Reviews (5)

Classroom Teacher
This product has provided hours of entertainment to my Kindergarteners and my first graders in the last two years. I can't believe how rough they can be with the toy and nothing breaks.

Really neat...even fun for mom
I bought this set for my son when he turned 4. He didn't attempt to play with it by himself until one day I got it out, sat on the floor with him and started building really neat stuff. When he saw what I had done and watched all the colors of gears turning round and round that was it, he loved it. This set has so many options; you can build 1,000 different things. We will have this set for a long time.

Start with the Under Sea Adventure set, this as add on!
We received several gears, gears, gears sets at the same time, and found that the plain set ie Super set although initially fun looses excitement without some add ons. If I were to buy just one set I would start with the Under the Sea adventure set first, then add with the fantasy play park. The Undersea set has parts that move the gears in interesting ways from the standard set. It also comes with regular gears for building, although in limited number so the super set still helps extend the play.The motorized monstors sounded more intteresting than it was, but the parts when added to the Undersea adventure set was great fun! The gears are an interesting way of learning how things work. If your child is mechanically minded any of these sets will provide a wonderful new constructin opportunity. If your child hasn't been inclined towards let's say lego's etc.. This toy may provide some interest initially in being able to create a design that moves. However, construction with this set is more complicated than legos and for the less mechanically inclined child will still need paren'ts help beyond the age minimum's recommended.

Love! Love! Love! Gears! Gears! Gears!
My kids love their Gears! Gears! Gears! My sister bought them this set for Christmas and they are still enjoying it. The gears seem very durable and the colors are vibrant and look great in their playroom. There are so many things they can make, and the gears are a nice change from all the legos.

Kids feel like they've made a real "machine"
This set of "gears" is really neat. There are lots of pieces, very nice bright colors, and countless configurations. I really like that the set didn't include patterns to follow or directions--it just told you how to make flat gears, upright, etc. My oldest child is 3--his main fascination right now is how everything moves together. He yells at me to come see the "machine" he has made. I think it will stay interesting to him for several years. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

We love it!
I'm sorry so many have had trouble with this toy.My daughters love it.They are 7 & 9 and after some practice they had it going right every time.You cannot shove Polly in the dressing room or yank her out.The clothes WILL fall off.We will buy more Polly Quik-Cliks.This is a really neat toy!

WOAH.....
WOW...everyone here is brutal while reviewing this playset-I completely disagree-I had none of the problems everyone else had here-all the clothes clicked immediately on Polly when she gets slipped into the changing room-comes out of the curtain no problem too-I think it is a very creative idea with the magnetic doll and the clothes-none of the magnets fell off, the clothes had no problem staying on the clothes applicator....nope no complaint here(and believe me I have no problem complaining about mismanufactured toys- just check out my other reviews)

I would suggest to the previous reviewers here with all their problems to call the manufacturer personally. I once had a missing piece to a Polly playset- I called them and they sent me a coupon for $10.00 off any Mattel toy. Either look on the back of the toy or on the instruction sheet to get the 800 telephone number. It sounds to me that it may be a manufactures defect in some of the products everyone in the review section had-might have been the first ones off the assembly line. I guarantee that Mattel would treat you well...they would rather send you a measly $5.00-$10.00 coupon rather than to lose your business which brings them billions of bucks a year.....YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST GUYS!!!!!

Totally Coolto play with
My daughter got this for Easter and we all love it!!!I read the other reviews and Im sorry theirs dont work properly, but ours works just like its supposed to.

It is enginered so that you can only put the clothes on the thing one way....so that the front will always be in front, ect.
So if they fall off, you know you put it on wrong.And then you lower the shute slowly and push Polly into the dressing room slowly till you hear a "click".That click is the clothes "jumping" onto the doll!!!!It is so Cool to watch!!!

We took this to Grandmas house to show her and all the adults sat and played with it for hours.....our only disappointement was that we only had one Click-it Polly to play with!!!!But the regular polly's got to be the store owner, so we still got to play with them!

This is probably the coolest Polly product out there.And we will definetly be buying more of the 'click-it' products to go with it.

It doesn't work as described!
We received this as a birthday gift. The "dressing room" is supposed to place the clothes on the doll but, in practice, it doesn't work. First, the plastic clothes are difficult to place in the holders when the clothing applicator is in the top position. Second, the clothes don't stick to the "applicator" - they fall off as you lower them into the chute and end up wedged into the bottom. Third, when you slide Polly into the dressing room, she gets hung up on the "curtains" and it takes 2 hands - one holding the slider and one to lift the curtain out of the way. Fourth, any clothes that DO stick to the applicator all the way down to reach the doll don't end up on the doll. The applicator didn't close enough to attach the magnetic clothes. There is a 1/2 - 3/4 inche gap between the clothes and the doll.

It's just easier to manually dress Polly without the silly "magic dressing room".

The clothes are the magnetic version of Polly Pockets. I personally prefer the older rubberized clothes that stretch to fit. I've not been impressed with Polly Pockets in general as the non-clothing accessories don't seem to work as described (cars, carrying cases, etc.)

All the itty bitty teeny weensy pieces are destined to get lost almost immediately or sucked up by the vacuum cleaner. But, that's true for all Polly Pockets. Don't buy any Polly Pockets if you have children under the age of 3 around. They are bound to end up choking on piece or shoving a tiny shoe up an orifice.

We advised the gifter not to purchase this in the future as it just doesn't work! We exhanged this toy for a Fairytopia Barbie.

DisappointedMom
We bought this toy today and it's terrible.It does not work as advertised.You place the clothes on the "loader" and put the doll in the "dressing room".However, when you push down on the plunger to dress the doll, no matter how slow you go, the back of the doll is too close to the clothes and it knocks them off, while the front of the doll is nowhere near close enough to touch the doll.Very bad design....this is the worst Polly Pocket toy ever (and we have bought a few!) ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Not as good as the original
I bought these for my daughter when she was 3. Now 5, she and her 2 year old brother play with them. They are no where near as good as my bristle blocks from childhood (still at Grandma's). These just don't stay together well at all. The people that swivel and the wheels looked like they'd add great dimension and improve a classic toy, but with the reduction in block quality (ie, they don't stick together!), I have to say these are a so-so toy, at best.

Another interesting way to build things
My kids really like their bristle blocks. I like the bright colors and the different sizes. My 3 year old just likes to put the pieces together--it doesn't matter if it is anything or not. It is just interesting to him that they stick to each other at this point. I built a car for him--from that point on, he has been able to visualize different things--cars, buildings, yards, etc. and put them together. I think that these, blocks, gears, legos, lincoln logs, etc. are all very important to a child's development. These are lots of fun for a reasonable price.

Bristle Blocks are Great!
My grown sons played with Bristle Blocks when they were children. Now my 3yr old grandson loves them as well. We gave him a small set for Christmas when he was two and he has been playing wiht them ever since. This year he gets the biggest set Imaginarium makes. I feel his imagination is fed with every space ship or airplane he creates.
And his Dad & Uncle get a big charge out of them as well, for them its a blast from the past. We love them!

Great toys for children
My son got some of these as a fun toy to play with when we where at a wedding and the women was nice enough to send them home with us well these soon became my sons favorite toy and he takes them everywhere and as a very active four year old these keep him very busy and quiet for hours on end they can build anything with them . Great toy for kids of all ages i belive,

Blocks from my childhood!
I love these blocks!!! I had been looking in stores everywhere for them. I just turned 30 and & have a 3 year old & a 5 month old. I had been looking for toys that I loved as a kid ... They have all disappeared! (Like fashion plates!!!) These blocks provided my brother and I with hours of fun. The wheels may not have worked perfectly, but if you built something, it stayed together. Only warning - Keep away from teething babies & puppies! These lasted for years!!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

rear wing falls off
My son was SO excited to get this for his birthday. I put it together with ease.However the rear wing keeps falling off.It fell off within thefirst 5-10 minutes of EASY play.It does click back on but continues to fall off with ease.The front wheel has also come off.The ear muffs and hat do not fit the ground crew man very well.There are very cute mugs and juice boxes that store in the plane that are very easy to lose.One of the juice boxes is actually stuck in between the rear seat and the wall and we cannot get it out.Anyhow We did take the mugs and drinks away and have just been dealing with putting the wing and wheel back on. For the price I would think it should stay on much better.If I had the choice to get another one of these I would not.This was a gift and had I known it would fall apart this easy I would have returned it without opening it and gotten something different.

falls apart
My son recieved this airplane as a gift because he loves airplanes.However much he liked it I didn't like it at all because he was constantly coming to me to put the wings back on or the tail or the door.It was very annoying and eventually the parts begain to come up missing.There are tiny little red squares that keep these parts on and they began to come up missing first.My son loved it but we had to throw it out because it was in pieces in the end with no way to put it back together.I won't buy this or any other playmobile products for this reason.

Sturdy, high quality and lots of fun!
This playmobil airplane is a really great toy. It is made out of high quality plastic, is easy to put together, and stays together (pretty well) during "enthusiastic" play. It comes with the two airline employees (pilot and steward/co-pilot) and the orange-vested tarmac agent. So funny! There are three little play cartons of juice, and four little cups for attending your customers (easy to lose), the tarmac agent has those yellow paddles and ear protectors for guiding the plane in for a landing. The plane has a side door that opens up but also the entire top comes off for easy passenger seating. There's an undercarriage storage area for any luggage that your passengers might carry.
My boy absolutely loves this airplane toy. He has gathered up a whole airport utilizing his Playmobil taxi, some generic helicopters and passengers from various other playsets (Lego, etc). I think the Playmobil Airport Security Screener set is in his near future (yes! I kid you not!). I am happy that he prefers imaginative play with this airplane than with his structured Hot Wheels playsets. A bit thumbs up!
... Read more

Reviews (1)

CEEEWWWWWTTT!
I collect MLP's, and this one was no exception. One thing I have to say is that this pony is such a little cutie! As a child, I was never much into human baby dolls. Too bad toy companies didn't come out with things like this when I was younger.

Petal Dove is a really cute baby pony. Press the heart on her hoof, and she giggles. If you give her the bottle (or stick your finger in her mouth), she makes slurping noises. When you remove the bottle (or finger), she hiccups, and then she yawns a few seconds later, and turns herself off. You can start her up again by feeding her, or pushing the heart on her hoof.

My sister, (who's older than me by the way) can't seem to get enough of playing with her when she gets a chance. But there's one thing I don't like about this toy. I LOVE the yawning sound effect she makes, but she only makes it after you feed her. There's nothing you can do to get her to yawn, except if you feed her.

But on the plus side, she's just so goshdarn cute! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

25 Month Old Loves It
My 25 month old daughter loves this toy. If you are a parent who plays with their child, you will too. This is a poor choice of toy to just hand to a child; it requires interactive play, at least initially. The case is a bit fragile, though. A small purse/bag works just as well as a substitute doctor's bag.

Good set
My twins just received this for their second birthday. So far, it's a huge hit! We are not having any problem fitting all the items into the bag. The blood pressure cuff doesn't stay together too well, but everything else is great. The boys have had great fun "fixing" both of their parents and themselves.

It's a pretty basic set, but it seems great for their age and skill levels. If you have an "under 3" and are looking for a medical playset, I'd definitely recommend this one.

interesting search engine
I am interested in the Fisher-Price Medical Kit that ToysRUs sells, but searches under "Medical Kit" or "medical" or "kit" only send you to this more expensive less interesting toy. The Fisher-Price web site sends you to this web site but once you are here you are encoraged to buy something else. Interesting search engine. The stars are for review submission purposes only.

2.5 Year old loves it but falling apart
Purchased in part b/c reviews suggested it was the sturdiest of the bunch. Neighbor has the alternative blue case and accessories.

My 2.5YO daughter loves this but cramming all the pieces into the case has finally broken the latch beyond repair. The toys are reasonably sturdy but the stethoscope doesn't fit ears well-she just wears it around her neck. (The other child's doctor kit actually transmits some amplified sounds but no electronic sound effects of coughing and thump-thump). The blood pressure unit doesn't go or stay on very well and falls apart. (But after quite a few tries re-assembling it has become part of the game).

Double the price but not double the quality of the blue one.

Great Kit!
My 3 yr old son just loves this kit, I shopped around for one with the best gadgets, and this one is very nice. The stethoscope is a little hard to keep on the ears, and it has to be packed just so to get the case to close, but I think it is definately a good purchase. ... Read more

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 (6)

I wish I had this toy when I was little!
This is such a great toy! My daughter opened it right after Thanksgiving and we kept it under the tree for her to play with. Having Santa and Mrs. Claus both was a treat. It was sad to pack them away after New Year's. But the white box they came in makes it SO easy to put away AND hide. We love the Little People line. You can never have too many ideas to play with!

White Box
Who really cares about the white box. Open it up and look inside. The little people products have always proven to be quality products...whether packaged cutely in hard to get out packages or a simple white box.

White box-so what!
I guess my kids are different from all of your's. Mine don't stop at the box when unwrapping. They go straight in and investigate everything!

As far as I'm concerned, the plain box make the suspense last a little longer. It's kind of a let-down when you've unwrapped the box and it's obvious what's inside before you open it. No need to go on then. When I was a kid, we used to have to try and guess what was in the box before we unwrapped the gift. It made it even more fun and slowed down the greedy unwrapping frenzy that occurs on Christmas morning.

Besides, the plain box makes it easier to hide what's in it from little eyes before Christmas! I don't get to shop without my 2 yr old, so it gets tough to hide her gifts from her! Also, we don't have much "out of sight" storage space for hiding things.

A great chirstmas toy
I have lots of Christmas decoration that the kids want to touch and play with but Can't!! This is one toy that also makes a Great Chirstmas Decoration, that the kids can play with!!! It's very durable and fun for all ages, my 5 yrs old like playing with Santa & sleigh, my 2 yr old like the building and the present that opens & my 1 yr old loves pushing the Christmas tree and hearing the music. I plan on packing it away with the Christmas decoration, so next year they have their own Decoration that they can enjoy setting it up themselves & I don't have to worry about it breaking.

I agree with the other post this toy came in a plain white box my son unwrap it and toss it to the side because he didn't know what it was (unlike other toys as soon as they open it saw what it was) it really needs better packaging for gift giving.

Toy comes in a generic white box!!!
I saw this toy at Target and it was in a regular colorful Little people box. When I was placing my other christmas orders, I decided to include this as well from Amazon. Well It does not come in a regular box. It comes in a white generic box, just all the pieces jammed together in the box. It is the same price here as it was at Target so I recommend buying it from Target. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Imagine a combination spa and playground…this is life in the Littlest Pet Shop! A bobble-headed puppy and hamster have the run of this folding plastic play set, with a clear tube for the hamster to run through, a hydrant/sleeping loft for the pooch, a fish tank with "swimming" fish, an exercise wheel, and lots more. Magnets imbedded in the pets and some of the accessories allow magical action: running hamsters, a toy box that pops open, and the convertible hydrant. Puppy and Hamster can invite over some of their other Littlest Pet Shop bobblin'-headed friends (not included), and let them spin in front of a window, preen in the bathroom or hang out on any of the various perches and nap spots throughout the shop. Cute and clever--sure to inspire hours of absorbing entertainment! --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Editorial Review

Designed to encourage early role play, this small, colorful playground is centered on a giant tic-tac-toe board, with rolling x's and o's, that sits atop a yellow, open-air sandbox. Michael can climb the ladder to the upper platform while Sarah Lynn goes down the red slide and giggles. Other fun features include a musical merry-go-round, a purple tire swing, and a yellow tricycle. This would be an entertaining, developmentally rich toy for preschoolers. Required, but not included, are three AA batteries. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Toy.
Our daughter loves all her Little People toys. They are durable and easy to clean. They are great fun for her & all are wonderful.

Lots of fun!
My daughter received this toy for her second birthday. She enjoys it thoroughly, especially the merry go round and the tic tac toe board. This toy has been known to travel along with us in the car and has kept the teddy bears company as well! Along with her other Little People toys, this one is definately a hit!!

attn: customer service
I was billed $23.16 for a $14.99 toy. When I questioned via the web site e-mail as to why the item was not shipped per poundage at a considerably lower cost, I received no reply. Also, the tax appears to have been applied to the $6.29 shipping also. As I expect this message to be reviewed, please forward to the appropriate department's supervisor.

NOT for posting.

Please respond

Thank you,

Christine Reekie

A must have for your Little People collection
This set is so cute ... and my children (4, 3 and 1) love this set as it's just like the playground equipment they visit at our local park ... so they make the Little People do exactly what they like to do when they go to the park.

It's easy for my children to put the Little People in and out of the tire swing and on the little Merry Go Round. The Merry Go Round has music and you can hear laughter from another button at the top of the slide. The tic-tac-toe game also spins and makes a great noise as well (my 1 year old particularly likes that part!). The 1 year old also finds it easy to put the Little People on and off the bike.

As we have found with all our Little People sets - this set is extremely durable and easy to clean ... a perfect addition to your Little People collection.

We LOVE this!!
I was so excited to see that my 20 month old got this for Christmas from his grandmother! It is the cutest toy--It has a play structure, including a merry-go-round, slide, even the little tic-tac-toe rotating blocks like they have at a real playground. There is also a little tire swing, and it comes with a tricycle. The two people that come with it are so cute also. My son's favorite feature is the fact that when you push a button at the top of the slide, you hear children's laughter. He cracks up everytime the button is pressed.

This is such a great toy, and a wonderful addition to your Little People collection! ... 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

Reviews (23)

rescue heros mission select
i just bought this toy for my friend and he love it. it is a nice toy and looks like it is made well,you have to use mission select figures though ,whitch are kind of hard to find since this is an old model toy, but i managed to locate a few whitch is enough to work with this toy and so other pieces that add on like the car and fire truck. i really like the fact that this toy will keep a child occupied for a couple of hours and tweaches them to use imagination.its a real fun toy for the child and his dad a 5 star for fisherprice and 5 stars for targets great price,and extreamly fast shipping. happy holidays.

What's the fuss!! Great toy!!
I've read a lot of the reviews some negative. Parents whine about how long it took to put together, the crane, spotlight and Radar coming off. Let me point something out that explains why they did this. The reason why these parts come off easy is because kids can be rough with parts that move. Imagine if the spotlight was fixed on and a kid leaned on it or yanked it to get a figure off. It would snap right off and you wouldn't be able to get it back on. As far as the crane, well, put a figure on it and hold it with one hand and use the free hand to work the winch. Simple as that. Okay, before you say, its easy for us adults to expect this from kids, but you teach a kid how to do this and from then on they do it. My son was 3 when he got this toy and he's now 4.5 and never cries or complains about what I read these other reviewers mention.

The toy is great. Hook up your mission select figures to it and they talk about the mission. It's great. My son loves to have his characters "Talk about the mission" as he puts it. And my 1.5 year old comes and pushes the button to hear them talk. There are a lot of pieces, just take your time putting it together and play with your kids. It's a lot of fun!

Disappointed in the durability of this toy.
I bought this for my nephew's 3rd birthday. He was so suprised when he saw it and he wouldn't stop playing with it. He was using the "cat condo" for the Heroe's to run their missions before he got the MACC. I know the cats are thankful for this gift. I think it's a great toy if you have a Rescue Hero fanatic in your house. However, like others have stated, the crane is not very sturdy, and that's my nephew's favorite part of the toy. Whenever he tries to use it the whole thing pops off of the top of the command center. I was having to hold it on while he played with it. Hopefully his grandpa can rig it so it works for him.

Luckily I got this on sale at Toys R Us for $29.99 so I'm not so put out by this designing flaw since grandpa will find a way to make it work. But I do feel for those who spent $69.99 on this toy. I would not recomment paying that kind of price for this type of quality.

All in all its a fun toy for the Rescue Hero's fan in your house but it does require a little aftermarket repair on your part for it to function properly.

We love this toy
Bought this for our son for his 5th birthday. He loves it. It did take an hour or so to put together. But we did it the night before. We also bought the Mission Firetruck to go with it. Yes you do have to by the Mission Rescue Heroes so it will talk, but it was well worth it. Our eight year old daughter plays with him, she likes it also. We also have a one year old daughter and it is nice to have out, because the pieces are not to small for her. All in all we are pleased with the toy and would recommend it to others.

This is awful
As a parent of a 4 yr old, I must say this is his and my least liked toy. It was a gift from his grandparents, so I didn't pay for it, but I personally would not buy it for even less than $5. It took forever to set up, is awkward to play with and the 'missions' are jumbled and uninspired. I wish I had kept the box, I would have returned it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Home to evil Lord Dragomont, this massive fortress sports a huge dragon's head centered above a set of swinging gates. Lights flash and alerts sound when the dragon's mouth opens. Turning a knob on the back makes "hot lava" flow to the right of the stone entryway steps. Further to the side rest two stone platforms, one above the other, equipped with a trap door that opens when a secret spot is hit. The toy's quality is decent but not mind-blowing. It comes with a 26-minute cartoon video, Fortress of the Dragon; also included are action figures of Lord Dragomont, a small red lizard, and a winged red dragon that shoots a missile out of its chest. (You just press a button above its tail.) Required are three AA batteries, sold separately. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Our favorite toy
My 2 year old son was first introduced to this toy at our Montessori class...he was hooked immediately!!! It was easy for him to figure out how to put the pieces together and attach the gears (he loved being able to do all of this himself as opposed to other gear toys where most of the building is already done for you) He sat and happily played with this fantastic toy for almost an hour before we had to leave. The learning possibilities of this toy are immmense as is the "fun value". With no "bells and whistles" this toy ranks very high on our list of toys due to the fact that our son has complete creative control...it's all up to him. All in all, it's a fantastic toy that we highly recomend.

Almost perfect...
My son received this toy for Christmas, and we gave one to our niece. The verdict is that it is almost, but not quite, perfect.

The toy is a set of interlocking squares of various colors that are perforated to hold a four-pronged hub that can support one of four sizes of gears. Everything is made of a durable plastic that has some flex to it. You can create systems of gears that spin around and even construct things like gearboxes. (The cover of the box--shown above--will give you a simple idea of what can be done.) There is a manual aimed at parents that helps them teach their child how gears work, too--a nice touch.

The quality of the toy is high: the colorful stickers for the gears are plastic coated, the injection-molded pieces are free from excess plastic, and the pieces fit together solidly. It's everything you would want from a European-made toy. (Quercetti, the manufacturer, is based in Italy and the toy is actually made there.)

It's a mesmerizing little toy and its variability is virtually endless. There are other kits in the Gear line that include such things as universal joints and 3-D parts, so it is highly expandable, even as your child ages.

My quibble? Our three year old niece adores the toy, but our three year old son only plays with it in fits. Truth be told, I play with it more than my son does. So as with anything, your mileage may vary.

It's nice that toys like this one are still being made. There's a lot of learning that can occur with it, too. Factor in the expandability and how can you go wrong?

Now if only I could get my son to join me more while I'm playing with it!

Bit tough for little hands to put together, but beautiful...
The base pieces of this toy are a bit stiff for my kids' little hands to put together. Also, the pegs that hold the gears onto the base are a bit tricky, but will build good fine motor skills if not discarded in frustration. I was just as entranced by this toy as they were as we played with it together for the first time. The brightly colored decals are trippy and fun. And learning that gears transfer energy they supply to move other gears of various sizes "on down the line" is... priceless. *grin*

we can go earlier
My daughter has always been drawn to visual spatial toys and loves playing with gears. She started getting independent with this around 3 years of age. I love the Discovery toy version as well.

Kaleido Gears Review
Originally purchased for our 5 year-old granddaughter, this toy is a little above her developmental stage, and apparently above her grandparents as well! She and we became frustrated in trying to fit the white gear connectors to the gear pieces, and then attaching the coupled piece onto the frame. Our 8 and 11 year-old granddaughters, however, love it and fight over playing with it! ... Read more