Editorial Review

Unzip this 10-by-14-inch, bright turquoise, soft cloth book, and you'll find two animal-packedalphabet trains spanning both pages. Each train car is a pocket, and each pocket is embroidered with aletter of the alphabet. Inside the pockets you'll find friendly little pillow animals, each one marked with aletter of the alphabet: the pink elephant rides in the E car, and the green alligator rides in the A car.Your child will love taking the animals out of the pockets and stuffing them back in (a favorite toddleractivity). You'll have fun teaching your child the names of the animals and letters, such as N for newtand X for xenops. When playtime is over, your toddler can zip the whole gang safely inside, grab thesturdy handle, and tote the little animals to their next destination. --Elisabeth Fredrickson ... Read more

Reviews (8)

My favorite toy for my kids!
This was a gift to my newborn boy, but my 2 1/2 year old adores it!
Pros:
1. helps teach letters (each animal has the letter that starts its name on its back)
2. compact, portable
3. cute!
4. animals good for other play (my daughter likes to pretend to "save" them when they are stuck in a tree, or have them ride in her "airplane" (shoe)... and much much more
5. OK for babies (although the animals are smallish, ~ 3inches tall, they never presented a choking hazard for my son -- who likes to chew them)
6. The animals machine wash well (see chewing note above :) )
Cons:
1. Lots of pieces to lose -- we lost the lion for quite a while, but he showed up behind the entertainment center
2. Some of the animals are not so recognizable -- I think "N" is a newt, but it's hard to tell.

Despite the few cons, this is probably my favorite toy that my kids have. Thus, 5 stars all around!

A worthy investment
I bought this for my daughter at 17 months and she loves it. Not only is it beautiful, it's the best quiet time toy ever!!

Just an FYI
We've owned this toy for over 3 years. The manufacturer (Pockets of Learning) replaces missing pieces at no charge, not even shipping!

Great Old MacDonald Cheat Sheet
We love our Animal Train. We sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm and use all of the animals in alphabetical order. Some are a little hard to come up with sounds for (like newt, for example!!!) and some of the animals are hard to recognize, but still, this is a wonderful idea and a nice implementation of it.

My 16 month old loves this learning toy!!
I bought this when my son was 14 months old and it immediately became his favorite toy. Within a month he knew at least 10 of the animals and could point to them when I asked where they were. He even knows exactly where to place his favorite 4 animals when all of the pockets are empty. This toy has helped his dexterity too as he has learned how to slide the animals inside of the pockets. These soft animals are just the right size for little hands and at any point during the day our son can be found carrying 2 or 3 animals all around the house. They have even helped with nap and bedtime!! Putting him down for sleep was a dreaded event as he would always cry. I began to place the entire "book" in his crib, telling him to talk to each of his animals. He becomes so focused on taking them in and out of the book that he forgets about going to sleep and ultimately falls asleep within 15 minutes. When I go in to check on him he is always sound asleep with one still in his hands! I HIGHLY recommend this toy as it teaches colors, letters, animals and helps increase dexterity. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Hot Wheel Car Case
This is a great car case. I gave it a 5 STAR in the educational value because it helps teach my 5 1/2 year old to become more organized...it's not hard for him to lift and even though it holds 48 it could hold more if you put 2 thin cars together in 1 slot. We are looking into a bigger case though, but I do give kudos to this design

Start . . . Your . . . Engines!!
There has always been a love for Hot Wheels in my family. As a child, my dad played with them non-stop and as an adult collected, sold, and traded them for awhile. I, myself, have always been a fan of these little cars and played with them as a small child. Now, as an adult, I marvel at their detail and sophisticatedness. I am happy that my son has developed quite a love for these cars and now, just weeks from his 3-year birthday, has amassed a collection of over 200 Hot Wheels and 4 cases!

But when the day is done and bedtime is near, what do we do about the little cars scattered all over the family room floor? Enter the Hot Wheels Car Carry Case! This case is molded in hard blue plastic, making it very sturdy and durable. My son has stood on it, dropped it on the floor, and dragged it to his grandparent's houses many a time and it hasn't broke, cracked, or split. It also boasts a large, wide, easy-grip handle on the top, making it easy for my son to grasp and carry it. The case itself holds 48 cars (which are not included--the case is sold separately). The compartments inside are large enough to hold one standard Hot Wheels car, along with trucks and ambulances. The compartments also easily accommodate the larger cars from the Hot Turnerz series, and can hold two of the smaller cars from The Fast and the Furious set. However, as other reviewers have stated, this case will not hold such vehicles as limousines, semi-trucks, monster trucks, or any of the cars from the Fatbax series.

I love these cases because they hold all of my son's cars in one convenient place and stack up neatly in the corner, making clean-up quick and easy. My son's cars do not get scratched, bent, or cracked from being in the case itself--those deformities come from the fact my son plays very hard with his cars every day. The lid opens and snaps shut easily; I have honestly not had any problems with the hinges cracking or breaking, or the case opening on a whim and spilling out cars. Finally, while the recommended age for this product is ages 5 and up, I have not had any problems with my son putting Hot Wheels in his mouth or electrical sockets (probably because he respects cars too much!).

Overall, I highly, highly recommend this case to all little Hot Wheels lovers, collectors, and enthusists everywhere!

Not happy with your available info on site and packaging
My son loves his new track, but I am having a real hard time finding out which cars can go on this specific track and if it can be amplified with other tracks. Info on all tracks is very unclear for a person who is not too familiar with Hotwheels. It took me ages to find out which tracks were electrical, motorized or just tracks. There is hardly any info on the site of Hotwheels and believe me, we have spent hours there browsing. I finally ended up buying Serpent Cyclone because it was the one that appealed most to my 5 year old because of the photos, but it was just a wild guess it would be okay for him. It says some hotwheels cars can't go on the track, but it turns out most can't run on it. I think packaging should be more specific, both of tracks and cars, indicating for which tracks they are suitable and the tracks, with which other tracks they can be amplified, if any. Right now it is a lot of guesswork and searching.

Its ok
I have found other car Carry cases made by the same company are better, they can hold larger vehicles, such as Semi's and limousines. This case can not hold such large vehicles, its good for most other cars. Its ideal for larger cars like vans and truck but its not that suitable for cars, it has too much room. They can becomed scratched and what not.

Cool Review
This is a really good case for beginers but when you have a really big collection you'll need something different or a couple of the cases. It's realy storg too. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Liked it a lot!
We bought this toy for our 2 year old son and he loved it to begin with...the fun kind of wained after a few weeks of use so we went out and bought a new Trax Pack for it and he loves it again. It is like getting an entire new toy for him...and not an expensive one either for what you get! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Thomas the Tank is the signature bright-blue engine in the Thomas the Tank series. He does light yard work and pulls small passenger cars, such as Annie and Clarabel. Based on the award-winning television series Shining Time Station by the Reverend W. Awdry, the Thomas the Tank train system fulfills all of a child's choo-choo dreams. Each vehicle has a different name, character, and face. It is wooden and 2 inches high with black plastic wheels. The magnetic bumpers at the ends of each vehicle make linkup easy. Children will become friends with each one, developing not only imaginative play but social skills and new motor and cognitive skills as they mature. --Sandy Hirsch ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Very good toy
First, when I bought a Thomas tape, My 3 years old son watched it six times in a line. Then I bought Figure 8 set. He liked it very much. Later I had the Mountain Tunnel Set and a lot of tracks and most of the engines and freight cars and circus cars. Now my three little children play them every day. The two years old twins count the engines and they all learn to share the railway, who goes where; Who passes the crossroad first to avoid crash. They learn to wait patiently because the train is very long. I help them bulid the railway system(I change the layout freqently). Dad sometimes has a race with them. It could be a hobby later in their teen life. My experence, 8 inchs track is never enough when you want to play on the carpet. They are good toys.

The one and only Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas is great and it's so fun to pull him along the track woth Annie and Clarabel. When I make the big setes In set aside a branch line for Thomas, Percy, and sometimes Lady. Thomas is great but in order to get the experience you need Annie and Clarabel.

Once you start, you can't stop!
When I checked out a Thomas DVD from our local library, I had no idea what I'd get into. My 2 yr old son is now obsessed with Thomas. Plays with them day and night. 4 yr old daughter enjoys them too. They are great toys- building track is good for spatial relations, they teach color and numbers and the stories all have good values- plus he plays with them like action figures. We're keeping these for our grandkids. Also, try eBay for Thomas sets. We got two sets of ten trains for about forty apiece, big savings. But then some track sets are cheaper here than you can find on eBay, so be sure to check both.

SMALL PROBLEM
I ordered this to for my son, and when it arrived in the mail I was shocked! It is so small! I guess I sould have read the size description better. Cute train, but not worth the money for its size.

boy's toys
My soon to be 3yr old son loves these trains, he started with his 8yr old uncles trains, his uncle has had these toys since he was a toddler as well and still plays with them. After i saw how much my son enjoyed the trains i bought him the figure 8 set, i thought at the time that that was all i would get him, i now plan to get him all the trains, he knows all their names and points to pictures of them in the pamphlet you get with the set and asks for them. he calls the pamphlet his book, he reads it often. since buying that set i have bought all the videos i find, some books, some trains, some track. the only bad thing i can think of about them is that they are somewhat pricey, though i know they will last a long time, you cant tell his uncles set is old at all. the only reason i buy them is because he gets so excited about them, he also behaves very well when i threaten to ground him from them, its the only thing he gets upset about losing and its almost the only thing he plays with now besides his trucks and cars. ... Read more

Features

• Plastic frame, 6 wheels
• 2 trash bins
• Movable parts

Reviews (9)

BRUDER 24' MERCEDES BENZ GREEN GARBAGE TRUCK
I PURCHASED THIS TRUCK FOR MYSELF! EVER SINCE I WAS A CHILD, I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A GARBAGE TRUCK THAT ACTUALLY WORKED LIKE A REAL LIFE GARBAGE TRUCK, THIS TRUCK DEFINELTY DOES!! IT IS VERY DETAILED AND EASY TO OPERATE. IT ACTUALLY COMPACTS AND EMPTIES! IT'S REALLY COOL! NOW THE BAD PART, IF YOU ARE PURCHASING THIS TRUCK FOR A YOUNG CHILD IT ISN'T AS DURABLE AS A TONKA TRUCK AND MIGHT NOT LAST AS LONG! OTHER THAN THAT, IT IS A GREAT TRUCK ESP. IF YOU GREW UP LIKING GARBAGE TRUCKS!

Looks great, but I wonder about quality
Wow! We just opened the box to our Bruder Garbage Truck. It looks great, like the kind of toy I wish I had as a child. Yes, the price is high, and yes, I am concerned that the plastic may not hold up to any rough play. However, with the continual decline of Nylint and Tonka, it is getting harder and harder to get quality trucks for little boys (and adults!). On that front, I am glad that Bruder offers these detailed vehicles. Also, I am glad to find a toy truck that doesn't have battery powered annoying lights and sounds. Like I said, it is getting more difficult each Christmas season to find a quality toy truck.........

Another teacher raves
My son loves garbage trucks and has several toy garbage trucks. The Bruder brand is wonderful.

My son loves this truck, but.......
My six-year old absolutely adores this truck - he has named it, he draws it, it has to be on the floor next to his bed at night. He enjoys playing with it and loves to demonstrate how a "real" garbage truck operates. HOWEVER, despite the fact that he really has not been rough with it, in only six months it's not only falling apart, but the plastic parts are breaking too.
Overall, I can't really justify the price to replace the thing.

Our 2 & 3 year old boys LOVE this BRUDER GARBAGE TRUCK !
We ordered 2 BRUDER GARBAGE TRUCKS for our sons , they are 2 & 3 --- They get excited when they see the garbage truck pick up our trash , they think the big garbage trucks are interesting --- When SANTA brought them 2 big GARBAGE trucks for Christmas , They loved them !!! --- They play together with them all the time , The detail on this big truck is great , They like the Moving parts . They love to imagine & play with the Bruder Garbage Truck , we also got them the Cement Mixer & Dump truck --- If your toddler boy likes trucks , they will enjoy the Bruder Trucks ! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

No visible scratches had it for 2 years
Most of my trains are pretty old except for the new ones but Percy really hasn't had any scratches and i've had him for nine years. His magnet is still there and it's in working order. Percy is one of everyone's favorite engines and this one is a great buy!

My son loves it!!!
My son is a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. His favorite is Percy. He takes his Percy trains with him wherever he goes (to bed, in the car, around the house, etc.). We even bought an extra for him just in case he loses one of them. If your children love Thomas (and what toddler doesn't?), I do have a piece of advice--get duplicates of the trains. You never know if one will get lost, or forgotten! I got doubles of most of the trains, Percy included, and it can be a real lifesaver when one gets lost or left behind!

Great
This toy is great. My whole family has fun every evening playing with this train. The just can't get enough of it!

Also, it's able to withstand lots of rough playing.

This is a must!

Percy's Great!
My son has several Thomas trains, and he really likes Percy. He has a warm smiling face, and the colors are very vivid. The construnction is very durable, which makes for hours of fun. The magnets are strong and enable Percy to pull several other cars. All of the toys of the Thomas collection are excellent choices for young children. They will surely enjoy this fun toys.

THOMAS & FRIENDS ARE GREAT!
Can't say enough good things about the Thomas & friends line of toys. They are durable and fun. NO BATTERIES! It allows your child to us their imagination. Thomas is pure FUN! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Fantastic!
Okay, in my opinion, this is just about the neatest addition to a train set out there. We first saw this at a (...) store and my son just couldn't take his eyes (or his hands!) off of it, so the Easter Bunny brought him a set. Boy, what a great idea that was! These guys go along the track all the time, never stop, and we just can't believe how neat they are. We don't have any trouble with the leaking (although there were some in the store that were dried out...) or with the windows being too dark. I really personally just love this set and its uniqueness. What a great idea!

Mom of destructive son
My son owns almost every Thomas the Train character there is. These are the most durable toys. I picked this one because it is different from all the Thomas toys.

I read review that this toy leaked. My son's hasnt and believe me he has stepped on them, threw them at me, and I have even stepped on this toy.

As for the windows being too dark, this accusation is also false. I love looking at this toy and so does my son.

The only thing that is the problem with this toy is it is very costly.But with how destructive my son is, he hasn't made a dent in any of the 100 Thomas the Trains he owns.

I would recommend this toy to anyone with a child from one years old on. Even if the child is as "curious" (taking everything apart) as mine.

Fun Train
Another great train set! Aquarium cars are cool! Kids love looking at them and bringing them round and round the track. They seem Very Durable also as ours were dropped numerous times, tossed, and even stepped on! The water has never leaked, and is filled to the top just like new! And the creatures float and "bob" up and down as the train goes inside the tank. Great fun.

Windows are too dark!
This is adorable, however, our set came with very dark windows so that you can hardly see the sea life inside. They are much darker than they look in the picture.

great toy
I bought the aquarium cars because *I* really liked them. My son likes them too but its difficult to tell which way they are supposed to face. My son is 18 mos old and gets frustrated when the magnets are not aligned properly and they repel one another rather than attract. He gets mad and throws them when this happens so I can attest to their durability! They have a few nicks but thats it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Combining all the excitement of a standard radio controlled vehicle with the unique staircase acumen of a Slinky, this Tarantula goes where most other cars could never hope to go. It's equipped with large moving arms covered in rubber treads where other vehicles would place wheels and as such, the Tarantula can climb stairs or simply step over objects that get in its way.A wireless remote guides the bright red Tarantula, which operates on a frequency of 49 MHz. It's powered by one 9-volt and one 9.6-volt nickel-cadmium battery, neither of which, unfortunately, are included in the box. Once we got the hang of working the controls, we were impressed by the Tarantula's capabilities, as it was able to capably perform plenty of challenging tasks as advertised. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Editorial Review

With a remote control that is simple to master, this two-speed airplane is perfect as a first radio-controlled toy. The Resistor takes off from its own computer-operated launch pad with a single press of the Launch button from the remote. A large toggle button moves the plane either left or right as the plane hits scale speeds of up to 400 mph and flies up to 300 feet away. For quick speed, a Thrust button on the remote gives it a 25-percent extra power boost, and for a smooth, even landing, a Land button brings the Resistor down safely. Except for a few hard plastic components that house the engine, this lightweight plane is made almost entirely of Styrofoam, which damages easily if it hits obstacles so it's best to practice flying in open, treeless areas. This toy requires six C batteries for the charger and one 9-volt battery for the plane itself and requires only a three-minute charge in the docking station before it's ready to fly. --Cristina Vaamonde ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Lots of fun for adults, might frustrate younger kids a bit
I bought the Resistor for myself after noting its mention in "Consumer Reports." It is a lot of fun if you pay attention to the directions.

First, don't overcharge it and be sure to condition the internal battery by FULLY discharging it before recharging. It takes a little extra time but it keeps the plane charging properly. When the propellors on mine slow down enough that the plane won't fly any more, I just hold it with it turned on until the propellors stop turning. Then I turn it off and recharge it.

Second, they aren't kidding when they tell you to fly it in an open field. I take mine to the park and fly it on a soccer field. There is plenty of room there and it flies great. However, there is no way to fly it if there are even a few trees in the way. It just doesn't turn sharply enough and you WILL hit a tree in short order. The styrofoam is durable enough to handle crashing into the grass with no problem but a tree isn't very good for it and you run the risk of breaking the wings.

Third, you CANNOT fly it in a strong breeze. The engines aren't powerful enough. It seems to work best in a very light breeze, like 2-3 MPH, The head wind helps the plane to get enough airspeed to take off. In dead air, it flies fine but it's a little harder to launch it.

With the above in mind this is a GREAT toy. It's a lot of fun to fly it around and turn it and make it go up and down with the remote. You can also learn a lot about how an airplane works even though it isn't controlled like a real airplane would be with a rudder and so forth (it manuvers by ramping the engine power up and and down.) Because of the control method it isn't all that responsive, and as a result flying it might be a little frustrating for younger children. I think the "ages 8 and up" on the box is a bit optimistic. I think 12 and up is more accurate.

All in all a great toy for older children and adults, as long as you have a suitable place to fly it. I really like mine.

Hard to fly
I got this for my birthday. It broke while putting together. Got a new one and ok this time. It was fun to watch fly for a couple minutes, then lost control and it went into a tree. It broke when it fell out. I taped it up like the directions said, but when I went to fly again, was fun to chase, but you really do not have any control. It needs a string so you can find it when it fly away.

Not worth the money
Very disappointing!! It is not durable especially considering that crashes will happen with novices and this is geared to the beginner. Even tossed into the breeze as directed, the plane crashed. It was frustrating for an 8 year old boy.

Air Hogs Resister
This is the bomb! With its throttle and thrust button it's just like flying an air plane. And it flies like a plane to. My two favorite parts are the Auto-Pilot take and the extremely smooth landing all in one touch of a button. It also has two piloting levels, beginner and advanced.

You don't have to bend the prop and reverse wires.
I read in one of the reviews that since both motors turned in the same direction and the resulting torque caused his plane to steer to one side when the power was on, he recommended twisting one of the propellers and reversing the tiny wires inside the plane to one motor. There is a much simpler way to correct a torque turn; bend the rear edge of the vertical tail in the opposite direction the plane wants to turn under motor thrust. The plane will turn towards the side you bend the rear of the tail. It shouldn't take much; if the plane goes straight under motor power, it might turn slightly in a power-off glide. Split the difference, or just make slight in-flight corrections when you are under power. This will work much better than trying to bend a propeller 90 degrees and into a shape it wasn't meant to be.

For people who might have flown small fragile styrofoam planes in the past, it should be noted that this plane is made with Expanded Poly-Propylene foam (EPP) not Expanded Poly-Styrene or Styrofoam, and is far more durable. I regularly fly EPP motorless planes in updrafts caused by the wind moving up a hill or slope; these EPP planes, reinforced with filament tape and colored packing tape (or plastic iron-on film) are so tough that they are often flown into each other in midair on purpose (full-contact combat) and can take shocks like flying at high speed into a tree trunk which would shatter a plane made from any other material. EPP foam is revoluionizing the electric powered radio control industry due to its ability to bounce, not break and has been used in sailplanes (gliders) with up to 10-foot wingspans. Should you crash your Air Hog on a regular basis, a good way to stiffen it up is with filament tape or colored packing tape, to keep the foam from 'chunking' in a hard crash. But keep it as light as possible so it will still fly.

Your kids should have an excellent time at the ballfield with the Air Hog. Flying the Air Hog can lead to questions about why airplanes fly, future interest in the galaxy of RC flight from engine powered to electric, to slope or thermal gliders, to designing model planes; even to the real thing in many cases. I can think of seven people in my own extended family that have enjoyed flying model airplanes, and four who have taken the steps to fly real ones, including one airline pilot. In every case their interest was sparked at an early age by flying toys of far less capability than the Air Hog. I can't think of a more varied, stimulating and just plain fun hobby to enjoy. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

fantastic non-chokable motorcycle toy! woowee!
Honestly, the truck that hauls the toys gets mostly ignored but the motorcycles OVERJOY my son. I bought them when he was a bit over 18 mos - he loves motorcycles and it's almost impossible to find a well designed motorcycle toy for the under 3 set, so this toy is definitely worth it.
No chokable parts, very durable and chunky enough that it probably won't get lost under the fridge, couch or low table (which as we all know can cause a mini-meltdown). It's great that you get two motorcycles, one for each grabby toddler hand, hahahahaha.

My 2 1/2 year old won't go anywhere without his motorcycles!
I didn't hide the Christmas present very well and he found it early. He absolutely LOVES the motorcycles - sleeps with them, bathes with them, takes them to the park, daycare, etc. The bigger kids all love to play with them too. They are very durable so I have no doubt he'll play with them for years to come. They're priced right too!

buy it
i bout it for my son he loves it so much a motorcycle goes with him all the time the are very sturdy his sat in the rain, sun, all night even a couple baths so much mud
on it and it cleans up so well i would recomend it for kid that are even one or two im sure your toddler friend will love it
mine did :) :)

chunky, sturdy, cute
One doesn't normally think of trucks being cute but I have to say this hauler is adorable. As soon as I saw it with the chunky motorcycles I HAD to buy it for my 4 year old. My son loves motorcycles and trucks, so this is the perfect blend. Having hunted many a time for cool toy motorcycles I feel qualified to say that these are the best I've seen. They are larger than any others we've had, far more sturdy, and since there are two of them more than one child can enjoy playing at a time. I would have bought this purely for the motorcycles, but then the truck part is great too. It's big, you can put things in the cab, and the trailer even detaches. So I give this a full thumbs up. ... Read more

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