Reviews (80)

Great for older children!!
I bought this for my 1 year old nephew for his birthday! I, myself, have a 3 year old and 5 year old. While, my nephew enjoys the music right now and really can't put to use the rest of it, my children loved it! I had to remind them, that the toy was not theirs. We kept it lying flat, didn't use the easle. It occupied them for a long time! They would press the musical note and when the music would stop, it was the other's turn. It taught them the concept of taking turns and sharing. They really enjoyed 'drawing' and squishing the 'paint' around. And, of course, I enjoyed clean-up later, as there was no clean-up. While it's rated for younger children, I feel that it's more appropriate for older children. Of course, I'd cut the age off at 5, as my son is quite intelligent, and although it was something new, he would much rather prefer the real thing. On the other hand, my 3 year old, well, it's more appropriate!

Still A Dud After Almost 2 Years
We got this for my twins shortly after they turned 1. My daughter has never shown much interest in it. My son liked to push the button that made the music play, and would sometimes stand on the blue surface, which would also make the music play. Neither child has really used it much for "fingerpainting," and this toy is really not up to the task. The mushy blue surface just doesn't work that well for drawing. I tried showing my kids how to use the plastic pieces to create shapes on the screen, but it still didn't seem to capture their imagination. The kids are almost 3 now, and still don't play with it. My son long ago lost interest in pressing the music button, and now it's just a big, heavy, unused toy taking up space on the toy shelf.

Also, the stand on the back is flimsy, and after repeatedly falling off, we just took it off, and tried using the toy laying flat. I thought this toy looked really cool when I bought it, alas, the kids just never really got interested in it.

For what its worth, other moms in my twins club seemed to have the same disappointments with their kids.

I see a lot of these being unloaded at yard sales these days.

Waste of money
This toy plays fun calypso music, but that's the only good thing about it. You have to press really hard to "fingerpaint" on the screen, and my toddlers were not able to do it. They played with the shapes that accompanied the toy, but would just ignore the rest of it.

Great musical toy, but what easel?
My daughter received this as a gift when she was approx. 7 months old. She loved it from the get-go. The music entertained her from the beginning and she still dances whenever she hears it. At first she just watched while Momma drew on the colorful screen and made the music, but now at 1 year she can press down hard enough to make color and make music. She also likes to move the bar back and forth to clear my artwork - although it does take considerably more than one pass - but she doesn't mind at all. She even puts her little feet on it and does a little tap-dance to hear her music. Her dad and I love to see her shaking her little behind and bobbing her head to the tropical tunes. Just one question: What easel? Mine didn't come with one. I took it out of the packaging myself and never noticed the cut-out shape until just a few moments ago when I ran to her room to check it out after reading a few reviews. That is a minor point, though. Even if your child doesn't have the strength to make a colorful musical mark yet, she will get plenty of fun out of watching you do it, and she'll learn from you as well.

Couldn't agree more...
I thought this toy would be great for my then 18 month-old. The screen is too difficult to "draw" on with tiny hands and even with the tools. The music is slightly annoying, too. I, too, am selling it at a yard sale. ... Read more