Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Say Please Tea Set

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This is such a cute little tea set. A friend of mine bought this for my daughter's first birthday. It is a perfect first tea set. Like the other reviewer mentioned, it is not meant to be used with liquids - which is perfectly fine with me! Less mess! The teapot is the cutest part... there are three different settings: one that just has cute sounds when you "pour" the tea, when you lift/close the lid, and when you press the "tag". The other two settings have various sounds or music and songs that go along with the actions. My daughter is only 12 months old, so pretend play is still somewhat of a foreign concept to her. But we have fun exploring all the sounds the pot makes. She likes to "cheers" the tea cups with me, and she will "take a sip" from the cup and go "Ahhhh" at the end. I imagine she will grow into this toy a little more in the next few months!



UPDATE: Still a favorite toy at 27 months! She sings along with the teapot, and will set up all of her stuffed animals and offer them tea. It is just too cute. We have other tea sets, but she still gets this "pot" to pour since it makes all the sounds!

Disney Frozen Musical Magic Elsa Doll

CUSTOMER REVIEW



The doll is amazing fun for kids and collectors alike! The song that plays is a small part in Let It Go and when combined with her sister Anna, the two play music together. It's really cute and highly recommended.

Thomas the Train: TrackMaster Maron Station Starter Set

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This is my almost 1-1/2 year old's first train. He was playing with a Thomas at his cousin's house so I thought I'd get him one. I was unsure about whether to get a motorized or non-motorized set but I decided to go with motorized to see if he would enjoy watching the train go on its own. When he first got it, he was a bit startled when the train moved by itself around the track. That didn't last long and he started to play with Thomas for hours per day on and off the track. At first (16 mo) he preferred for the train to be turned off but now (17mo) he prefers it on and likes to watch it go. He has also learned how to turn Thomas on and off which he couldn't do for a while. I am impressed that the toy can be played with in the off position because I expected the wheels to lock but they don't and are fully functional. When the train is on, he often holds on to the wheels and listens to them click. This is obviously not good for the toy but miraculously, it just keeps going. Only time will tell how long Thomas will survive the wrath my little guy.



The station that comes with this set is cute but he pretty much ignores it. I think it's just because he's too young right now.



Putting the track together was extremely easy and there were some stickers that needed to be put on the station but all of that took very little time. The only problem I had was installing the battery (not included) and the instructions didn't explain it too well. After a few minutes of trial and error, I finally figured it out. If you need help with that read on.



How to take the train apart to install the battery (1 AA):

1. Get a small Phillips screw driver (about 2-3mm wide)

2. Unscrew the screw at the bottom of the train (there are several screws on the bottom but only the one in the center can be unscrewed). After unscrewing, pull on the center wheels and a small piece will come out with screw inside of it (don't bother trying to shake the screw out).

3. Pull the entire casing of the train off. To take apart, hold on to the red base with one hand and with the other hand press both sides of the blue casing in the center (near the #1s on the train), pull apart and it should come off easily.



UPDATE (March 2012): My son will be turning 3 in a few months. There have been many, many, many more Thomas trains, tracks, destinations (structures like train stations or buildings). We have the wooden sets and the plastic sets. The wooden, plastic and metal trains. We have duplo. There's probably more, but you get the picture. After over a year of the Thomas experience, I've learned a lot. My recommendation at this point would be NOT to buy Trackmaster until the child is close to 3. Why? The child tends to leave the train on and laying around somewhere so the parent constantly has to find where the noise is coming from and turn it off. CONSTANTLY. You will also be changing batteries all of the time (rechargeables definitely recommended). Since we purchased this set, we only bought a Percy and some cars. The Thomas is now broken. Some of the cars are broken too. The plastic does not stand up to the abuse.



At the time, I didn't think that pushing a train around would be a fun thing which is why I gravitated to the battery powered train. How wrong I was. He loves pushing the trains around which is another reason the Thomas train broke. He would turn it on and then push it around.



We will be returning to Trackmaster soon for more trains & track. We still have the track & station from this set & they've both held up well.

Disney Frozen Sparkle Kristoff Doll

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Kristoff's upper body has clothes that are painted on, instead of natural arms which a child can re-dress.....(something that children love to do) When doll is undressed he has painted arms. If your child loves these characters and plays with them, buy them from the, " Disney store", (cost a few dollars more but worth it) for much better quality thus more fun for the children. My child and I received the, "Anna" and "Elsa", dolls from Amazon (which is my biggest supplier) and the whole upper bodies are painted with rubber paint. My 4 yr. old didn't want then. She noticed right away that the clothes could not come off as she looked in the box. The dolls are beautiful but they are DRESSED CHEAPLY! She said ,"I don't like them now". She is 4. She loves to re-dress Barbie's and baby dolls.She wanted to do the same with this collection.



Hope this helps

Disney Frozen Sparkle Anna of Arendelle Doll

CUSTOMER REVIEW



My daughter got this as a gift and although she loves it, the clothes are very cheaply made. She has only had it for 3 days and the elastic on the skirt is half torn off from the fabric (still wearable, but I'm sure it will completely separate by the end of the week), and the Velcro closure on the cape has ripped off on one side so I had to do a little repair to make it usable again. My daughter does not play rough with her toys so I'm very disappointed in the quality. As another reviewer stated the top part of her dress is painted on, which is actually a plus for me since I won't worry about it falling apart and her boots and crown can be taken off so be careful if you have younger children.

LeapFrog AlphaZoo Spinner

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This toy does what it says it's going to do and has two modes of play and my daughter loves to push the big button and get sounds. However...the reason this is not getting a 5 star is due to some of the choices this company made.



The one mode recites the alphabet and that's ok. The other mode gives the name of an animal and it's sound. This is where it gets ridiculous. Some of the complaints I have is that instead of coming up with unique animals there are many renditions of birds on this. There's like five bird ones. In an effort to have them all say something different, the sound the child is taught that it makes is musical notes. The iguana apparently plays the xylophone. The yak says, "Mooo," which every other toy teaches as the sound for a cow. For N, the animal is a narwal, which makes splashing sounds. Some of these sounds are very hard for children to repeat back and it doesn't actually teach the child the actual sounds the animals make. I get that it's challenging to come up with a unique animal that corresponds to A-Z, but in my opinion, some of these choices were a fail.



I'd get it if you want your child to be entertained by song and noises, but not to teach your child animal noises. Also if you're child might easily become confused, I'd go to a see-and-say that may have fewer choices but has better ones.

Hot Wheels 20 Car Gift Pack – Styles May Vary

CUSTOMER REVIEW



My 3 yr and 2 yr old LOVE these little Hot Wheels cars. My 2 yr old even goes to bed every night holding one in each hand. It must be something in the Y-chromosome, but my 3 yr old can identify and name the different cars, like Camaro, Ferrarai and '65 Bonneville.



This 20-pc set is a great mix of classic cars, futuristic concept cars, race cars and even cars with interesting paint detailing. If you have little boys, you can *never* have enough cars!

Nerf N-Strike Elite Dart Refill Pack, 12-Piece

CUSTOMER REVIEW



as advertised . a good buy. would gladly purchase again. shipped promptly and received with no damage or defect noted.

Nerf N-Strike Elite: Strongarm Blaster

CUSTOMER REVIEW



WOW...



At first I wasn't sure what to think of Nerf's new ELITE line of blasters.

Even now I'm a bit...annoyed? at Hasbro, Nerf and their R&D guys.

Lets face it, the Elite series is a slap in the face to all owners of considerable sized

N-strike arsenals.

But enough of the past, on to the future!!



The Strongarm is quite possibly the perfect nerf sidearm/main/secondary.

It's range is fantastic with minty fresh Elite darts. Somewhere around 55 to 65'

Reloading is fairly quick and you CAN pull off the flick of the wrist cylinder slam.

Accuracy IS based on dart condition, like most nerf blasters.

The tactical rail is there for those that like to accessorize.



BUT, it's the SLAM FIRE feature that takes this blaster to levels beyond.

Hasbro/Nerf has apparently redesigned/perfected slam fire, and it ROCKS!!!!

This new slam fire allows for (much) faster spraying with incredible accuracy!

PLUS jams are near non existing!



CONS?

none really.

not compatible with streamline darts.

The restrictor is now on the plunger instead of the cylinder. (for modders)



I'm honestly not exaggerating here, the STRONGARM is quite possibly one of the

mightiest Nerf PISTOL blasters so far.

It even surpasses my cherished slightly modified SPECTRE!

will fire...

whistlers, fairly well.

NEW dart tag darts, surprisingly well.

and even a few of the AIR ZONE darts pretty good too!



Unless you get a bad one, will not disappoint!

LEGO Ghostbusters Ecto-1 21108

Celebrate 30 years of ghost-busting action with the iconic Ghostbusters Ecto-1 car! Selected by LEGO Ideas members (formerly known as CUUSOO), this fun and iconic vehicle from the blockbuster '80s movie is fully loaded with all the paranormal detection equipment needed to track down those ghastly ghosts. It also features cool Ghostbusters logo decoration, removable roof, tracking computer and seats for 3 minifigures. This unique set also includes a fascinating booklet containing building instructions, selected images and behind-the-scenes details about the classic Ghostbusters movie. So if there's something strange in your neighborhood, strap on your proton pack and get ready to help Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore bust some ghosts! 4 minifigures with proton packs included.

• Includes 4 minifigures with proton packs: Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore and an exclusive Ghostbusters booklet


• Ecto-1 vehicle features Ghostbusters logo decoration, paranormal detection equipment, removable roof, tracking computer and seats for 3 minifigures


• Strap on the proton packs and power up! Jump in Ecto-1 and track down some ghosts! Don't cross the streams!


• Build the model that LEGO Ideas members requested! The perfect gift for fans of LEGO bricks and Ghostbusters of all ages


• Ecto-1 vehicle measures over 3" (9cm) high, 7" (20cm) long and 2" (6cm) wide