Lots for little hands to do
Written: Jun 30 '02 (Updated Jun 30 '02)
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Pros: Lots to do, many toys in one, kept my youngster occupied
Cons: Some pieces don't do anything, others don't hold his interest
The Bottom Line: Very cute & clever toy with lots to do. Different ways to configure the pieces make it seem like new toy.
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| mizgnomer's Full Review: Fisher Price Disney's Baby Mickey Smile 'N Play Ac... |
Our experience:
I read about this toy and thought it was quite an ingenious idea. The concept is a toy made up of pieces that fit together like a puzzle, and can be configured in a number of different ways (more thoroughly described below). Each piece would have activities on it. I thought it was such a great idea that I kept my eyes open for it in the stores, but didn't have much luck finding it. I eventually found it for sale on eBay (although I later did find one at our local Babies R Us). My son was 6 months old when it arrived and we put it together for him, first in the flat, play-area configuration. He is now 11 months and although he doesn't play with it as often these days, some pieces still manage to capture his attention and interest him.
By far my son's favorite piece is the one that has lights, music, and movement. When he got older it became his goal in life to keep those spin-able pieces from spinning whenever the music played -- it was quite amusing to watch. He also learned that he could put other toys on the piece when it wasn't spinning, only to have them go flying off whenever the music started.
My favorite thing about the toy is the fact that it is actually many toys. If my son tired of it in its flat configuration, we would simply change it into a big box, or into two smaller boxes -- then it would be just like a new toy to him. Now he seems to prefer it not put together at all -- he likes running around with a single, small piece. It was also one of my favorite "travel toys". Taken apart the individual pieces fit nicely into a travel bag of any size. On the road a single piece can be pulled out of the bag for quick entertainment.
What I liked least about the toy was the fact that not every piece has something to do. There are four pieces that just have images, but no activity. I realize that there is still a lot to do on the toy, but four pieces with nothing interesting to do seem like a waste on an otherwise great toy.
The product:
I think the concept is quite ingenious. Each piece is a part of the puzzle, which can be put together in many different configurations. There are 12 small puzzle pieces and one large one (the large one is equal in size to 4 smaller pieces). You can attach all the pieces together to make one large, flat play area, or you can use the small pieces to make two small boxes (6 pieces apiece), or you can use all the pieces to make one large box. Or just leave the pieces unattached for multiple small toys. Configuring the pieces in different ways made them seem like totally different toys, even though they were all made with the same pieces. The toy is very easy to clean -- we've washed it off a few times with a damp cloth.
There are two buttons on the large piece -- pressing the music note plays one of 3 cute song bits ("Whistle While You Work", "Pop Goes the Weasel", and "London Bridges") and sliding Mickey's hand plays a number of quick silly sound effects and Mickey-phrases ("Round and round we go", "It's spintastic", etc). There are 3 circles on the play surface -- a large round Mickey Mouse face and two other circles that make up his ears. The Mickey face and one of the ears rotate whenever music or sounds are played, the other ear consists of a clear plastic dome covering a number of little balls that pop around when music or sounds play. Three colored lights also flash with the music & sounds.
Of the smaller pieces, one of my son's favorite pieces is the peek-a-boo piece. On the puzzle piece itself is a cute close-up of Mickey's face, then attached to a hinge is a hand that can cover the entire face. The hinge is jointed such that when the hand is up it stays up. The hand is detachable without too much effort, so my son has removed it on many occasions, but it is also quite easy to re-attach. He has always enjoyed playing with the hand by itself -- even these days he walks around holding it.
Other pieces my son liked playing with include:
- A close-up of Mickey's two buttons -- pushing each button makes a popping/clacking sound that kept my little one entertained when in his button-pushing moods.
- A piece with two arches; each arch has a couple of Mickey-shaped beads on them for rattling and sliding. My son liked carrying it around by the arches, particularly when we had the pieces configured into a small box.
- A spinner -- a close-up of Mickey's face with a large yellow & black spinning nose.
- A teether - another Mickey's-face close-up, but this time the ears are rubber teethers with interesting textures that rise up from the flat piece.
Pieces my son wasn't that fond of:
- There are four pieces that don't do anything at all. They are cute close-ups of Mickey's, Goofy's, Minnie's, and Pluto's faces. They are colorful, but don't have any activity to do. We used them as the bottom when using all the pieces to make one big box.
- A Donald Duck-shaped mirror -- it is cute and all, but my son was never that big into mirrors
- A slider - A couple of hats that can be pushed up and down along the piece's face
- A crank - another Mickey-face made up of three circles. There is a small handle on one of the smaller circles, and when you turn it the biggest circle turns and makes a clicking noise. There are also finger-holes cut into the largest circle, so you can also turn it that way. My son never really played with this piece.
Quickie summary:
Pros:
+) Lots to do
+) Fun music and sound-effects on the largest piece keep baby engaged
+) Excellent toy for traveling
+) Many different ways to put the toy together, making it seem like a totally different toy with each change
+) Well made, sturdy (except for that hand that comes off)
Cons:
-) Four of the pieces don't do anything
-) Only one of the pieces has music
-) The hand on the peek-a-boo face comes off fairly easily (although my son likes it that way)
Final thoughts:
Very cute toy. I'm really glad we have it. The only thing I really don't like is the fact that four of the blocks don't do anything, but there is still plenty to keep a little one occupied.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15
Type of Toy: Baby Toy
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
mizgnomer
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Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 306
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About Me:
Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you're crunchy and taste good with ketchup
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