IPhone 3G used's review (Cute, but has it's issues.) 『My 4 year old daugher got this for her birthday b/c she REALLY wanted it. So here are the pro's: *It's cute and made well. *The colors are wonderful. *Has two showers to shower your mermaid clean, of which one can be on the swing and the other has 3 little flowers that move on the wall when water comes down. *Most of it is put together for you, so no guessing on where things go. *it comes with a "mini little mermaid" (much smaller than the bigger mermaids you can buy seperately for $15.00) so you can play with it right away.
Here are the cons: *Like the other reviewer, the slide comes off constantly and it drives me nuts, b/c I'm the one having to put it back on all the time. I know it hasn't lasted a whole bathtime in place. (We've had it for 3 weeks now) *The swing comes off easily, but not as often as the slide. *You are given 3 LARGE suctions, two of which seem to work all the time with the other one, not so much. We have a fiberglass tub, so we've had to manuver at times to find the place it works best.
So overall, if I had bought this for my dauther, I would had payed the orignal price of $16.00, but not the insane price of $45.00+. (She could get a TON more toys for that price.)
』
(Fun in bath and out) 『We just got this playset for our 4 year old and she loves it. There are three different water activities and a pretty decent slide (works great with tiny rubber duckies too!) that entertain her for the whole bath. We also use it as part of our "Fairytopia" world on dry ground. For me, it's well worth the $16. It comes with a mermaid that is very practical and she loves it. It fits everything in the playset. Unfortunately, I also purchased the full-size mermaid that is sold seperately but looks like it fits great in the swing. It doesn't. The mermaid sold seperately but marketed as a companion to this piece falls out easily of the swing and gets caught on the slide since her tail is a soft plastic. The swing is also very unstable and falls off it's supports. We stopped even using it. Overall, this is just pure fun for us. I would buy this again and would give it as a gift.』
(Disappointing) 『After a few days of listening to my daughter on how wonderful this would be, I decided to buy it for her. The main problem is the slide does not stay on-- not even for a short amount of time, so that is a complete waste. The suction cups do not stick well to the tile surrounding our tub, but it does stick to the tub itself wonderfully. (Though this makes for an incredibly low toy so you can't use many of the features as they are underwater.)
My daughter LOVES the little pink mermaid that came with, which is the redeeming feature, but she is disappointed in the rest of it. I won't be buying anything like this again-- it really is a waste of money... just buy the mermaids for your little girl, the rest is junk.』
Kakaku：7 saved$0.07
Melissa and Doug
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (great toy) 『I bought this bead set for my 4 year old granddaughter. She visits every weekend and in the month that I have had them every time she is here we make a necklace for everyone in the family including papa. With boy colors of course. Wonderful for small motor skills.』
(moderately interesting) 『My kids played with this for about an hour, left the pieces scattered and have not worn the jewelery or come back to it.』
(A great product) 『I bought this product, along with the one w/ letters and used it for my 4 yr old dtr's birthday party. It was a great activity, the girls loved it, and they also got to take home a new necklace (no cheesy party favors). I did not notice any smells when opening and I think the colors where bright and beautiful. My daughter now wants more bead sets. 』
(Nice Craft) 『My nine year old really enjoyed making bracelets, necklaces and a key chain with this kit. She ran out of supplies pretty quickly, but she enjoyed the projects.』
(Another winner from Melissa&Doug!) 『Not suprisingly, this is an adorable product. My daughter owns the heart version and my niece has these butterfly ones. I didn't experience any strange paint smells out of either one of these, and I would highly recommend them to anyone. The only thing that could make these kits better is if they added a handful of letter beads, as I bought some seperately. -Nevertheless, a great toy for crafty kids. ;)』 『Design your own unique necklaces and bracelets with a collection of beautiful beads. This crafty kit comes with different sizes of colorful wooden jewelry beads. Also jazz up your jewelry with an assortment of charming butterflies. Includes more than 150 beads and 5 laces in a handy wooden storage box.』
Kakaku：172 saved$1.72
Melissa and Doug
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (2 year old daughter loves this toy!) 『I do not have a single bad thing to say about this toy - my 2 year old daughter loves it! She was given this toy for her 2nd birthday.. and immediately took to it. All the puzzles are front&back and there are enough pieces to do all the puzzles (no matter if its front or back). She mastered all the puzzles within a week of opening it and still plays with them every single day.
The puzzle boards are very durable - and the pieces are perfect for little hands. We have been working on colors / shapes with the pieces, and they are a perfect learning tool.
Highly recommend this puzzle - your little one will definitely love this toy!
』
(Great toy for age 2) 『I got this for my son when he was 22 months old, it was a gift from his newborn sister to him. He LOVED it, once he mastered it, then it didn't take him long to get bored of the blocks(but what toys can kids play ALL the time and not get tired of), so I put the blocks away for few months and brough back out, he has fell in love with it again, but now he plays it differently, he is calling out the shape and color as he puts the blocks together. Overall it's a great set and I have gived the set to many of his friends already. 』
(A favorite toy!) 『My 2-year old son has loved this toy from day one. I like that it can take 1 shape and turn it different directions on the same puzzle. You can "see the wheels turning" while my son works on this. Every child that comes to visit loves this toy as well. It's a must-have and a great gift idea.』
(Great for teaching kids shapes and colors and puzzles (once they are past the peg puzzles)) 『So this arrived a little broken the case for the puzzle I guess wasn't packed correctly from amazon so it is not unsafe for my kids alone.
But my kids love it, and I hope it holds up. I will update if it doesn't.
They also are learning from it.』
(Abstract puzzle) 『My 2-year old got this for Easter from Nana. He really enjoys putting the shapes on the different pictures. It's nice because you have to set them into the cut out shape on the board and the pieces do not slide around or fall out. When he completes a picture he turns to me and says, "I did it!" with a big grin on his face. It has also helped with teaching him the names of the shapes and the colors. What I love the most, though, is everything fits into the box and the lid slides into place holding all the boards and shape pieces in place and keeping them there even if the box is tipped over. Great toy.』 『This set features 10 brightly-painted wooden patterns and 30 colorful shape pieces to replicate the fun pictures. They're perfect for early development of colors, shapes and matching skills. These puzzles are a tremendous value and a great learning set! Contains one each: fish, dog, butterfly, flowers, bird, and fire engine.』
Kakaku：53 saved$0.53
Hasbro
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Exemplary Classic Toy Reproduction) 『After many bad experiences with revived classic toys (for example, the robot game), I was very pleased to find this set to be the high quality I remembered.
This is a toy the whole family can enjoy together on a rainy afternoon. My 2 year old and my 7 year old both enjoy this set (beware of small pieces for younger children) and how they can build huge things in seconds.
This encourage imaginative thinking, problem solving, and builds fine motor skills. Just make sure you get more than 1 set to release the creative possibilities.
』
(Ben's Birthday Present) 『My daughter-in-law found the item at Amazon.com and sent the link. Grandpa only had to click on the link and then I bought it with a On-Click purchase. My grandson and I played with it for a while at his birthday party. He and I are very happy with Tinkertoys. Regards, Bob 』
(Tinker toys are still great fun) 『My grandchildren love these Tinkertoys. They are great Lego fans so I was not sure they'd be interested. Their ages are 5 - 10 and they all really enjoy them and are always thrilled to show off their creations.』
(Great starter set) 『My 3.5 year old son loves this set. We added it to another smaller Tinkertoy pack we own. I do hope for long-term durability and interest in Tinkertoys. And, great price for the amount of pieces included!』
(My 4 yr old loves, loves, loves these!) 『My 4 yr old son got these for Christmas and has not stopped creating things with them. He plays with them every day and has even created a few things mixing these with his K'nex. One wood piece broke where the groove is, but the others are all holding up fine. He plays with this more than any other toy he has.』 『Tinker Toys have entertained kids for decades--ever since their 1913 invention by Charles Pajeau, who was inspired by children playing with pencils and empty spools of thread. This set features 102 versatile wooden spools, connectors, and brightly colored dowels packed in an easy-to-store keepsake canister. Simply add a child's imagination for hours of creative fun.--Jane Snyder』 『Over the years, millions of children have created fanciful windmills, giant Ferris wheels, amazing animals and whimsical vehicles. The Tinkertoy Classic Jumbo builder set features easy fitting, durable, real wood pieces and comes with string to build cranes that hoist and elevators that rise. Easily build and play with many different large-scale structures using the enclosed instructions. Or use your imagination to create lots of new structures. Over 100 pieces. Combine this set with other Tinkertoy sets to create even larger structures!』
Kakaku：2499 saved$24.99
LeapFrog
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Great game for the Leapster) 『My daughter received this game and the Leapster for her thrid birthday. I think it is great and she does too. There are short stories that are read aloud. The stories are interactive to some degree in that the characters can be touched (tapped with stylus) and they will add something to the story. As the main story is narrated, the words appear on the screen and are highlighted as they are read. There are several mini-games that are entertaining and educational. For example, one where the player is asked to guide the character through a jellyfish field by bouncing on the large blue jelly fish, or the jelly fish with the number 5, etc. I found it a well put together, colorful, and entertaining game.』
(Worth the money!!!) 『My four year old got this for Christmas yesterday and she is hooked! I love it because she doesn't even realize she is learning. She started out finding the "small pink jellyfish" (for example), which she easily knows. Then she is to find the "number 5 jellyfish," which is much more challeging for her. She is so into the game she doesn't even realize she is learning from it!!!』
(Yea - really??) 『Out of all of the Leapster Pre-K games, the Finding Nemo game is my 3.5 year old son's, as well as my, LEAST favorite. It's just boring. There are, from what I remember, only four games to choose from.
There is a "Find Nemo" bubble bursting game, where the player bursts bubbles with movie character pictures on them by answering movie-related questions. One of the bubbles will have Nemo hiding behind it. Yep.
Another game is sort of a touch-screen sonar search for something in the dark. The player touches the screen with the pen moving towards where the sonar sound gets louder - sort of like Marco-Pollo - until they reveal about half of a picture of a movie character. The player then guesses what movie character that is from multiple choices at the top of the screen. Yep.
Then there is the jellyfish bouncing game, where the player guides Dori following simple instructions through the jellyfish. I believe there are two levels to this game. The first level has the player touch the correct jellyfish just by following size/color instructions. From a screen of about 7 jellyfish of large and small sizes of about four different colors, the narrator will ask the player to touch the "small, purple" jellyfish. Dori then bounces onto the correct jellyfish that the player touched. The second part of the first level adds capital letters into the mix. The narrator will ask the player to touch the "large, green, L" jellyfish, for example. The second level beefs up the challenge just by throwing lower-case letters into the mix. When my son got this game on his 3rd birthday, he started with the second level which he mastered immediately.
The fourth game is probably the most challenging with two levels. It's an under the sea school crossing. The fish "crossing guard" will ask the player to count a certain number of fish. After the player touches the correct amount of fish, the player then touches the "crossing guard" fish to have the counted school of fish cross the underwater traffic safely. My son mastered this level right away - I think it only counts up to ten. The second level to the "crossing guard" game is the only game left on the cartridge that my son plays. It throws in addition up to 10 to have the player add the correct amount of fish. Let's say the player needs to choose two numbers that add up to the number "7". The game gives the player an illustration of three schools of fish. One school is made up of 4 fish, the second is made up of 5 fish, and the third is made up of 3 fish. The player has to touch the schools of 4 fish and 3 fish (4+3=7) and then touch the crossing guard. We found that the player cannot fix his mistake if he accidentally touched the incorrect school of fish. The player just has to touch the crossing gaurd and be told he's wrong in order to move on.
The rest of the cartridge is just a read-along with the original movie story. That's it. My son has never had interest in this since he can watch the DVD if he wants to see the story or read-along with mom and a book if he wants to do that.
One more thing - and maybe someone can answer this one for me - While playing the games and reading along, the player earns "sand dollars". We can't figure out where these "sand dollars" are supposed to be used. What sort of reward is the player supposed to receive? Maybe once he reaches a certain amount of "sand dollars" he will get something like a secret code to be used on LeapsterWorld.com?? At this point, for both my son and I, this is just yet another useless feature of this cartridge.
Some Leapster Pre-K suggestions to buy instead of Nemo: 1. Pet Pals (NEW! for '07) 2. Cars 3. Mr. Pencil's Learn to Draw&Write 4. Dora the Explorer Wildlife Rescue』
(Mom'sreview) 『I was disappointed in the lack of games on this cartridge as well as the story. There are only 4 games on this cartridge which are not very interesting or exciting. My daughter also has the Disney Princess and Dora Cartridges which are far superior in overall content and games. She really enjoyes the karoke game with the Disney Princess cartridge where she can sing along with Aerial and the Fairy Godmother. The games on the Princess and Dora are also more educational.』
(Fun while learning) 『Leapster is a wonderful, durable and entertaining product for young children. The finding Nemo cartridge has kept my 5 year old grand daughter captivated, entertained for hours. While many of the cardridges are very learning skills focused, this catridge emophasizes fun, humor and helping others. Battery life is excellent even when played for hours at a time. The unit survives the beating of a two year old sister without a hitch. The game and cartridge are well suited for a five year old.』 『Finding Nemo brings the fun and adventure of the movie to a Leapster book, for great learning games your child can enjoy. Join Nemo, Marlin and Dory in this underwater reading adventure and play fun activities that teach key pre-kindergarten and kindergartenreading and math skills!』
Kakaku：999 saved$9.99
Doug
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Great Product!) 『Purchased these for my daughter. She was a little too young for them, but her cousins (6 and 4 years old) love them. They are learning to read and they use these to spell words and visualize sounds. Love Melissa and Doug products. Quality made and very durable.』
(Letter Perfect) 『Like their Number counterparts, this Alphabet Magnetic Set is a great, inexpensive teaching aid. The letters come in both upper and lower case and in a variety of colors. They are stored in a handsome wooden box which has two compartments to segregate the lower and upper case letters.
I highly recommend this set. You can use them on a fridge, sure, but we like using them on our Melissa and Doug Table Top Easel. Our son really gets a kick out of these letters.
』
(Not Typical Melissa&Doug Quality) 『I have purchased many Melissa&Doug toys, because I feel quality and safety is worth the higher price tag. But I was not pleased with the magnets. All of their other wooden toys are painted, so I expected the letters to also be painted. They aren't. Instead, it is a paper lining over the letter, which easily came off into my sons mouth moments after opening the package. My friend purchased cheap plastic letters at a local store, and is much happier with hers. I wish I had done the same. For now, they are packed up until my son gets over his sucking on everything phase.
If your child likes to put toys in their mouth, these letters won't hold up to the drool.』
(rosemarie) 『I bought this toy for my 3 1/2 year old neice who I babysit. I put the letters all over my frig. She already knew the alphabet song but did not recognize the letters. In just 2 weeks she could go up to the letters&point&say them all. I also bought extra sets of letters to use for spelling&a magnetic board. It is a great educational toy&makes learning fun. 』
(Better than the plastic ones...) 『I like this set because it's a reasonable price considering the quality which is quite good...I would definitely choose these letter over the cheap plastic ones because the backs are a complete magnet which makes them hold on without drifting down...The colors are satisfactory...The coloring scheme is simply an alternation of red, yellow, blue, and green....You may want to refrain from giving these to a child who is still put things in their mouth because the paper fronts will dissolve and come off...
BTW...There's a set available with letters&numbers together. 』 『Kids will love learning their letters with these wooden letters. Newly redesigned, themed set includes plenty of colorful, generously-sized wooden magnets. 52 pieces. Measurement 8" x 1.5" x 5.5".』
Kakaku：1148 saved$11.48
Mattel
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Two boys + One Pirate Island = Hours and hours of fun) 『My wife and I intended this toy to be a traveling companion since it folds up in an easy-to-carry case. Once our two boys -- ages 5 and 4 -- opened it up, they were entranced for hours. They quickly incorporated other pirate toys and Matchbox cars and pulled me down on their floor rug, where we role played pirate adventures.
The toy is durable but you can't abuse it. There are lots of small parts -- pirates, cannonballs and a crocodile that snap into place. 』
(Falls apart&doesn't close properly) 『My son got this present for his birthday and he LOVED it, played with it a lot, etc... buuuuut after 2 months the toy woudn't close properly and the pieces (ramps) were breaking, falling off, and the closing latches fell off as well. Anyway, the toy is fun, the kids still play with it but it's not that well made and really isn't something that will last too long. 』
(Fell apart) 『My daughter requested this item for Christmas last year. It was her number one priority gift. The design is wonderful and the portability aspect was ideal. Unfortunately, the thing disintegrated from there. At first it opened and closed easily and we were amazed. But after about one week of (not especially rough)play, pieces started to fall by the day. It is merely a skeleton of what it once was. If it only had held up it would be a wonderful toy. They don't make things like they used to:(』
(Pirate adventure) 『Birthday present for 3 year old grandson. Wonderful creative fun. He and his 5 year old brother love the 3 demensional play area. Parents enjoy the easy pop up assembly and easy clean up since it all fits in to it's own carrying case. Carrying case also has room for the extra pirates I purchased. It was great seeing the boys play quietly,createing pirate adventures and just having fun together.』
(Son plays with this often) 『My 3 year old son loves this toy. He plays with it a lot. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has small playing pieces that always get misplaced temporarily.』 『Pop open the portable case and swing out a complete 360 degree Pirate Adventure! There are four areas in all, including the pirate ship, the croc cove, the forbidden inland and the treasure lagoon. Comes with croc, firing gun, pirates, treasure and a 3-inch Matchbox car. When you're ready to end your adventure, fold set back up, no mess no fuss. No assembly required. Not for use with some Matchbox sets. Colors and decorations may vary. Open set measures 10.75" H x 20.5" W.』 『 Ahoy, Mateys! This totally portable and storable 360 Pop-Up Pirate Island means kids can take the fun with them wherever they go. Simply crack open the case to reveal an adventure landscape complete with accessories. The pirate ship area has two tall masts with flying Jolly Roger flags and a deck large enough to accommodate the included matchbox vehicle. Croc Cove might be something you want to quietly venture through so as to not disturb the huge reptile that lives there--and is no doubt looking for lunch. The forbidden inland may be the best route to treasure lagoon where there's tale of buried gold, but you'll have to make that call.
You can also ward off any enemies with the firing gun. Or you can decide to relocate your island entirely. Just fold up the pirates, crocodile, treasure chest, and car in the carrying case and walk away. No assembly is required, and other Matchbox cars purchased separately can be used with the set.
A complete pirate ship and deck opens up from within the small case.View larger.
Kakaku：2159 saved$21.59
Mattel
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Love Trick Tracks!) 『My almost 5-year-old son LOVES this toy. It has been the source of many hours of race car entertainment. It is simple enough that even he can set it up and change the configurations plus, bonus, it's easy to take apart and put away when not in use. For $20, you can't go wrong with this track set! One warning, however, you will need extra cars. For those of you with boys, I'm sure you have plenty of extras around the house : )』
(fun, but don't overpay!) 『My son loves this hot wheels toy and it has held up pretty well. It is a litle tricky to assemble out of the box, but he is 8 and once it was assembled he could keep it together. You can also purchase add-ons to the track for 10 to 12 dollars. My only comment that is negative is that you can find this in stores for less than half the price listed on Amazon (like for under 20 bucks). It is a good toy at that price, but I wouldn't pay huge mark up for it.』
Kakaku：1089 saved$10.89
Fisher Price
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Fun because it's Diego. Boring because it's the exact same setup as the "default game") 『We bought this for our son's birthday because he only had the original "default game" that the Smart Cycle comes with. I was expecting it to be much more unique than it really is. While my son was excited to get on the SmartCycle and start trying it out (and excited because it was Diego), he got bored after playing it once- *maybe* twice- because the game is setup the exact same way as the default game. You pick your "vehicle" and then you have a track, just like the original game (only it looks like dirt instead of a paved road). Then they "drive" around the track and can stop at different areas to play various games. It isn't challenging for my son at all, and while he likes that it's Diego, it's practically the same game he's been playing on the other cartridge. I wonder if they are ALL like that, or if this one just happened to be a copy-cat. Glad I didn't pay near for it what the other games for SmartCycle cost!』
(All these Smart Cycle games are basically the same!!!) 『We now own 6 games for our Smart Cycle... and I swear they are all about the same. Educational factor is minimal at best. He does enjoy his smart cycle and rides it for at least a few minutes nearly every day.... but for the amount of floor space it takes up.... and the serious lack of educational value in the games, I don't think I'd buy it again. Buy whatever game suits your child's interest... but don't bother to buy them all... they're all the same.』
(Son loves it.) 『My son loves this toy. He also got a real bike and is loving riding it even more. Very smart idea for a game.』
(Fun and educational) 『My grandaughther loved this product. She is a avid fan of Dora and Diego and she was able to share the wonderful experience of learning and having fun.』
(Fun for 5 year old!) 『My son loves this game! He spends at least an hour riding the stationary smart cycle bike.』 『Join Diego on an exciting animal rescue adventure. Enjoy fascinating facts, cool sounds and engaging games while learning dozens of valuable skills. Three modes of play include Drive, Learn and Race. Software cartridge slides right into your Smart Cycle, sold separately.』
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