Editorial Review

Dinosaur devotees will be roaring over this radio-controlledTyrannosaurus Rex as he growls and roars, moves his head, thrashes histail, and even blinks his beady yellow eyes. He can also turnrealistically and walk forward a few steps on a hard surface, growlingand roaring at the same time, if you choose. T-Rex is 11 inches tall and21 inches from nose to tail, with textured, flexible brown rubber skinthat bends and moves. The controller is shaped like a stone with twobone-shaped joysticks to control the dinosaur's walking and turning.Buttons on the side of the controller make T-Rex move his head and frontfeet, snap his jaws, roar, and blink his eyes. The controller slidesopen in the middle for use, and you have to be careful not to pinch yourfingers when you snap it shut. T-Rex requires a total of six AAbatteries, two for the controller and four inside the dinosaur, and thebattery compartment inside the T-Rex is rather difficult to access.Despite these small drawbacks, this dino is one cool dude that willthrill any kid in the midst of the inevitable dinosaur phase. -- Marcie Bovetz ... Read more

Reviews (51)

This toy is the best! Worth your money!
My favorite dinosaur is the Tyrannosaurus Rex, so i bought it. The toy is completely reilistic! It has everything you wish for in a R/C toy! It's head is very great and reilistic and it's sounds are too! But be careful. After about 3 or 2 years, i was playing with the toy when suddenly it's ankle snapped in half. My mom can't get it back together again. So be careful about bagnning this toy around like a doll. If you do it's going to breck soon. But if you don't, it lasts for about 3 or 4 years. But since my birthday's coming up in 3 weeks, my mom is going to buy another one! I thank Jesus for this wonderful toy! :)

T-Rex is pretty cool, but winds up in the closet anyway.
I had high expectations for this bad boy, but let me give you the pros and cons:

Pros:

Mobility, coupled with an array of growls, roars and twitches, will keep your attention for a short while. I do give the creators credit for a sincere effort at realism, however...

Cons:

The clawlike arms are not mechanized, and just hang there.
There is a loud clicking sound (gears?) as he moves his head.
Although the legs move, the tail is stiff and non-functional (tags along on non-powered wheels protruding from below).
The big guy has trouble negotiating anything other than smooth, flat surfaces.

Basically, I think the problem with toys such as this, is simply the lack of child interaction. After a short time, the novelty wears off, and junior goes scurrying back to the lego blocks. I also purchased a very well-conceived E.T. figure for my 5-yr. old son (4 at the time). The vocal effects were excellent, but like Mr. T-Rex, he was soon gathering dust in a box in the closet.

Bottom-line: Child interaction is priority #1. A good jigsaw puzzle will beat the heck out of fancy, mechanized toys. Fool me twice - shame on me.

Very poor quality, cheap mechanical parts, VERY disappointed
I orded this toy for my son's main Christmas present. I put the batteries in and tried it out. Half of the functions didn't even work. I returned it for a replacement. (Very easy and convienent return policy!) When I got the 2nd one a few days later, all of the buttons worked, but the gears and mechanics where of HORRIBLE quality and very cheaply put together. The gears would miss and get stuck on some of the funtions and it would just jerk around. The gears are incredibly LOUD! It constantly made a VERY loud high pitched screeching noise as it's head moved around. This toy is a neat idea, but just too cheaply made. After trying out 2 separate dinos, I recomend you pass this one up and find a different toy for your kiddos.

Battery waste
This toy eats batteries. If you leave the dinosaur on, which is relatively easy to do, when you are not using this toy, the batteries run down. Over night! The first one we got of this toy broke within 24 hours and was replaced. The second one got played with a few times and then left in a closet. My son is not too interested in it because every time he takes it out to play with it, the batteries are, inevitably, dead. Not very child friendly.

does not live up to expectations
I gave this item to my nephew for his birthday. He played with it once. It did not do half of the stuff it was supposed to be able to do. It had new batteries and the things that did work, quit working while he was playing with it. I was very dissatisfied with this product... ... Read more

Reviews (14)

We love it
My daughter has had her leap pad since she turned 2, almost a year now, and loves it. She has several titles, but this one is by far her favorite(even over Dora!!!!) She knows her letters by sight, she has for a few months now, and loves the music that goes along with the phonics. It's wonderful for car trips!!!

Fun and educational
When our daughter was almost 3 we bought her a leap pad for Christmas and we bought her this book. Out of 3 books she has this one is her favorite! She reads this book over and over!!! She is now a few months over 3 and knows her ABC's. You can point to any letter and she can tell you what it is and can sing the alphabet song. It is fun enough to keep a 3 year olds attention and the songs arent nerve racking. This was definatley a great buy!

Super
My daughter just turned three and loves it, she picks it up herself and sits and does the letters and their sounds and the numbers and colors. The best investment for her. I would continue to buy the leapfrog (leapad) toys for her.

The Best Toy of The Year...No dout
The leapPad has been wonderful for my 3 Year old he will play with that toy for hours and he learns alot from it. He will tell me the story and then so what he is talking about... So thankyou LeapPad for giving the children of today and tommarow the chance to grow. Sincerly, Terri. Cincinnati, Oh

Great Educational Toy
My daughter just received this book and the First Leappad as a Christmas gift. It is one of the best Christmas gifts she ever received. She is learning to read, play music, learn body parts, colors, shapes, numbers, etc. while also having fun. With this educational toy, it allows you to repeat the words on the page and read along with the book. My daughter is only 4 and is learning to read. She is in preschool and is already good at knowing her colors, shapes, numbers and letters, but this toy just reinforces what she already knows. Plus, this toy is at a great affordable price. My next Leappad item to buy is the backpack so she has a place to store the books and cartridges. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Barbie Shop With Me Cash Register proves once again that Barbie is the coolest.Madedurably and in Barb's trademark colors (pink, hot pink, purple, white, etc.), this is a sleek number that canbe operated on the floor, bed, or tabletop. It features four realistic ways to buy noodles, yogurt, and toiletpaper. Option 1: A "clerk"--either a child or Barbie--scans the bar codes of included price tags. Option 2:You can manually input the price of items. Option 3: Items may be scrolled down the register. Option 4,which is, by the way, your humble writer's favorite: Make up your own prices! Get "Barbie Discounts"when you use your savings debit card. The Barbie register comes with a slew of accessories, including 18scannable price tags, play money, play credit/debit cards, a keypad, built-in microphone, and a 120-itemshopping catalogue offering everything from Barbie-brand jeans to junk food. The machine features ahigh-tech hand-held scanner and LCD on the register, which shows a customer's subtotal, item number, unitprice, and total. You get everything but a receipt. Hmmm.

A built-in microphone allows your child to make store announcements and call for price checks and itemvoids. This heightens the interaction this toy was built for, since Barbie's voice simulates the real shoppingexperience enough already. "Cash or charge?" she asks in a perky tone. Tip: If you don't pay up at oncewith your Barbie greenbacks or American Express-like credit card, you'll be harassed. We writers foundourselves fumbling through our own wallets, trolling for coupons. Barbie prompts the shopper throughoutthe entire process ("Seventeen dollars and twelve cents... No... seventeen dollars and TWELVE cents.").And parents--there's no volume control. If you just happen to sneak a play while your kid's eating lunch,well... everybody in the house will hear if your card is over the limit. Just kidding. But it's best to useBarbie's credit cards anyway. This kind of hectic shopping experience makes adults really appreciate theonline shopping experience, but kids will love it so much they'll forget it's just a pretend play toy. Registercomes with all accessories, manufacturer's warranty, a real grocery store coupon for a kid's treat, and thefour required AA batteries. --Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (61)

Great toy, but didn't last 3 weeks!
I had such high hopes for this toy! My 4-year-old received it for Christmas and just loved it -- especially the microphone. But the entire thing (except the microphone) stopped working less than 3 weeks after Christmas! To make matters worse, when I went to exchange it, I couldn't find it at any local Target store so, since I bought it at 1/2 price right before Christmas, I had to return it and lose out on my special deal. (Not to mention a VERY sad little girl...) The lady who helped me with the return said her grand-daughter had one going on 3 years so I'm hopeful mine was just a lemon, but the reviews I've read on other boards seem to indicate a real problem with durability. I probably will buy another one (though probably not at the normal $40 price tag -- the toy isn't durable enough for that kind of price), but will make sure I keep the receipt AND the box it came in for awhile...

Great toy, but didn't even last 3 weeks!
I had such high hopes for this toy! My daughter just loved it. I even enjoyed playing with it. She loved the microphone! I thought the scanner was really cool... BUT, the thing stopped working less than 3 weeks after Christmas!! VERY frustrating. To top it off, I was unable to find one to exchange it with so I had to return it (therefore losing the 1/2 price off I'd received when I purchased it, not to mention a sad daughter...) The lady that helped me with the return said her grand-daughter had one that was going on 3 years, so hopefully I just received a "lemon". But, after reading other reviews, this toy just doesn't seem durable enough for the $40 price tag. I do plan on trying another one (if I can ever find it again...), but I will certainly keep up with the receipt AND the box it came in...

Cool toy!
this is a cool toy especially for younger ones. I used to play with it, and i remember it was fun. And you could learn a lot actually! I think it helps in math. You could learn to count and add and subtract. Also it is fun because almost everyone loves shopping and this is almost like shopping in your very house! You could use any item in your home and turn it into an item for sale at your "store," You can choose your own price, whether its on sale or not and more! I remember i used to have much fun with it especially when friends came over. In general, it is a great toy! But one thing i dont really like is that the cash register (barbie) does all the talking. IT says the price, and welcome, and all that stuff. So the "clerk" doesnt really do much but check out and give money back and stuff like that. But other than that its great!

Age range way off!
My daughter received this for Christmas when she was 3. She was way too young for this, but what can you do with a gift from Grandma? I think the age range should start at 7 or 8. The problem with this toy and younger kids is that they lose all the pieces. Now that she is 5 and could play with it more, all the money and credit cards are gone. My kids just use it for the microphone now. Save it until your child is old enough to appreciate it. I believe it would provide hours of fun for the child of the right age.

scanner do not work.
This is a great toy, it 's scanners stop working instantly though. My daughter still plays with it but misses the scanners. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

12" Raised Relief Explorer Globe
It's amazing how much a child learns by having access. We are an American family living in Germany and felt my 5 year old would have a greater understanding of where we live and where our extended family lives.

There should be one in every house!
What a great, inexpensive globe. It's fascinating to watch a child spin a globe - even if they don't seem like they are learning anything, at least they are getting a general idea of the immense size of our world! Since getting this globe, my 5 year old son has learned about the continents and the oceans, found Australia on his own and pointed out that Antarctica is bigger than the USA. It seems that the globe gets loose from it's stand somewhat easily, but it is easily tightened. All in all, a great buy with terrific educational value.

poorly designed stand
The globe itself is ok and has a lot of educational value for kids starting out in geography, but the stand is so poorly designed that when you rotate the globe on its axis, the stand easily detaches from the globe. The whole point is to be able to rotate it, so in effect it's not very usable if you have to keep fixing the stand again and again. A heavier stand that would not move when rotating the globe would probably work better. The attaching mechanism needs redesign too -- right now it's just a screw in the base. ... Read more

Product Description

Learn Thru Music Early Learning System The Learn Through Music interactive early learning system helps teach preschoolers fundamental lessons through the magic of music. The rhythm, rhyme and repetition of musical sounds and lyrics are time-honored and time-tested tools that capture children's attention and imagination and help them to absorb and remember basic concepts. Because music engages a child's entire self - mind, body and soul - putting lessons to music makes it fun and easy for children to soak up new information. Each Learn Through Music software cartridge features: Specific, age-appropriate learning lessons, A wide range of lyrical & rhythmic devices, A variety of visual & audio content and Diverse curriculums based on beloved characters ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Great Interactive Toy for Toddlers!
I love the Learn Through Music! You can adjust the volume on the back (where the on/off switch is located). There are two volume levels. My son is 22 months old, and he received this gift last Christmas. He loves the Sesame Street characters, and he will "rediscover" it every couple of days and sit and play with it by himself. However, I have had a hard time finding the Elmo Counting Cartridge. If you invest the money in buying this product, you should buy additional cartridges so they don't get bored with the one that comes with it. Hope this helps!

Great toy but TOO loud
This is a favorite toy among my children ages 2-6. I thought it would be a great toy to bring in the car so they could play with it while waiting. BAD idea, it is so loud, I can barely hear anything else. Otherwise, it's very durable (we have 7 children), it's lasted through being dropped, stepped on, fought over, etc. I put a pc of tape over the speaker, which has helped a little, but now the younger one can't play with it (she eats the tape).

a little loud and good for two and up
My daughter rec'd this toy when she was just over one years old. she has issues with using the mic, you must hold the button down to make the mic work. i also wished that the volume was able to be adjusted.

Pages don't correspond w/the Songs
I'm just glad we didn't have to spend our money on this toy. The Sesame Street version was given to my 2yr old as a gift. The pages don't advance like they are suppose to. She is trying to learn the alphabet starting w/A and it's on Y. Elmo pops up to sing at all the wrong places. The music is great though and she follows along w/the singing of the alaphabet and sings right into the microphone but as far as the page being in the right place when talking about the letter its not. Main problem is the songs don't correspond w/what the page is showing. I've replaced the batteries twice thinking that was the problem but it turns out it's not.

lots of fun
My son doesnt spend more than 2 minutes on each toy, except on
this one. He loves this toy. We bought him all the cartridges,
and we rotate them. He doesnt use the microphone.. but everything works great and has endured lots of hits.
I would recommend this to everyone (from 18 months- 3 years) ... Read more

Reviews (7)

This is a book review for Thomas & The School Trip for MFLP
This is a great MFLP book for Thomas friends old and new. My 3yr.old loves to hear the engines talk while playing the educational games. Thomas and his friends teach shapes, colors, opposittes, matching and problem solving while taking the children on a school trip. After each page is read aloud to your child,(ideally, your child will read along silently) he can explore Thomas's surroundings or choose to play a game. My son loves the games and seems to be appropriately challenged; not frustrated with the content. This is the first book we purchased outside of the MFLP w/ it's initial book. Even so, I think this will prove to be one of the better books.

Great educational toy for youngsters!
I initally bought the regular Leap Pad for my then 5 year old daughter last Christmas. She loves it! But then my 2 year old son started getting into hers, so we decided to get him the My First Leap Pad this past Christmas. He can't get enough of it. He plays with it at least 2-3 times a day, and he has actually learned from the toy. They think they are playing, but they are learning at the same time. I have owned quite a few Leap Frog Products, and every one has been great! I would not hesitate to buy any of Leap's products, they are all good investments in our children's future.

success
I really think the leap frog of thomas the tank engine is really educational. My son loves it and really is learning from it. He has come with new vocabulary everday. Thanks.

Not as authentic as the disney /nick jr theme books
My 2 1/2 year old loves the Pooh bear book for My First Leap Pad, and the Bear in the Big Blue house/Bob the Builder/Dora the Explorer for the regular leappad. Thats because, those include the several theme songs from the actual videos which he really enjoys. And the actual voices of the TV characters. This does not include the catchy Thomas the Tank engine music which is what he, as a toddler, really loves and associates with Thomas! He is usually singing one of the songs as he plays at his train table. The voices too are not Alec Baldwin or Carlin. So, despite featuring familiar characters, since the musical part of this book is on the whole, not very good, he prefers even the Rhyme book. .... the rhyme book for My First Leappad, is much better than the one for the regular Leappad.

a very worthy investment
My two-and-half years old boy loves this! Since we speak Mandarin Chinese at home, he does not learn much English from us. But I was pleasantly surprised that he learned a lot of English words a month after he started playing with this book. I now have all the other books for My First Pad since I am so impressed with its educational value. This is the best return I have gotten from money invested in toys. Now I am concentrating my toy money on Leapfrog stuffs. Thank you LeapFrog! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Educational and fun toy
I just purchased this toy for my 22 month old son who is not talking very much yet in hopes that this will help encourage him to talk. My son loves it. In two days, he started saying some of the sounds that the letters make that he previously hasn't said. He hasn't started saying any of the words yet but he is paying alot of attention to them. He also likes the songs that this toy plays. One of the songs says touch your nose, touch your toes and my son follows along touching his nose and toes. He already knew how to do this but it's really cute to watch him play along. It assures me that he is paying attention and may encourage him to start saying the words since he is already starting to say the sounds. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

fun
I bought this for my sons 2 birthday. I love the qaulity. He has played with it constantly. And I like the box that it came with. Very handy for storage and stuff. This isn't the usual cheapy set that you get for this price. I'm very pleased with this and James loves it, which is a very good bonus. There is a tamborine, a clapper, cymbols, a triangle, moroccas and something else. I'm not sure what it's called. I want to say rain stick but that isn't right. I read the other reviews and I must say that I haven't had the same problems. At least, not yet anyway. It's been under almost constant use since he got it. And the moroccas are really loud. My 6 month old has fallen in love with those and stole them. I inspected them very well to make sure they wouldn't come apart and so far I've had no problems with them. I've bought toys from this company before. At first glance, they may seem a bit high but it's well worth it because everything is good quality and it's built to last. All in all, this is a very good first set of instruments for a little kid.

Terrific fun, but not 100% durable.
This item is collection of our boys' favorite toys. The cymbals are the most popular! Our 14 month old loved to bang the moroccas together. Of course, he is younger than the recommended age and the moroccas are not meant to be played with that way. One of them cracked and broke. Please be warned, there are tiny beans inside which could be swallowed. Also, the tambourine was easily ripped and is now reinforced with strong packing tape.

be ready for noise
My daughter received this set when she was almost 2. She loves banging the instruments together to make as much noise as possible. The paper on the tamborine broke after the first day, she wanted it to be a drum! Overall it's a great way for her to make music.

Really fun, but not tuff enough.
My son received this as a gift for his second birthday. It was his favorite gift, and he really enjoyed play with it. However, one of the instruments broke before the party was even finished. This gift may not be quite strong enough for a ruff two year old boy. I would recommend it for boys and girls in the age range of about 3 to 6, but parents better be ready for some noise. Enjoy!

Good but not great
I bought this for my almost 2 year old when he was just 18 months. He uses it nearly every day. I play CDs while we are playing with his toys and he likes to go over to the box and play along with different instruments. Sometimes we make a little marching band around the living room.
Like other reviewers, we had a problem with the tambourine almost immediately, but I taped the entire top with packing tape and it is fine. We have had no problem with the shakers even though he likes to knock them together and on other things. And they are plenty loud! The only thing we don't like is the triangle. The string comes off constantly and is hard for him to hold - not heavy just a problem because of the string - but he likes to bang it while I hold it. This is not high quality, but makes a nice first introduction to musical instruments. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Cook up a storm (or a symphony) with this 11-sound electronickitchen center. Young chefs will enjoy preparing a gourmet extravaganzaat the stove and microwave console, complete with light-up burners andthree cooking sounds. When they turn on the faucet to clean up, they'llhear running water. And they can chat with their friends on the phone,which has four additional sounds and sits in a convenient stove-sidebracket when not in use. Altogether there are 15 accessories, includingcups, plates, knives and forks, and a frying pan. The main unit isapproximately 42 inches high, 38 inches wide, and 18 inches deep andhas several shelves and a removable cutting board. The screw-togetherconstruction requires adult assembly; four AA batteries (not included)are required for the lights and sound effects. Ah, the sound of onionssizzling in a frying pan--bon appétit! --RichardFarr ... Read more

Reviews (84)

WELL WORTH IT
I bought this kitchen set for my daughter Brianna for her 3rd birthday. The counter top was a major pain. It took along time to get it hooked in right. We actually had to cut a little bit underneath to get it to fit right. Once we cut a little bit out of the one side it went right into place. The phone holder does not stay in. But this is not a negative review. Once you get past the counter top, assembly is a snap. The faucet makes running water sounds the phone works, the stove lights up and the grill makes sizzling sounds it is too cute. I also have a 7 year old and both my daughters absolutely love it. There is also a place to feed there baby dolls. They make burgers and hot dogs and it keeps them busy for hours which is nice for me.

Nice kitchen, but not for boys
This is such a great kitchen - it has all the bells and whistles and the stove and sink both have sounds and light up. However, it was VERY difficult to assemble (don't do it Christmas Eve) and many of the parts just do not fit properly. We never did get the phone to install correctly. In addition, the piece that goes inside the dishwasher and the stove is very flimsy, so much so that it is now bowed. This stove does come with quite a few cooking pieces so that's an added plus. It's a lot of fun for my little "Emeril" but find something more durable if you have a boy.

keeps attention for hours
I bought this for my twin grandchildren (almost3). They play with it nonstop for up to 4 hours. Its durable and they learn so much from it. They are boy and girl so it is good for any gender! And anything that can keep their attention for any length of time is worth the $$$$'s :)

hard to put together
This one is difficult to put together. Screws positioned where you cannot use a standard sized screwdriver. Snap in knobs do not snap in. impossible to attach phone holder. does not stand level on flat surface.

Great kitchen!
We bought this for our 18 month old daughter for Christmas so that she could play while I was cooking. She LOVES it! She immediately learned to say "hot dog", though she has never had one. She cooks pretend food and feeds us with the forks and spoons. She also enjoys putting all of her dishes away (in the oven, but who cares) and enjoys the fact that the buttons on the phone actually push and sound like a touch tone. The only drawback is that the phone holder doesn't stay on, but I think with a little modification, we can fix that. ... Read more

Editorial Review

LeapFrog's arsenal of learning toys are all designed to boost children's skills at an early age and get them ahead of the curve. And what could offer a better head start than the LeapPad, which is essentially a lightweight child-sized laptop. Instead of a mouse, the LeapPad comes with a wide easy-to-grip pen that allows children to point to pictures to hear music or sound effects or point to words to hear them spoken. In addition, kids can use the pen to practice making letters and numbers. This set comes with two books focused on writing skills and children place them inside the LeapPad tablet and boot up to begin learning. This learning system pack come with a writing practice book geared to pre-kindergarteners to first graders to teach how to write letters, numbers, words, and equations. A second interactive book offers an assortment of stories and lessons in phonics, science, geography, music, and more. --Cristina Vaamonde ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Leap Pad Plus
The Leap Pad Plus has a lot of educational value but the one I purchased for my 4 year old daughter hasn't been very durable. I only let her play with it under my supervision and we have been very careful with it but after 6 months it doesn't work at all and we have had to ship it back to the company. I find it ironic that their warranty is only for 3 months. She has never had another toy that is this flimsy.

Great gift
My son loves this and he is learning things fast. I am so glad he has this and would consider this as a great gift for all children.

Poor Quality
We got this for our sons for a long road trip...and couldn't get it to work, it kept asking us to press the green go button...I tried new batteries and finally just returned it and exchanged it for a new one. I got the new one home and it would never recognize the page we were on. I've never had to write a bad review about a product, but this has been a major disappointment!!!! I had also bought the 'My first leappad' for our younger son and that worked okay, but would turn off in the middle of an activity...very frustrating. Nothing we press on the book is recognized by the leappad system. In the future I will consider buying other products and staying clear of the Leappad products.

Ah, but I like it too.
I enjoy testing myself on the States and capitals. But we got it for my son's 5th birthday and he likes it too. It should be great for the summer vacation drive. Unfortunately the whole thing stopped working within 2 days (no accidents, just gentle use); we had purchased it through Amazon so replacing was a breeze, but by the time the new one arrived some of the initial enthusiasm has worn off. I recommend it, but be sure to keep the receipt and purchase it from an easy return store. ***Update-- after writing this review, I went and purchased another book for his LeapPad to make up for the disappointment of waiting for the replacement. He excitedly inserted the cartridge and... the new LeapPad no longer works either (less than an hour of use on this one). The pad does not recognize
any activity on its right side. So I'm packing up the second one as I write this. Very disappointing; so much potential.

The stylus provided does not last
We got this 'toy' as a birthday gift for our 4 year old son. He enjoys playing with it. But the only problem we found is that the stylus stops working after some it. Nothing we press on the book is recognized by the leappad system. It continuously keeps telling us to press the Green Go button to get started regardless of what we press (even when we press the Go button). We have already exchanged it once. Even the second one seems to be having this same problem. I am just not very happy with the quality of this system. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A Great Starter for Little Minds.
I purchased this item for my neice approx. one year ago, for her birthday, and she loves it. She turned three then, and I was suprised at how often she played with it. She takes it with her everywhere. What impressed me even more, is how much she has learned and acomplished in one years time. I recomend this to any parent who wants to introduce their child to computers and learning with the joy of watching how much fun they are going to share with you while doing so.

This is extremely dissapointing
I bought this for my 5 year old daughter. She loved for the short time it worked. It is so not worth the money if Mattel makes them last for a few weeks.

It started by Barbie repeating the same thing over and over again, no matter what button she pushed, then it was humming and then finally started to make an awful noise.

We tried to fix it for her, in the end we pulled the batteries out to stop the noise. Toys R Us was not even going to listen to my complaint and Mattel could not care less. I guess Made in China should have clued me in on the quality of this product.

Pretty cool for a 4-yr. old girl
My daughter got this for her 4th birthday and she loves it. Her twin brother got a different one (obviously) and he doesn't like it as much. The B-bright is very simple and can be easily operated by pre-schoolers without help from adults. I love the menu slide on the side because my daughter can go from one activity to another without having to enter a game code. It's very cute too and entertaining. Recommended highly for kids under 6.

Very entertining for your kids
My littler girl loves this laptop. One because its Barbie and the other she has her on computer and she doest'n use my. And she has learn a lot in very littler time.

Well Worth Your Money
I bought this for my 5 year old granddaughter last Christmas.
It was the one present that she has used time and time again.
It is durable, entertaining and educational, a pretty good
package to give a child you love. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good piano but the stool breaks easily
I bought this last Christmas for my three year old and five year old. Thesound of the piano is a little off, but all in all the piano is nice for the price. The leg of the stool breaks very easily. Don't buy unless you can fix.

Good product for the price!
My wife and I knew we wanted to get a toy piano for our little girl, and struggled somewhat with what brand and price range to stick with. I'm glad to have come across this little jewel! Our girl, though only one year old now, plays with it frequently, and likes to hear other people play it. When she's hiding somewhere or getting into mischief, I'll just hit a few keys and she'll come crawling out of wherever she was hiding to join me.

Keep in mind this is a *TOY* piano--don't expect a grand piano sound out of a toy. This utilizes small metal rods of varying lengths in the interior of the instrument to produce the sound, which is a clear, pleasant tinkling; much like a windchime. One note was a bit sour, but I solved this by removing the top cover (4 screws), and adjusting the appropriate metal rod. These slide back and forth with gentle pressure, so it is possible to tune the instrument perfectly. The legs of the piano and stool can loosen over time, but you can easily solve this with a couple drops of loc-tite solution.

There are more well-known name brands and better workmanship out there, but I'm glad not to have spent more than was necessary for a decent quality instrument.

Sound is not very good
My 2 year old son got this for Christmas last year and was initially very excited because he loves music. However the piano has a very tinny sound and doesn't even come close to a real piano sound. Also the stool and piano legs have to be tightened often and can come off quite easily. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Simple pleasure!
We got this for our 2 yr old but her 4 yr old sister enjoys it also. We have several other food type toys with plastic food but none of them are as well liked or stimulates so much interactive play. The other plastic toys are handed to you if you ask but with this set, the kids insist on telling you what they are going to give you and enjoy separating each piece for service. Also can use to attach pieces that don't belong to get the kids to work on sorting and motor skills. I thought the velcro might wear out too quickly but it is still going strong after 6 months of heavy play. Also nice that the food items are really health choices, no meat or cookies. Very simple and well made and surprisingly loved!

Fun for EVERYONE!
We got this for my 2 1/2 year old son for Christmas, since he always wants to help cook. Everyone played with it for hours, from adults to tweens to teenagers to toddlers. It really sparks pretend cooking and imaginary play. My son has created "sandwiches" and "stew" as well as many non-food "things" with the peices. I'd highly recommend it to anyone and plan to give it as a gift to many kids (and their parents!)

A must for parents who want gross motor skills sharpened
This product is a high quality product. This toy stimulates gross motor skills and the love for kitchen stuff. My daughter will play with it for hours and she loves the real cutting action and then velcroing them back together. This product is used by alot of Occupational Therapist with small children.

What a great toy
My 3-year-old son likes being able to cut his own vegetables, fruits and breads as I prepare dinner. I don't have to worry about his reaching for my sharp knife - he prepares his "stew" beside me. He can play with this toy for hours, and engages lots of adults.

So Fun!
What a great toy - our 11 month old daughter just got this for her birthday and she loves it. Her two friends - 3 years old - also love it and so i know our daughter will play with this one for years -- and it looks like it will last as long. ... Read more

Teacher Review

Set up an art station just like those found in preschools andkindergartens with this set of high-quality painting supplies to encouragecreative expression in young artists. The set includes seven colors of washabletempera paint in 8-ounce bottles, in black, white, red, blue, yellow, purple,and green. No-spill paint pots with color-coordinated lids are also included,and the lids snap tightly shut so unused paint won't dry out. Six bristlebrushes are included, as well as three foam brushes and two foam rollers.Everything stores away in a sturdy storage crate (which itself folds flat forstorage). Early-childhood educators praise the creative value of painting foryoung children, and this set provides all the necessary materials except paper.--Marcie Bovetz, mother and former children's librarian ... Read more

Features

• 7 8-ounce containers of tempera paints
• 7 no-spill paint pots with snap lids
• 6 bristle brushes, 3 foam brushes, 2 foam rollers
• Sturdy, fold-up storage crate
• High-quality supplies for school or home

Reviews (3)

Good quality for price
Good quality supplies made for heavy duty use. Nice big "brushy" brushes - heavy duty nylon bristles resist "flopping" and are easy to clean. Sponge applicators are easy to use and fun shapes - they don't fall apart and they wash clean. Paint is in worthwhile size containers - just need an inch or so in the cup at a time, bottle will last a long time. Lidded cups keep paint from drying out and have large brush wells. Crayons and chalk are standard issue - would be better if they were thicker, "pre-school" size. All in all - a very good basic supply. My grandson wants to "do painting" every time he visits.

Great item...
The item is great -- all the washable paints you need -- great brushes and sponges etc...

Very Nice
My kids are having fun painting and Im enjoying the less mess part :) I also thought the brushes were 'Are" very high quality!!
I would buy this again! And will for a gift very soon!! The crate is very nice also!
Thanks!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Like miniature cans of spray paint, the pens in this 50-pieceBlopens activity kit can be used to make a wide variety of colorfulstencil and airbrush pictures. The kit contains 15 pens, including fivecolor-changing ones, and 23 precut stencils. Each pen is filled withnontoxic, washable ink. By blowing into one end of the pen young artistscan create a colorful airbrush effect on paper. A sturdy cardboardworkstation that holds all of the pens has been included, along witheight sheets of paper, a carry case for the whole set, and aninstruction and idea booklet. --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (23)

blopens are creative and a great leaning experience
My daughter received a blopen kit over a year ago. She has used it for many school projects and also just for fun. She and her friends love it and the teachers have commented on how original her projects are. They want to know how she did it. She did one project which had to do with space and planets. She used the blopens to make the background(Blue black and purple). It looked realistic and then she mounted her planets on top. They were also made using the blopens and the whole effect was very artistic. The only negative comment I have is that I have not been able to find replacement pens anywhere including on the internet. It would be nice to be able to buy replacement pens without having to buy the whole kit again.

Boo this toy sucks
It was hard to make the ink come out plus they ran dry to soon Take my advice dont buy them

not a (real) kid!
i am an artist; i make a lot of greeting cards. i have found blo-pens to be a lot of fun and i have been very creative with them. i found that i do better when i use my own stencils, and i have experimented a lot with the pens. my frustration is not being able to find just the pens, except for the "bold" colors, which i do not need. and i don't like the color change pens (the colors are blah, as far as i'm concerned). would love to know how to find an assortment of pens.

BloPens Rock
I loved playing with BlowPens. I used to hate arts and crafts. But when I got BlowPens, I had the best time of my life! Now my sister's an artist!

Be careful - the ink stains!
This ink runs through paper, so be sure and cover the surface your child is working on and make sure they wear old clothes. This ink stains, and some colors come out but others don't. Our kids enjoyed Blopens so much we couldn't keep them away from it, to our home's detriment. You'll be in for an unfortunate surprise if your child decides to sit on the floor over carpet or at a table with a tablecloth while using these pens. We were surprised that a company would make a child's toy like this with ink that won't easily wash out. Just something to consider before buying. ... Read more