play mode, or preprogrammed mode. The preprogrammedmode is an interesting feature that will help preschoolers (or their parents)learn to play the eight familiar songs. The tiny red light flashes, you playthat handprint, and follow along until--hey, you're making music! The musicalmat has a wipe-clean plastic surface, and it requires two AA batteries (notincluded). --Marcie Bovetz, mother and former children's librarian ... Read more

Reviews (7)

good fun
My daughters(4year old, 2year old and 9 mos) love this toy. The keys are a little hard to hit but they seem to really enjoy it. The baby enjoys trying to play it but likes watching her sisters play it more.

A good example of a young child's keyboard
This is pretty good. It is one of those plastic - roll out type keyboard, which allows it to be both a very big toy and easily stored at the same time. The sounds are not brilliant, and as I assume they must have used samples this cuold easily have been improved (the quack only just sounds like a quack for example). The keyboard could also have been made better by including two octaves, and some black notes. If the makers want us to treat these toys as educational, then they must assume that they are a prelude to a child working with a piano type keyboard, so some sharps and flats would help. These two niggles aside, this is a fun item, and very easy for little ones to use.

GREAT FOR PRESCHOOLERS!
THIS PIANO IS EXCELLENT FOR LITTLE HANDS TO PRACTICE ON AND FOR LITTLE EARS TO LISTEN TO. MY 2 LITTLE GIRLS (17 MONTH OLD AND 4 YEAR OLD) LOVE IT. I ALSO TEACH MUSIC TO A GROUP OF 3-5 YEAR OLDS AND THEY REALLY ENJOY PLAYING IT. VERY EASY FOR THEM TO OPERATE AND GREAT FOR FAMILIARIZING THEM WITH MUSICAL SCALE AND DIFFERENT SOUNDS.

Not what I expected
This is not really a practical toy. My son gets discouraged, because you have to press on the keys really hard and in order to follow the music you have to be rough. It's like playing musical chairs with 5 bullies and a moving floor.

not worth the price
i bought this for my 2 year old son. the sounds are tinny and overly loud. and it's confusing to use for any child under age 3. he only played with it for about 15 minutes, then that was it. so not worth the...price tag in my opinion. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Well-designed with lots of terrific detail, Learning Resources' Calculator Cash Register completely satisfies a young child's hunger to play with bills, coins, cash drawers, and big numbers. The chiming cash register features a built-in solar calculator as its keypad, thus allowing kids to act as bankers, shopkeepers, and accountants all at once. A large cash drawer holds life-sized bills in four denominations (1, 5, 10, and 20), and four coin holders make room for embossed plastic pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. There is even a credit card slot that dings when you correctly slide the faux VISA card through it.A suggested-activities booklet is included. Requires a 1.5V button cell battery (included) to make the chiming noise. No assembly required. Winner of awards from Dr. Toy, FamilyFun Magazine, and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

It's the most popular toy at my house!
This cash register is a favorite at my house! We often have children from ages two to six visiting, and this is the first toy that many of them go to. The calculator makes beeping noises that the kids enjoy, and the cash drawer opens and closes with a satisfying click. I've enjoyed teaching my son the value of money and how to use a calculator with this toy.

Can't Live Without It
We were at a friends house last night and she had this toy for her 3 year old son. My 2 year old daughter could not stop playing with it. She simply loved opening the drawer and handing out the money to each person in the room. She would then collect the money and put it back. This activity kept her busy for an hour and it would have been longer except for the fact we needed to leave. I have bought her other cash register toys but none have been as realistic or kept her interest as long as this one did. I am buying one for her now and can only hope that she loves it as much as she did last night.

This is the funniest toy ever
When I got this toy i played with it for such along time and still do. You only spend $29.99 on it and it is money well spent. You make the right choice if you get this toy. The age group i would say is probably 5-whenever. Let me tell you parents what when my mom and dad got this for me i lovedit and it made me happy for so long.Three words for this toy.
MONEY WELL SPENT!!!!!!!!! FUN
so you should get this toy. KNOW dont think twice get it...NOW
dont forget get the scanner and bar codes* that go with it.
*SOLD SEPARTLEY

A preschool favorite
I'm buying this toy for my son's 3rd birthday because he makes a beeline to it everytime we go to our parent-child preschool class. He usually sets up a toy phone nearby, too. I get to be the customer and bring a basket of toy food to him which he "scans" on the notepad area. It's nice when toys leave something to the imagination. He loves the play bills and coins and pretending to make change. I believe that this toy will grow with my child and still be fun for him in a few years.

I figure that if this toy has survived daily use by multiple 2-4 year olds, it will survive around our house. If it doesn't, then I will update this posting!!!

hits money learning right on the head
I bought this for my daughter five years ago when she turned 4... it is still a household favorite. The design is good and it has held up well despite its being knocked around a fair amount.

The display is large and easy to read. The play money, which was one of my primary concerns, is realistically sized and marked. There is plenty of it to play with and make change too. The credit card is a nice touch which slides into a slot with a beep.

The sticky note space isn't as useful or cool as I thought it could have been, but I think sticky notes tend to just get ripped off of the pad and spread across the room by most children.

Now that my daughter is older, she still plays with it as well as putting it to use while running her punch & shaved ice stand in the summer. I feel like this was a good purchase and I would recommend it as a sturdy playset with high educational potential. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This talking book comes with an interactive "magic pen" that works like a hand-held computer mouse pointer. Children can opt to turn the paper pages and listen to the story read with different voices for each character. Or they can interrupt the read-aloud session to play with the magic pen (permanently attached with a wire). They can point the pen tip to any word on a page and hear it pronounced, or touch a picture and hear a sound effect (such as "Strike one!" for the baseball bat). Very similar to the popular Living Books computer games, this 10-by-11-inch book is more portable than a home computer. Stories in this set include Lil's Loose Tooth, Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever, and Winnie the Pooh in A Sweet Good Morning. The set also includes a paper piano keyboard and map and human anatomy games.--Gail Hudson ... Read more

Reviews (365)

Not as great as we thought it'd be...
I got this for my son when he was about 4, and it was a great learning tool before it started falling apart. The quality of it was terrible, and it didn't last more than a year after normal wear and tear. This product was definitely a disappointment, especially after spending a lot of money on books and cartridges shortly before it bit the dust.

fun for all ages
I bought a leap frog for my son when he was 4 and he loved it. He liked the pictures and sounds. It is also great for older kids, the leap frog book that came with his had activities for all ages. It is very educational and a great item to take on trips in the car.

great for my preschooler as well as older childern
I purchased a leappad for my 3 1/2 year old about a 1 1/2 years ago for christmas and it was a hit!! She loved the noises it made and she could write with the pen. The book that comes with the system is broken up into different age groups so the first book didn't have much she could do as for learning, but my older children (then 9 & 11) found a few pages that interested them as well. We soon purchased a couple of addition books that were age appropriate for my daughter and she began to learn numbers, letters and shapes. My sons even got a book to help them in the areas such as bones. My daughter turned 5 yesterday and she still carries her leappad where ever we go. She has moved up to learning sounds and sight words and hasn't even started kindergarden yet. She loves the games and the interaction since it will tell you (or beep/buzz you)when you have made a wrong answer. This product allows my husband & I, as well as other family members, to sit down and spend time with my daughter learning and ITS FUN for us all!! She can even entertain herself when we are unable to sit with her because of how user friendly it is.

We have had NO problems with our leappad and believe me it has been around and used.

I highly recommend it for a child that is eager to learn new things. If I had to find a fault with it, it would be that due to so many different books available, we sometimes misplace the cartridges. I have ordered her a backpack to keep them all together to solve this problem.

Beware Of Leap Frog Products
We are a family of 5. Our 3 children are 6, 3 1/2, and 2. You can imagine how many wonderful Leap Frog products we have in our household. We have a lot. We want to provide our children with a great educational start in life and what better way to do it than with these wonderful Leap Pad products right? Give me a break. Educationally they are great. Durable you ask, no way. Leap Frog only warrants their products for 3 months. We had 2 LeapPads. One still works great, we've had it for almost 4 years. The newer one we bought for our 3 year old stopped working in 4 months. It wasn't product misuse, because my son was only allowed to look at it with an adult. We only used it about 3 or 4 times a month, that's about 12-16 total uses, before the right side of the LeapPad stopped working. Several emails to Leap Frog resulted with no reply from them. They make these products but only warrant them for 3 months. Now I know why. Our Explorer globe flopped out after only 6 months. I will admit that the Leap Frog preschool toys we own have held up great, especially with all the banging around that they get, but their expensive products like LeapPad, Explorer Globe and Leapster have not. I'd look into buying educational products from a company who is willing to stand behind them and has the necessary means to make repair work on expensive products that no longer work. Leap Frog is a company I will no longer spend any more of my hard earned money on.

Fantastic even for age 3
My three-year-old received this leappad for his birthday, which he wanted very badly, and just cannot put it down. He carries it with him throughout the day and it's the first thing he looks for when he gets up in the morning. He saw it at toysrus and just absolutely loved it so he was very excited to get one of his own. He loves learning his abc's and numbers, and loves it when his favorite characters talk back to him. This is such a great tool - if you're trying to decide between this one and the Fisher price one, go for this one. The gal at toys rus said that the fisher price one is just for preschoolers whereas the leappad will grow with the child until age 8. Not bad! ... Read more

Editorial Review

This electronic writing desk teaches kids the alphabet, letter sounds, letter formation,spelling, and word creation in a fun, interactive format. Kids can choose from sixgames: letters, a letters quiz, phonics, a phonics quiz, spelling, and "create-a-word."In the letters game, children push a letter to hear its name and see how it is formedon the LCD screen; players can also write their own letters on the "magic" writing screen.In the spelling game, children learn to spell simple words. In the phonics game, childrenfirst hear a letter and then are given a short word as an example. Along the way, thealways-helpful LeapFrog "coach" offers lots of cheerful hints so children won't getstuck in any of the exercises. Additional features include an automatic shut-off, anoversize pullout handle, a variety of comical sounds for incorrect answers, and atwo-position volume control. --Tami Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (75)

a FUN FILLED phonics and alphabet toy
We bought this toy 3 Christmas's ago, for Joseph our 2 1/2 year old (He is now 5 1/2). He had personally asked for the Phonics Writing Desk and he has played with it for hours on end. I think it was an assest in his ability to read before going to Kindergarten. He now has renewed interested in it since his 3 year old brother Benjamin is constantly playing with it. Ben especailly loves it that he can write his name BEN with it and then it actually says his name. He has learned to write about 30 three letter words in the past two weeks. Some of his favorites include; Mom, Dad, jet, jam, eye, ear, hid, and bed. Ben has learned how to write a lot of his letters from watching the toy. The place to write on has been ruined for quite a while - but he tries it on paper after watching the machine show how to form each letter.

From a mother of 5 boys

great toy
My 2 year-old LOVES this toy! He's too young to write the letters, but he is learning to spell and knows the alphabet VERY well and I think this toy is part of the reason. I find it pretty loud and the repetitive phrases are annoying, but I think that it's because he plays with it so much. I would not have expected him to love this toy so much at this age, but he has really enjoyed all of his Leap Frog toys, so I'm sold on them!

only LF toy I ever returned!!!!!!
I love leap frog toys, my 3 y/o has many. I usually find them very educational. However, this toy didn't live upto my expectations. I wanted a toy to help him learn to write letters. My child learns very quickly with encouragement and correcting. At 3 he's reading at a 2nd grade level and writting somewhat legible (no thanks to this toy). This toys tells the name and phonic of each letter. The LF train, Little Leap and Leap pad do the same thing in the same way. I bought it for the writting lesson. It shows how to write them in 'computer style' not real handwritting. The reason I was so disapointed in it was that they can write anything in the spot and the toy tells them it's right. My son scribbled in the area and was told he did great. It wasn't teaching him anything. Sitting down and writting with the child, making sand letters and letting him trace with his finger and plain old letting him expierment with a pen and paper worked better than this thing. I took it back shortly after buying it.

Learning to write!
If you want to teach your kid how to write the letters and don't know where or how to start, this toy is your answer. It not only holds their interest, it makes learning fun too. It teaches both uppercase and lower case letters. Most toys teach kids how to reconize letters but this one is step ahead and also teaches them their phonics so it's definately a must have!

Boring
I think that this is a educational toy for children but is not pleasurable to look at so it would be apealing to the child considering so many toys look like this (boring). ... Read more

Editorial Review

Made by Fisher-Price, this electronic learning system is comprised of an InteracTV DVD, which you insert into your home DVD player; a controller; and activity cards based on popular children's television shows. Plug an activity card into the controller, and games and activities featuring that show will appear on the TV screen. Nine touch points let kids interact with the characters, in lessons covering numbers, colors, animals, and more. Cards contain more than 100 learning questions and activities, posed randomly. This model comes with three activity cards--SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, and Elmo's World--as well as a storage case to hold the cards and the DVD. A switch on the controller enables you to use the system on up to three different DVD players--say, in multiple rooms, or at relatives' houses. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Reviews (6)

good toy but needs work
My three year old just recieved this toy for his birthday, and I was a little worried that he was not going to be able to work it on his own. To my amazment he picked it up, and began playing. Some of the screens that it wants you to interact with are a little advanced for him, but it helps you along the way. My only complaint is getting it to work with your dvd player. We went out and bought a new dvd player for him, and we have tried everything to get it to work. When we moved it to another dvd player it works fine! The directions for quick set up were anything but easy. I think the manufactor needs to work on this toy, but it is a good idea!!!

Excellent
My daughter just received this for her third birthday and all she wants to do is play with it. She is really practicing her numbers and paying attention to what is happening so she can find the right answer. Money well spent.

fun and educational
I bought this for my daughter who loves all of the characters that are featured on the trial DVD. She just loves it. She sits for an hour playing all of the games. She is 3yrs old and can put the DVD in and start the game on her own. The sensor is able to reach the DVD player from various locations in our living room. Interac TV is very fun and educational!! I am very glad that I purchased it. We will be buying them for other children that we know for Christmas.

Not impressed either
We received this toy as a gift for our 2 year old. It didn't work correctly, as the buttons on the right upper portion were not functional. After much frustration between our 2 year old, 3 year old and both parents and grandparents, we took the toy back to Target to Exchange for a 'working' toy. Got it home, just to find that it was less functional than the first toy we had. Now, the kids don't even want to play with it, and don't want another one. Much mental anguish, and we don't even know who to contact directly to let them know that this product is dysfunctional.

Not impressed
We bought this for our 4 yr old's birthday. We're wishing we would've saved our money & gotten something else that works better. Everytime you start up the device, it acts as if you have to reprogram it all over again (you're supposed to only have to program it once for each DVD player in the home). A couple of times, we HAVE had to reprogram it, which is time consuming & frustrating. This confuses our child & she has lost interest in it, really quick. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This pretend cash register may seem like all fun and games to your little one but is actually teaching him coin and money values, coin identification, numbers, counting, and quantities. The register comes with a stack of play pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, all encased in easy-to-handle plastic chips. In explore mode, the smart coin reader on the register identifies all coins as kids drop them in, teaching their name and value. Four additional price tags represent larger monetary values and as kids slide price tags over the flashing scanner or drop coins in the register, they learn how to add values together and make totals. Kids can also set the register to price check mode to play a fun game that teaches number identification. Final checkout reinforces numbers, coins, and coin combinations once again and plays a fun song when the register opens. Throughout playtime, kids will receive encouragement and requests to keep playing from the LeapFrog's friendly voice. --Cristina Vaamonde ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Fun toy but hard keep up with!
I love this toy becouse it teaches my boys about money. The only thing I don't like is that the money always gets stuck in the slot. It does have an opening to get the money out, but you need a screwdriver. So every time they put the money in to quickly after another, I have to go find my hand screwdriver. My boys have a great time playing with this cash register. If this one ever broke, I would go out and by another one. It is the best on I have found.

The best cash register yet!
Ever since my kids got this for Christmas last year they have not quite playing with it. Plus I think it's great because it interacts with out leap frog shopping cart. my kids play for hours with it, a great toy!

Excellent for fun and learning!
We gave this cash register to our 4 yr. old and 2 yr. old last Christmas. It has since been used for countless games of "Store" and is still working and looking great (5 months later). As a parent and home educator, my favorite feature is the coins, which are made to resemble actual coins, but are surrounded by color-coded plastic rings to help children learn to identify the correct amounts. The price scanners are another neat, unique function, as the kids can customize price amounts for their store "merchandise."

My children remain interested in this toy, partially because cash registers just add to the fun of pretend play, and perhaps partially due to the four different modes of play. I appreciate the volume control button, too!

I can understand the complaint about coins getting stuck, but we have never had any real problems with this. They really only get jammed if a child loads too many coins in the slot at once. Our children have learned to remove the coins after inserting just a few.

Bottom line: I highly recommend this toy if you are looking for a high-quality cash register, or just an exciting means of learning math concepts.

Jams unacceptably
We have most of leapfrog's other products, they are usually great. This toy, however, has a product defect. The problem is that the coins jam both internally (there is an afterthought "door" secured with a screw to access internal jams) as well as externally in the coin return tray. When I say "Jams" I mean "Jams almost immediately". As in "within 30 seconds of play". To remove the jam you need a screwdriver and knife - not what you want you use around toddlers. Children cannot "unjam the toy". Unacceptable. If they can fix this issue, it will be an outstanding toy as it is compatible with their shopping cart (highly recommended) as well. It is one of the favorites at playgroup, which is a contributing factor to it jamming (several hands playing with it at once).

After speaking with Leapfrog, customers that own this toy and are experiencing jamming should register their product with leapfrog so that they may be contacted when a fix is available for the problem. Leapfrog is aware of the issue.

Worst Leapfrog product ever
We have most of leapfrog's other products, most are great. This toy, however is awful. The main problem is that the coins jam both internally (there is an afterthought "door" secured with a screw to access internal jams) as well as externally in the coin return tray. When I say "Jams" I mean "Jams almost immediately". As in "within 30 seconds of play". To remove the jam you need a screwdriver and knife - not what you want you use around toddlers. Children cannot "unjam the toy". Totally unacceptable.

This problem brought to light a reprehensible policy of Leapfrog - they won't take any returns or exchanges for non-manufacturing defects. This was bought as a gift for my daughter, it was purchased in a distant city, and we cannot return the product to the retailer.

Rotten toy, and a rotten custom service attitude - last time I will give this company my money... ... Read more

Reviews (17)

My son loves this toy!
My son received this toy for his 3rd birthday and he loves it! He carried it around with him all day and even brought it to bed with him that night. The songs are great but I do wish they sang the words to the popular kids songs. Although I don't find it especially educational, it's a great toy for a child who loves to listen and sing along to music.

Great fun for the next American Idol
Great fun for the little entertainer. I would recommend removing the microphone (long cord) if your child is under 3 years old.

It's ok
I thought this would be a cool toy but my kids don't seem to think so. It has been sitting in the toy room ever since we got it and very rarely is it touched. We don't even recognize most of the song on there. NOT a must have

We really like it.
My son is nowhere near the recommended age for this toy, but at 15 months he loves it anyway. I got it because it was on sale and set it on his toy shelf. He points to it and demands me to bring it to him. I take off the mic because the cord is a choking hazard. Other than that, the toy seems safe for him to play with. He loves pushing the buttons. He also likes watching the lights. I personally think this toy is more appropriate for a toddler than a four-year-old because I imagine a four-year-old would have moved on to toys like Leapster.

My gripe is that there are no lyrics to the songs that are played. They are very simple songs, like Pop Goes The Weasel, but I find myself going "All the cobbler's bench. A hum huma humahummm." because I can't quite remember the words. Also some of the songs are Leapfrog songs, for example "Upper case letter are big and tall" or something like that.

Basically, though the songs are cute. One that is in my head right now goes "Manny manny moo. Moo moo. Zanny zanny zoo. Zoo zoo." Simple, cute song.

3 year old loves it
Picked this up for my son's 3rd birthday. He has it in bed with him right now. Hasn't even needed the microphone for it yet (didn't want to worry about him strangling himself with cord in bed at this point). There are enough songs that he has only scratched the surface. He likes the animations (little red dots of light). Reinforces counting and the alphabet, introduces phonics songs. As he gets older, introducing the microphone and the singalong songs (Oh Susannah, I've been working on the railroad) will make the toy seem new again. Very happy with my choice based on the reviews ... Read more

Reviews (14)

My Daughter's Favorite LeapPad Book
We have several LeapPad books but this one gets the most use. The games are simple enough that my daughter, age 2, can play with very little help. It keeps her attention. I noticed recently she had picked up several Spanish words and can count to 10 in Spanish. Our Dora selections, including this one, have paid off.

Great educational piece
This book is great as are most of the LeapPad products. My son loves to use this book daily. It helps him learn words in both spanish and english, and he already knows quite a few words in spanish and he is 2-1/2 years old. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for something that their child will use for hours and all of the leapPad Books are as educational as this one. A great Product.

Had it for a year and still going strong
This was purchased for my daughter last year when she was three for christmas, it is now a year later and she still loves it. I love the leap pad systems and my first leap was great and now i think she will be going into the regular leap pad and like my others will enjoy hours of fun. You will not go wrong with dora!!

dora the explorer
the game will not stay on

Fun AND educational
Dora is a hit in our household, so this leap-book was only fitting for us to purchase. If your child enjoys Dora, you won't be disappointed in this fun little book. I was really pleasantly surprised by the educational content, and all the fun it provides, it is packed with a bunch of interactive little games that keep even a 2 year old interested. My 2 & 4 year olds both love this book. My four year old was jealous that he didn't have THIS book for HIS leap pad (he has bigger leap pad). This book teaches vocabulary both English and Spanish, problem solving, cooperation, and shapes and colors as well. My only wish is that they had more books to buy. ... Read more

Editorial Review

LeapFrog's range of educational toys is exceptional, and this interactive flipbook really has that "wow" factor. In the box it looks like an innocent book, but once assembled it provides absolutely hours of entertainment with a preschool teaching focus. The book reads the text to the child, then its magic pen allows the child to touch the text and reread difficult words. Rather like a computer game, the pictures in the page also respond to touch. Each page has two to three games on it where the child has to answer questions on the text or the pictures. The child only needs to respond with the pen, so children as young as 3 can easily play all the games. LeapFrog has made sure that this two-sided book packs in all the elements of a balanced preschool curriculum. Numbers, phonics, prereading, and numeracy skills come alive through the activities. Both nonfiction and fiction text are included with a variety of musical activities. There is even a volume control on each page for weary parents on those long car journeys! Be prepared with four AA batteries (not included) and a small screwdriver. The instructions included are not specific, but the illustrations on the box are self-explanatory. Perfect for a rainy day or a long journey, My First LeapPad provides great value for the money, as your child will be entertained and educated for hours. --Jo Fitzgerald

My First LeapPad is a sturdy unit with an integral speaker and a magic pen, which reads the spiral flipbook included with the set. Other books and cartridges can be bought and used with the same unit. My First LeapPad flipbook consists of both an interactive story introducing the characters of Leap and his family, and (once you have flipped the book) a selection of interactive games pages which encourage learning of numbers, colors, shapes, and music making. A pleasant and encouraging voice reads the story, which is written on the page, or if just one word is touched, the voice says that one word, encouraging word recognition. In game mode, the voice asks the child to find a specific number, color, or object and gives praise when the child succeeds. The pad is easy to use, provided children remember to always touch the Go button with the magic pen every time they turn a page. If they forget, the pen will read from another page, which causes much confusion! After a few tries, mine soon got the hang of it and could play independently. Everything is worked using the pen, including the volume control, and the pen is impossible to lose as it is attached securely to the unit. In comparison to their interactive PC games, the LeapPad failed to hold my children’s attention for prolonged periods, and although I found it amazing that the pen could recognize so many different words and objects, they were less easily impressed. There is no movement, unlike in a PC game. On the other hand, the unit is portable, so can be played anywhere, unlike the PC. The unit certainly has lots of educational value and is well made and durable. A large selection of interactive books can be purchased separately, so once the children are comfortable using the magic pen, they can try other activities. They can also choose more difficult material, ensuring that the pad grows with your child. --Rachel Elvidge

In common with other LeapFrog products, My First LeapPad is exceptionally well designed to be both educational and fun. The unit itself and attached pen are chunky enough for little fingers, and the single large button, integral carrying handle, and bright color will make it appealing and easy to use for preschoolers. My First LeapPad comes with a ring-bound book and accompanying cartridge which fit easily into the unit (you also need four AA batteries, not included). Placed right side up the book reads through a simple story, and when turned over the reverse sides contain a wealth of activities and games to play. For anyone who hasn’t previously seen the unique way that simply touching the pages with the pen produces voices and noises of all sorts, it seems like a miracle! Even for those who are familiar with it, it is still endlessly fascinating, and each page has lots of scope for discovery. The clear English voices read the story in sentences or single words as well as introducing games and activities involving music and instruments, shapes and color, reading, numbers, counting, matching, and much more. Each picture reveals a whole world of sound effects, voices, and speech from the characters according to the individual touches the child makes with the pen on the page. This makes play genuinely interactive and absorbing, and hugely valuable in terms of learning and pleasure. I recommend this product highly; it is suitable for all levels of learning between under 3 years and over 5, with each age range getting different benefits at different stages of development. --Caroline Parsons

My First LeapPad learning system by LeapFrog is a portable electronic toy incorporating the format of a flip-over book which teaches children to master skills such as writing, basic numbers, ABCs, phonics, listening, and comprehension. The desk layout includes a side handle and a special touch-sensitive pen which gives children the opportunity to develop the coordination required when they begin to write. With the pen the user can activate the different activities such as touching pictures to hear them come alive, touching words to hear them read aloud, playing a game by pressing the lily pad sign with the magic pen, activating a new page, listening to music, or adjusting the volume. The unit comes with an activity book, Leap’s Big Day. Leap is a frog with a happy voice and an English accent who introduces us to his family and different activities on each page. Although the toy is labeled for children aged 3 years and over, the activities are not incredibly difficult and would also suit a slightly younger child. For example, number work only goes up to five, and the page on what Leap will be when he grows up gives the child a number of pictorial choices and they have to select just one answer to say what a firefighter would need at work (hose, hat, boots), or what a doctor would need (stethoscope, white coat, etc.). All activities require use of the pen, which does require a steady hand at times. More books are available to buy separately, with titles such as Leap to the Moon, featuring Leap again, and Pooh's Honey Tree, which features Winnie the Pooh. The books are double-sided with a story side, which is interactive, and an activity side. The battery-powered toy provides preschoolers with a good introduction to interactive learning aids, including computers, and promotes readiness for reading and writing. --Sarah McNamara

This is a nice-sized interactive electronic learning game by LeapFrog. It consists of the LeapPad unit with carrying handle and a small, easy-to-maneuver electronic pen attached. There is a compact microchip unit which plugs into the side and a cardboard flipbook which attaches to the front. The book has two sides: a story side and an activity side. The sound is activated by touching the green Go circle on the page with the electronic pen. On the story side of the book this triggers a female English voice which reads aloud the words on the page. Your child can then touch each word with the pen to have these read aloud, or touch objects and characters on the page to hear them speak. There is a lily pad and a note symbol at the bottom of each page. When touched with the pen, the voice leads your child through games such as finding objects and people on the page. The activity side is centered on learning games such as parts of the body, colors, shapes, and counting. My First LeapPad is designed for preschool children to teach prereading and premath skills. It contains over 30 games and activities and is indicated to be suitable for ages 3 and over. My son will sit and play with the LeapPad on his own for a short time, but is only 3 and a half, and prefers me to help and guide him a little. My First LeapPad is a good learning aid and value for money as the flipbooks can be replaced with different books in the range to keep your child interested in learning. --Julie Illingworth

Learning to read has never been so fun, until now. This interactive system is an ideal tool for teaching various skills important in early years. My First LeapPad teaches ABCs, numbers, phonics, prereading skills, and premath skills. When children encounter the LeapPad for the first time, they may choose to participate in an interactive story book Leap's Big Day (included) or alternatively they may play 30 games and activities. If they choose a story they will be amazed at how involved they can become and how much they will learn. The games and activities on the reverse of the flipbook feature counting and singing songs as well as a section on parts of the body. The LeapPad comprises a spiral interactive flipbook that when used with the integral magic pen enables the story to come alive! The child may touch words and hear them read aloud or if they touch pictures in the story they too will make appropriate sound effects. This system is certainly an innovative concept that makes learning to read exciting while also challenging. --Tiffany Prescott ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great for Little Kids
I was in a book store with my sister & my 22-month-old daughter. While I was shopping, my sister brought my daughter by the My First LeapPad toy to keep her busy. My sister tried to turn the page to finish the story, but couldn't figure out why it was still reading the items from the previous page. My daughter showed my sister how to turn the page by pressing "go." I'm looking forward to my sister giving this to my daughter for her second birthday.

love it!
My husband and I bought this for our 2-1/2 year old for Christmas. She really loves it. She is definately at an age where she enjoys learning and is very interested in colors and shapes and showing us "what she can do". This is perfect. We often travel out of town and this is great for those long road trips. Anything to keep her content. I think it will be helpful as she learns to write and read, and it is wonderful for learning shapes and colors. I would say the downfall in this toy is that the cord for the pen is a little short (suppose that is a safety issue) and also I dont like how the cartridge sticks out of the side. I think a drop in sort of thing would have been better. The books are a little tough to get in place, but she is learning. I think she is a little young still, but will get lots of use out of it, and I think it is a good time to introduce this product to her at least. We are going to buy one for her cousin this month, so I think that shows how much we like it!!

So Far...Not impressed
I had HIGH expectations for this product, but so far have discovered that it's been far overrated. My 3 year old received the My First LeapPad for Christmas plus 3 additional books including the Princesses book. This product has not managed to keep her entertained or focused at all. I think it's confusing for a young child, the words are not very clear, and it automatically turns off after just a few seconds. It will tell the child to "find ___" but while my daughter is deciding what to touch with the stylus, it says something along the lines of "try again later". It doesn't give her enough time to THINK before shutting off! There are also options to play games, but after only 2 or so rounds it says something like "press the game button again". That is extremely confusing for a child.

Maybe the regular LeapPad is better. I hoping that once she gets older she'll get into this one more. My daughter LOVES anything having to do with Barbie, Ballerina's or Princesses and even the Princess book doesn't interest her. My daughter also LOVES the new LeapPad DVD "All About Letters", but the alphabet books don't quite have the same effect. If you are just looking for something that reads stories go with THE STORY READER...it's truly an excellent product.

I love Leapfrog stuff!
I love that thing. Not only is it educational, it is fun too! You can learn music as well as the body's bone structure. And to hear your child read to you and tell you what the story was about, phenominal! I am buying it right now for my three year old God daughter. All Leap pad products are amazing.

Great for any Child.
My daughter loves her new LeapPad. I am beyond happy that she would rather play with the LeapPad than watch TV. It also keeps her busy while we are in the car. The LeapPad is very user friendly and is a really great toy for any child. I also loved the girly color for my little princess. ... Read more