Editorial Review

Perhaps the cutest construction vehicles to ever take to theroad, the tough oversize trucks from Little Tikes feature well-roundedseams and corners and a rugged plastic build, perfect for the smallhands and boisterous attention of enthusiastic young road workers. This12-inch-long, 9-inch-high, and 9-inch-wide dump truck, cast in brightyellow and black, gets around on fat plastic tires and has a bed thatreally lifts up to dump its load.The truck's simple design also makes a quick hose-off easy after a long day in the sandbox. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Hidden Dangers
My son loves his truck now that we have fixed the dump bed. The day it arrived he was pushing it around the house and the bed raised up and hit him in the mouth. Only a fat lip and a little bleeding, no major damage. I used a self tapping screw to attach the bed to the cab, and we haven't had any more problems with that part. Another problem we have had is with the tires. They don't stay on the hubs. It still works fine, but has to be fixed when he plays with the truck. He doesn't seem to care that it doesn't dump anymore, and he enjoys working on the tires.

Not sturdy and well-designed like other Little Tikes toys
This truck is not at all like the Little Tikes Car Carrier truck that we have. Children can sit on it and ride it with no problem (the 2 sports cars are equally as sturdy). You have to watch the back of this truck because it is constantly tipping back, causing the child to fall down. It's not designed to be played with the way children of this age like to play.

A friend of mine had to call Little Tikes for a replacement for her truck because the rear wheel kept falling off. Then the whole metal axle would slide out - not a very safe thing with little ones around.

It seems that the newer Little Tikes stuff that is being outsourced to Chinese manufacturers is really junky compared to the stuff that was produced in US factories. Guess they're trying to reduce costs, but the product is suffering.

I would not recommend this product at all.

Well-made w/ smooth edges, unintended ride-on toy holds up
My 2.5 yo DS's played w/ this truck for the last year and a half. I agree w/ the other parents' comments about the back of the truck flipping up easily. But I've gotta' laugh a little: my son always turned around and sat down in it, then pushed himself along with his feet. As he got older and heavier, the truck dumped him out as soon as he started to push. That big-time frustration and his growing caboose led to a new way to ride it: he'd lift the back and sit down on the chassis beneath and with his feet out to either side, he'd push himself along. So more than anything, this truck has been a ride-on toy.

He's probably too big to use it that way now, though I'm sure he'll try. But this summer, it'll be a beach toy. Already have it in the back of the car. Oh, survives melted crayons, too. (Didn't discolor.)

Be careful with the back!
Like all Little Tikes trucks this is well-made--but we have had the same problem as other parents with the dumping end flipping up and hitting our child in the face (and then the truck slipping out from under him) whenever he put weight on it! He received it for his first birthday and after a few injuries we put it away for over a year...we keep bringing it back out to try again, but at 2 1/2, this still happens occasionally. You can't go wrong with most Little Tikes trucks--but watch this one, especially with younger toddlers!

Durable and fun
I'm getting so that the only kind of toys I want to buy for my son are Little Tykes because they are the only ones that last. He has enjoyed this dump truck (along with other Little Tykes trucks) for years. They take such a beating and yet they never break or crack. This dump truck is fun because the bed can hold a lot of dirt, rocks, or toys. In fact my son even likes to sit in it and get pushed. He also runs along as fast as he can with it on the sidewalk. This truck has been played with very hard and is none the worse for wear. Little Tykes is the best at durability. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Still running hard after a year
I first purchased this train for my son when he was 14 months old (a little over a year ago). During this phase, he was in the process of transitioning from crawling to walking. This train was a blast! Thomas (yeh, that's what got me to buy the trains in the first place) went nuts over the train. He followed it everywhere. We never bothered with the tracks back then since he just caught the train and tried to eat it. It's a great thing the train is too big to swallow.

Well since that time, our Thomas the Train collection has grown a great deal. Here in Europe (where Amazon refuses to ship Thomas trains) I pay a premium of nearly 50% extra for the tracks and trains, but it is worth it. We have bridges and tunnels and elevated tracks. Yesterday evening, Thomas and I setup a track with all the features and we let battery Thomas and battery Percy chase each other around.

My Thomas is still extremely interactive with the trains. He likes to hold the trains as they go around the tracks. When he holds a rear car and the engine pulls away, he jumps up and down and cries so hard out of frustration that he seems like he's screaming for ice cream when he can't have it. This is forcing him to attempt many different methods of trying to reattach the trains together. For the moment, he has a very low success rate of reattachment since he doesn't like to turn the engine off to do it, but he is learning.

I recommend this toy highly for children of all ages. My daughter is now 9 months old and received her first Thomas train car to play with, it's the Sodor Cargo Car and she's chewing away on it. I believe she'll be a huge Thomas the Train fan soon.

Manual just didn't work
We bought the track and a few trains for our 3-year-old son. I also read on the box that battery-powered Thomas can be manually pushed, and ours does not. It's very frustrating for a boy who likes to do things on his own! While I get a kick trying to see how many cars battery-running Thomas will pull, I don't know if I'm doing something wrong to make it easily push manually, or if we have a defect. Overall, the set is very fun.

Battery powered Thomas and friends short lived.
We have the purchased numerous Thomas products and are thrilled with most of them. Our son who is 3 has loved Thomas since he met him. We have SEVERAL manual trains and a compltely set up Thomas table. We purchased 3 battery powered trains and have had terrible luck with them. Our son plays with them constantly and the engines in all of them have burned up with in days of purchase. I am very sad that we cannot seem to find a battery powered metal train that we can count on for more than a few hours of playtime. The plastic Tomy trains have lasted far longer than the metal ones. We will continue to buy manual trains, but we are skeptical of the battery powered ones.

Obey the warning
This is a fun toy and my 2 and 6 year olds love it. However, there is a very hard to read warning on the underside of the train that says that hair may become tangled in wheels. They are not kidding! I had to cut that train out of my two year olds hair when he picked it up off the track and lifted it too close to his head. It happened in an instant! It was a bit traumatic for both of us. Fun toy, but can be dangerous.

BATTERY POWERED THOMAS!!
This train uses batteries. it has a switch to make it go by itself . if you have another battery train{or more} you can make them race. and i have percy too. it is fun!!! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Toy!
After reading a few of these reviews I just had to put one of my own in. You certainly CAN hook the firestation onto the track. One side has the links that you are familiar with, the other side has tiny tounge and groove type links. The fire station hooks on to the tounge and groove and then the other side to the rest of the track. My son loves this train set at 2 1/2 it is hard to keep his attention on something for any length of time. But this train set keeps him occupied for hours on end!!

Very disapointing to a little one
My son is in love with fire trucks, and fire stations....and trains.

He recieved this as a christmas gift, and was disapointed that the train does not run thru it. Yes, you can connect the station to the track, but it is only on one side. IF the train were to run thru it, it could NOT continue its way around the track, because the other side (front of the firestation) has no way to lock a piece of track in. I do not understand how the previous reviewer is locking the pieces in so that her son can run his train thru the station, because even the end pieces do not fit.

But just to play with, my son absolutely loves it.

Yes You Can!
My 3 1/2 year old son got this for Christmas and he just LOVES it! And, contrary to what another reviewer said, you CAN connect the tracks so it runs thru the station, as we do that every time we change the tracks around. These sets are easy for a small child to put together (and they do stay together well) and rather entertaining. I recommend this highly as a first-train for any toddler.

Our Son is Thrilled
Our 3 year old son picked this out to use up a Christmas gift certificate. He got the GeoTrax system just days before. He's thrilled with it. True it doesn't connect directly with the train system. But it shows that on the box. The door rotates around and out son has loved driving the fire engine around and around the "traintable" as he calls it.

Not very pleased!
My son loves trains and we bought him this for christmas to add on to his geotrax train. He was very disappointed that we cannot hook this on to the track to make the train run through the fire station. Very disappointing for a 3 year old! ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Fun little car
My daughter has loved this car since the day we bought it. The thing that first got her attention were the sounds. She loved to hear the baby laughing and the horn honking. She also liked the "engine" sounds. She loves to just push the car around and even puts the mom in the stroller and acts like it's a car too! It is such a great, fun toy at a super price.

Marvolous Mini Van
This mini van deserves 5 stars overall because I can pretend that it drives anywhere! The grocery bag can make the people go to the grocery store and home if you have the sweet sounds home. The possibilities are endless. It is education valued because it shows safety-for instance: the baby in the carseat. It scored 4 stars on duradility because the trunk came off a few times. Otherwise, I LOVE it!

1 year old Daughter LOVES this toy!!!
Our One Year loves this toy. She started playing with our 4 year old boys cars and so I got this for her to not only be a bigger car to push around but for her to start a collection of Little People...she drags it everywhere and loves the music. She has even packed the figures in the van as to give the whole neighborhood a ride. She somehow figured out that the back door opens and put the baby stroller in and then closed it...I didnt even show her, so it is educational in that it teaches a child all about a car. I would reccomend this item to anyone it is cute and fun and our volume is not too loud as others have said, and I am pretty allergic when it comes to loud noises!

Cute toy!
My one-year-old daughter likes this van, but it's not one of her favorites. She likes to play the music, but that's about it. And it's so loud! I guess it just wasn't her thing!

Cute... but really loud!
This little mini van is very cute, and my 3-year old daughter loves it. Being a music nut, she especially likes to push the button and play the song. I do wish the van had a volume control, though, because it's REALLY loud! This seems to be an issue with a number of Fisher-Price toys, like the Little People Ferris Wheel / Carnival set. The van is also pretty sturdily built, except for the open-able tailgate, which my daughter took off almost immediately. Again, I've had this sort of problem with other Little People toys' doors. This isn't a big deal, and it certainly doesn't affect the toy in any other way. It's also fun to use the mom and baby with other Little People sets, and vice versa. All in all, an above-average toy. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Radio Flyer's answer to the SUV, this standard red wagon (32 by13.5 inches internally) comes with a set of wooden extender rails thatattach to the metal body with 10 bolts, more than doubling theeffective capacity. (With the rail, it has a depth of over 9 inches.)Note, however, that the rails are .25-inch stock--too weak to withstandheavy loads like rocks or firewood. The wagon has the usual black metalhandle and white-hub solid rubber wheels. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Little red wagon
This wagon is the best "tool" I've ever had. It's a great workhorse - lugs all sorts of things for me. And it always gets a smile from people, too!

Good But........
We have had this wagon for a year now. It is still wheeling along, but the paint is peeling off and there are a few spots of rust and the wooden stakes on the sides are almost off too. The review says not to use it for rocks and firewood because the rails are small. I would have to add to that list a 28 pound 2 year old that just can't sit still because that has made the wood railings come off also. I guess for one of their lower end wagons it was a good deal while it lasted but I am looking into a larger more comfortable one now. THe wheels on this one are quite small and hard to manuever unless you are on the street. (it is nearly impossible to get up and down off the sidewalk if there is no built in ramp) And don't even bother pulling it through grass. Spend the extra money and get one of the all terrain wheeled wagons.... it will be worth it!!

A good buy
This wagon is definitely worth the money in the medium price range. It has been very durable thus far.

Important to me was that it was easy to assemble and did not require a lot of tools. This is a definite plus and is what prospective buyers should know. Otherwise a wagon is basically a wagon.

I feel like a kiddo again!
We bought this for our daughter who just turned one.....along with the padding which I think is a necessity....and she just loves to go for walks in her wagon! My husband and I love to watch her lean back and relax in her big comfy wagon. This is a great, sturdy toy that lives up to the Radio Flyer name!

NH Mom of Two
When we recieved this wagon as a gift, we were anxious to begin taking our 3 year old and one year old for rides in the neighborhood, but we soon found that even with blankets, the wagon is uncomfortable for the kids, and we find it hard to maneuver.The sides are pretty low, and there is no padding or storage space. I was really disappointed that the paint began to peel after just one year, even though the wagon was kept in the garage. Now we have a Step Two Wagon for two, and we are much happier. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Dangerous probing ear
My 20 month old daughter received this for Christmas. At first we thought it was the best gift ever but when she got on and started rocking we realized she could send the wooden ear through her chin, eye or mouth. We sent it back soon after. It's nice that Radio Flyer still makes the classic toys but I think it's a huge safety hazard.

One flaw in a perfect toy
I bought this rocking horse for my niece, and she adores it! I love the beauty and durability of its classic wooden structure. It has one major flaw, however. It's in the 'saddle', which is attached by two long wood screws that go up through a block into the bottom of the saddle. Unlike the rest of the horse, the base of the saddle is plastic. It didn't take very long at all for an industrious toddler to tear the saddle free. Fortunately, adults were watching and we retrieved the 2" sharp screws before she could play with them.

Great LITTLE horse!
We bought this horse for my daughter's first birthday. While it was a bit too big for her then, now, at 18 months, she enjoys it a lot more. The horse is great looking and very classic. It is smaller than we expected, but the small size makes it great for keeping it out of the way. It was easy to assemble and is very sturdy. Our only complaint is that the plastic "saddle" is a bit hard and doesn't look too comfortable. (Thank goodness diapers provide a little padding!) We are sure our daughter will get many years of use out of the horse, or "rocky" as he has been named. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

LOVE IT!!!!
The best trike we tried for my precious toddler! the copilot handle was a great tool for us moms who wants to keep our darlings safe and on track while taking walks. (No more wandering away and bending to steer to the right direction) This particular feature is useful for kids who just learning how to pedal. The back pack is also a cool one to carry my toddler's stuff and my keys/wallet. Very sturdy. Im so glad I purchased the best! My toddler loved it!

80% good trike, 20% junk
Like many others, I purchased the Steer & Stroll Trike for my little girl because of the Radio Flyer brand. I think a bit less of Radio Flyer as a result. This is a product that was either under-developed or has too many poor quality parts. Some reviewers complain about how difficult it was to assemble, a point with which I disagree. Assembly was pretty straight-forward, with an extra wiggle or push here or there necessary. But then again Daddy just rebuilt the forks and brakes on his motorcycle this week, so perhaps I'm not exactly a typical assembler.

The trike is loved by my little girl at 1 1/2, and I think she likes it because it is red like my motorcycle. She enjoys getting pushed around the 'hood, ringing her bell as we go along. The design/quality of the push bar needs some work, however. When we hit a root or bump that requires the front wheel to be lifted, I have to pick it up by hand. I started to use the push bar to lift the front wheel once, and could see the plastic flexing and turning white around the attachment bolts. Come on, my little one only weights about 25lbs! I should mention that this is the 2nd push bar; the first assembly was constructed incorrectly so that steering was reversed - I had to turn left to go right. Radio Flyer's excellent customer service sent a replacement part with just a phone call, and it was at my door in a couple of days, but that is really disappointing quality control.

The rear wheels work just fine, but don't roll 100% true. They visably wobble, but it doesn't make the trike wobble so that's just mildly annoying to me as I can't stop looking at the wobble when I push. The foot rest tube that folds down is pretty much useless, and kills ground clearance when in the down position. It sets too far back, so that the seat would have to be moved so far rearward for use that the handlebars would then be out of reach. My daughter ends up holding her feet out in front most of the time, but the ratcheting pedals work ok as foot rests, they are still just a little too far away for confort.

On the positive side, the trike looks good, the seat seems comfortable and sturdy, the big plastic tires work well in short grass and the push bar is a great idea, even if it is flimsy in execution. Oh, and the bell is great. Ding....ding.....ding...

In short, if a few items of marginal quality were redesigned or manufactured to a higher standars, this would be a much better toy. As it is, you get something that may take a call or two to customer service to get functioning properly, but is quite decent once sorted out. I would suggest looking at other trikes as well, but don't rule this one out.

Good bike for Toddler
I got this bike for my son for his 2nd birthday. Despite the other reviews, we like the bike. We had it installed at the store for $10. and that was worth it. The parent steering works fine, even though it is a little loose. My son doesn't know how to pedal yet, but he likes to put his feet on the petals, which doesn't stop the wheel like a traditional tricycle would. My son also likes to push the bike himself with the handle. It is worth the money.

Radio Flyer Who???
I like so many others, was fooled by the name Radio Flyer. Everything seemed so practical. My cousin put the bike together in about 40 minutes. But the part that attaches the wheel was slightly short, the handlebar clamp was cheap, the seat did not attach well to the bar (how can you tighten straight bolts on a curved bar?), the steering bar was a joke and my 2 1/2 year old son fell off from the the bike tilting, one too many times. Radio Flyer you should be ashamed putting something like this on the market. I am taking this bike back to Toys R Us and purchasing a Kettler Tricycle.

Fooled by "Flyer"
The first box we bought was missing a wheel!!! The missing parts should have been a sign. The trike was a piece a crap. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Sized for a large toddler/farmer, the John Deere HST 4300 is abig ride-on tractor that can really plow up the play area. At 38 incheslong (think "a very large dog") and 14.5 inches high (at the seat), ithas an all-plastic body and a very solid, durable feel. Thanks to ametal pedal axle, metal steering components, and chunky wheels, thistractor is easy to point in the right direction. It also has a big hookon the back for towing, although nothing towable comes with it. Thedecals and other details are a bit minimal, but this is a solid toy thatwill provide a lot of fun. Adult assembly is required. --RichardFarr ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Well worth the price!
We bought this for our 3yo son as a bribe (ahem) to give up his baby bottle habit. He was able to choose any toy in the store and this is what he chose (good taste). It is well worth the money we paid for it (full price). He loves it, his 1-1/2 yo sister loves it. They will get years' more use out of this tractor. It is very durable; it helps them with their coordination and judging distances and teaches cause and effect (and SHARING). I would recommend you have a little extra garage space if you are going to store it inside as it is larger than your normal trike or Big Wheel type of thing. This is a great price for this item. Grab it up! You won't regret it. Oh yeah. Get a pile of rocks too so they have something to scoop!!

Love this tractor!!
I bought it for my little cousin. He loves to come to the farm and ride on the tractors, so I thought he needed his own toy tractor to ride. He totally loves it! It is very durable and will last him for years to come, a great gift for any farm kid or any one that loves tractors! This tractor was easy to put together, the detail makes it look just like a John Deere on the farm. Great toy! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Kids who love Thomas the Tank Engine may recall the fun when Henry and the Elephant came to the Island of Sodor via the Circus Train. Made of sturdy wood and plastic, this set of three cars comes with five wooden animals: an elephant, a lion, a tiger, a zebra, and a giraffe. Like all cars and engines in the system, these link together via a sturdy and reliable system of magnets. Use them as components in a whole miniature world of train-car characters, wooden tracks, and scenery based on the popular Thomas the Tank Engine book, television, and video series. This product has a lifetime warranty. --Joan DeClaire ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Lots of fun... but size is a problem!
My son recently received the Circus Train for his 2nd birthday. He was really excited to see the animals, and loves to put them in the cage cars and drive them around the track. He has been very frustrated, however, because his train can't fit through any tunnels or bridges when the animals are on board - the animals are just too tall. I think the Circus Train would be a great addition to your Thomas Wooden Railway IF you don't have the bridges or tunnels to worry about. If you do have these items in your layout, I'd suggest the Ivo Hugh zoo set instead, as it is made to fit through those low clearance areas.

Circus Train Won't Go Under Bridges
Why would they meke a train that won't go under their own bridges?

Great advice from reviewer below
I took the advice of the reviewer below and got the Alphazoo Express line instead of this, and I am so pleased. My nieces just love the little plastic animals. They are much better then these cut outs. THANKS!!

There is a better alternative
After looking this over in a store and reading the reviews of this set I changed my mind and did not purchase it for my son. Instead, I purchased the Alphazoo Express line from Safari Ltd. and it is terrific! These are a five-star addition to your Thomas line. I would highly recommend them instead of this circus set. For starters, the animals are more realistic as they are made out of plastic instead of wood. They are very lifelike compared to these! The cars match the rest of THomas items nicely and are not cheap-looking, either, though they are very similar looking to the ones in this set. Secondly, the cars have doors that really open as well as being labeled with the names of each animal and the letter that each starts with. A very cool toy! And, they are about half the cost of Thomas cars. I got mine for $4 pop and you can choose your own animals. Only down side is that the animals are a wee bit on the small side if your child is less than three and might be a choking hazard. Check it out before you buy! You could get 4 or 5 cars for the price of this set, AND the animals will fit through your single stone tunnel or sodor bay bridge.

Great toy except at the tunnels
My dd loves her trains and these cars are a lot of fun for her. She really doesn't use them with the wooden animals too much though since they are too tall to make it through the tunnel or covered bridge on her set. Obviously this is a problem, but I still recommend them because they are the only cars that she can load up with stuff. She puts little plastic animals in the back (you know the kind that come in a bag for about a dollar.) Also Sir Topham hat can sit in the car too until you get to a tunnel that is. i do wish I had realized the animals were too tall before I bought them. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Bruder Toys
Our 3 1/2 year old loves all the Bruder trucks. They may be made out of plastic but, they are still very tuff. Our son sits on them without any problems. We love the detail of all of vehicles. It makes learning about heavy equipment fun. All of the vehicles have working parts and Bruder's attention to detail is unsurpassed. The small details adds intererst and play time longevity to the toys. Our son plays with them every day and knows the difference between quaility constructed toys and cheap toys. The wheels get pulled off of other brand trucks and put into the dump truck bed of the Brueder. Brueder is the only brand that we will buy! These are not flawed third world country plastic toys. All parts are made and assembled in Germany! The cement mixer is next on his wish list.

High Quality Plastic . . . Not Exactly
Purchased this for a 3 1/2 year old boy. Was hesitant about buying any large, plastic truck, but we did not see any alternatives at the time we purchased this. We should have stuck with our instinct. When it arrived, we were immediately struck by the fact that the plastic seemed flimsy, and that many small plastic pieces that are attached to the grader appeared and felt so cheap and flimsy that we doubted they would survive 5 minutes of play, in our humble opinion. We were not going to wait to find out, and we decided to send this back. You can get a STEEL Tonka 18" grader off of ebay for less than what Amazon is asking for this plastic thing. That's exactly what we did. Good luck! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great truck
My son got this for his second birthday. He has great fun putting things in the truck bed and dumping them out. The orange is a great color and the truck seems pretty sturdy. He sits on it and pushes it around and it hasn't shown any signs of breaking yet. The wheels are supposed to be non-marking and we haven't seen any marks from them on our floors. I'm not sure of it's educational value as it's just a truck but I guess he learns how to dump things and load things and push it around, which I think is pretty important to a two year old! All the edges are smooth and the thing seems pretty safe for just about any age. If your child likes trucks like mine you can't go wrong with this toy.

Great Tough Toy
My son plays with this and another at the doctor's office when we go. The office goes through a lot of kids and it still looks brand new. My son is 3 1/2 and wants this one and the other one (regular blue truck) for Christmas. It has a big holding area and the back flap opens to "dump" whatever is in there. It's very sturdy and fun. The only draw back I see is there is nowhere to put a driver in the seat. It's not been an issue for my son, yet, but think it might one day. ... Read more