Hasbro Playskool Step Start Walk n Ride
It’s 2 toys in 1! As a sturdy, stable walker, the Step Start Walk ‘n Ride toy helps babies learn to stand, take their first steps, and walk. As the grow older, it easily converts to a first ride-on toy! It has a locking mechanism that only parents can activate, so children can’t change modes by themselves. Kids can explore the hands-on activities in both the walker and ride-on modes to see fascinating sights, hear silly sounds and touch interesting textures. Adult assembly required
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Not a very stable walker, look elsewhere…
I got this for my son when he started cruising, and it just did not give him a secure support for walking (even on carpet). It ended up sitting in the corner of the room, and he would occasionally play with the gadgets on it, but he didn’t trust it to support him—and I couldn’t blame him. Some relatives bought him a truck style with 3 wheels and it was much more stable.
5 Stars Great little walker
I have 3 kids – a 5 1/2 year old boy and twin 15 month old girls. I sort of expected my girls to do everything at the same time my son had done things, which would have meant walking at 12 months. They didn’t.
It seemed like they were in the “tentative steps” stage forever without getting on to actually walking. One baby was doing better than the other and had been stuck in this stage longer. I remembered my son had a Radio Flyer walker wagon as a baby and wondered if that had helped. We still have it, but it needs some serious elbow grease to be used again (it got left in the rain… now it’s in pieces, I thought I would refinish it some day… yeah, some day.)
So I bought one of these. One baby took to it IMMEDIATELY. I have never seen a baby go so crazy for a toy. She would just zip around the first floor of our house happy as can be. It’s great that it is light weight so that even though the wheels are not able to swivel, the baby can sort of “float” the whole thing to make turns. But it’s sturdy, too – there is a hump in the floor to get into our kitchen and she always gets stuck at this hump. I tried pushing down on the handle bar to raise the front wheel and this thing will not tip. I know someone else complained of tippiness but ours does not tip, not even when you want it to!
After a few weeks of this my baby is walking all over the place. Whether that was coincidence or if this gave her the push she needed, I don’t know. I do know she loves this toy, though. It’s great exercise for her, too. Even now that she is walking on her own she still loves zipping around behind this.
My other baby didn’t care for it as much – she was the better walker when I first got this, and now her sister has passed her up big time. I think there really is something to this helping them polish up that walking skill. Gives them confidence and so on.
The activities on the toy aren’t too entertaining which is actually a good thing. A friend of mine has a much busier FP walker and the babies get distracted by the toys, don’t even use it as a walker.
I am not sure what I think of the ride-on feature of this yet. We actually briefly had one of these when my son was a baby because I wanted the ride-on car – but he was too tall by the time we got it, or so I thought. Now, much to my annoyance, he keeps turning this back into a car and riding around on it – and he’s one of those absurdly tall 5 year olds so he’s more like a 7 year old. So even though as a ride on toy this looks super tiny and useless – maybe kids can make do. My babies aren’t at the ride-on stage yet, though.
Overall I highly recommend this. Not all kids will love it but for the price it’s great to try. It goes together easily and holds up very well – plastic is rain-proof. 
3 Stars If only the wheels had some traction
I bought my daughter this Step Start Walk n’Ride hoping to get her to learn to walk quicker (little did I know what I was getting myself into as soon as she sated walking, LOL). She already knew how to stand and cruise along the edge of the couch so I figured this would provide her with a little security and freedom. Thank goodness I supervised her constantly! I never felt like she was safe when she used this toy to “walk” as it rolled faster than she could walk and she wouldn’t let go so she almost hit her head on it a couple of times. Then I tried putting rubber bands around the wheels hoping they would add some traction on the carpet but that did nothing. The wheels still rotated too quickly. I do believe this product failed as a walker.
HOWEVER, from then on, we only used this toy as a buggy (car). After my daughter learned to walk, she loved riding this thing. And as she grew older she would go all over the house putting little thing in the hood. Speaking of the hood, she caught her fingers in it more than a few times, not too bad but it would still hurt her little fingers. She loved cranking the “gas” cap and the key. Imaginative play was really big for her with this little car (she’d pretend to drive to the grocery store and bring back groceries to make her favorite dishes.) The car is close to the ground so she grew out of it too quickly.
The plastic is really durable and easy to clean. It’s easy to put together, too. Also, you can get this toy elsewhere for less $. I would NOT recommend this as “Step Star Walker. As a rider? Definitely but then you can probably find something better out there that your child can enjoy for a lot longer, I’m sure.
4 Stars Functional from beginning walker to toddler age.
We received this toy as a gift just when my son was just about the right age. As he was starting to learn how to walk, he took to the toy eagerly. He enjoyed putting things in the small storage compartment, spinning the flap-spinner, and shifting the ‘gear lever’. In our apartment, which has berber carpet, he walked behind it without any slippage or imbalance of the toy. At Grampa’s/Grandma’s, where the floor is bare wood, the wheels did slip, and he did fall a few times.
Now my son is well into his toddlerhood, and he still plays with it with regularity. In ride-on mode, he now adds his imagination and says that he’s driving a race-car or even a truck. It seems like the toy has had a good life, and I do not yet see the time when we’d give it away.
The toy is light, which makes it easy to carry (if the need arises). It may seem that its light weight would mean that it’s flimsy, but it has survived one year of good use with no breakage. This may be because of its simple design. In walker mode, the toy does not flex — it seems sturdy. Conversion between walker and ride-on is easy, but be sure to listen for the ‘click’ of the lock.
I recommend this toy if you have carpeted areas to use it on. It’s also OK on pavement, but I advise adult supervision. I believe (but without proof) that this toy does encourage walking and did help my son learn to walk while having fun. (I’m sure that there are plenty of other factors. But it helps.)
My only irritation with this toy is the color. Ugh.
5 Stars I love Playskool toys and this one especially!
Where Fisher Price has completely missed the mark in the last 10 years with ugly characters and garish, obnoxiously noisy toys, Playskool has picked up the slack. This car/walker is really cool. It’s colorful and offers something for various baby stages. If they’re not ready just yet to walk or ride, they can play with the gizmos located front and back. My daughter really enjoys the gadgety things and walking ‘by herself.’ We have hardwood floors and because of the wheel design – not very sophisticated being all plastic parts – there is enough friction that they don’t go so fast as to roll right out from under her. Normally I’m not in favor of the giant plastic accessories that are supposed to help babies progress through their natural baby cycles, but I definitely recommend this one just for the fun value. Oh, and for the aching back that comes with toddling toddlers.
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Hasbro Nerf N Strike Maverick Colors May Vary
The Maverick blaster features a six-dart rotating barrel with easy flip loading so you don’t have to waste any time while blasting enemy targets. Rapid launching action increases your battle speed and accuracy. Other features include a pullback mechanism and auto-advancing barrel.
The Maverick is a part of the N-Strike team, so you can snap it onto the Unity Power System (sold separately) and ratchet the NERF action up another notch. This incredibly cool Maverick blaster has a six-dart barrel with flip-open action for easy loading that puts you right back in the game. Blaster comes with six darts and instructions.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Fun for kids and adult
I bought 3 of these for my nephew for his birthday. They were a hit and we used them on our next camping trip. I only have two issues with them. These are definitely not for close use. They do pack a bit of a punch and can sting if hit in the right place. The cylinder for the bullets likes to stick often so you have to work it sometimes. Over all it provide all of us great fun.
3 Stars good toy
The Nerf N-Strike Maverick a good gun for target shooting, and sneaking up on people when they have their back turned to you. You can stick different types of darts in the gun like Micro darts (suction darts that can stick to glass), Micro sonic darts (whistling darts), etc. The only problem is the gun jams 30% of the time. So it’s best not to be in combat with the gun.
5 Stars best sidearm and good primary
ok i go to my friends nerf war every year and this gun owns. i am a sniper with a moded recon so i am picky about range.it passes!! i got a clear version from wal mart and it came with screamers. it is better with them. it beat a [...] dollar gun and beat down a [...] dollar gun….both moded.
it is the best handgun nerf ever came out with!
5 Stars Great nerf gun—even for beginners!
My son received this for his 5th birthday and it’s BY FAR his favorite gift. He plays with this pretty much every day. It took him a little while to master being able to cock the gun by himself but he’s got it now (watch out!). We bought a second gun for my husband as part of his Father’s Day gift. Now the “boys” chase each other all over the house. It’s great fun for “male bonding”!!! Just set some basic ground rules early on and this is a lot of good safe fun for the whole family. We would definitely purchase these as gifts (as long as parents approve). Also, would highly recommend buying the mega refill pack of ammo to go with it since this only comes with a few darts (nowhere near enough to have a good time with it).
5 Stars Lot’s of fun for kids!
As with all Nerf and Nerf-like products, these are great fun for any kid. Super gift idea, and very practical. Get’s kids outside and active…away from the games for a while. Plus, numerous kids can play at once and make it great fun! Extra ammo is always recommended!
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Hasbro Electronic Catch Phrase Game Second Edition
Ever play “Hot Potato” with a spud that ticks and talks? Welcome to Electronic Catch Phrase, the battery-powered (three AAA, not included) blend of clue deduction and race against the clock. Two teams of two or more players each alternate turns, guessing the answers to clues in 11 categories, from Food & Drink to Tech & Inventions. Set the timer on the discus-like game unit, and the clue-giving countdown begins; if a team’s guess matches the response on the game’s readout, pass the unit to the opponents. Just don’t get caught holding this potato when the buzzer sounds (after about a minute of increasingly insistent beating), as the other team will score a point, possession being nine- tenths of the “Awww!” With its infectious mix of fast, nerve-wracking, high- pressure passing the buck, Electronic Catch Phrase spreads a serious case of fun. –Tony Mason
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great game for a crowd!
We belong to a once-a-month Game Night group of 8 couples (we are in our 30’s and 40’s). After reading the reviews here, we decided to give Catch Phrase a try and it was huge success. Only one couple had played before but the rules were so easy and everyone caught on fast. We played about 2 1/2 hours (girls vs. guys) and everyone had a blast. This is a fun, fast-paced game!
5 Stars Drinking Games!
Ok, so maybe we aren’t using this toy in the most conventional sense, but it’s still a lot of fun for us. We play drinking (i.e. alcoholic beverages) games with this little toy to test out our verbal description skills. It’s a kinda boring at first until teams start losing and have to take shots or whatever we have going. Then is just devolves into a good time as people get frustrated with either someone inability to describe something or inability to guess correctly. For us, that’s where the real fun comes in – the insults and debauchery.
Would kids find this thing fun? Couldn’t tell ya…. but for adults who refuse to grow up and drink responsibly, this game is a good way to get the night going.
Cheers!
5 Stars Catchphrase
Great inter-active game with others. . . A test of ones knowledge. . . opportunity to increase dexterity and knowledge. Bottom line: great fun!
5 Stars Catch Phrase
Fun Fun Fun to play in large groups of adults. It is a little difficult for children under 12.
5 Stars Wet Your Pants Fun
Some friends of ours while we were camping introduced us to this game “Catch Phrase”.
I haven’t laughed like that night playing a game since I was a child.
Our friend’s Catch Phrase had a rubber body, and ours is pure plastic. Theirs felt a little more durable. You do end up dropping it or should I say throwing it away like a HOT potato.
I’ve purchase three this year as gifts.
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Transformers Movie 2 Deluxe Bumblebee Figure
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Not for 5 year olds
My husband is a Transformer nut and has all the originals and stuff from the movies. We bought these for our son who is 5 and there is no way he can transform them. I have to keep popping the pieces back on for him if he tries. Even following directions, it took my husband quite a while to do it the first time and he says they are not easy to do at all. Not impossible for an adult, but definitely not made for a 5 year old as the package states. These will end up broken, but since we bought them for him, there isn’t much we can do about it. At least they weren’t too expensive but they are not worth the money spent.
4 Stars No Pain No Gain
Wow, there are a lot of whiners who hate this thing…
Why does it so often seem like I’m one of the only people who appreciates a thoughtful and somewhat challenging transformation?
I’d take that over say…the shellformers or the kibble laden Big Convoy from beast wars neo? (seriously, it was like two pathetic toys in one!)
I dunno, i really like this transformer, either as a collectors’ item (hey, he looks pretty cool in the package) or as a toy (hey, he runs, guns, and transforms rather smoothly)
I will grant you that there are a WHOLE lot of little panels and pieces to this guy, which is probably due to how awesome he looks as a robot (and how screen accurate)
On the plus side, there is a lot of automorph to this guy, rotating his chest (the car hood) up rotates his arms and his windshield (its on his back) and sliding his feet up into position automaticly positions his rear fender and back window.
I will also grant you that perhaps some of him is rather flimsy (his back window splits in two for goodness sakes) and some of the pieces can be tricky to fit in (doors?)
Still, i think his camaro looks fantastic, and that his transformation, while difficult at first, is relatively easy since its basicly as follows:
slide foot flush with shin (repeat on other foot)
slide up hood over head
place hands behing his back (like he’s been arrested for speeding) and snap the roof halves into place
slide in the doors and lock
OH and snap his feet together
there
done
that was easy (easy button anyone?)
in fact the only real difficulty I’ve had with this guy is getting his doors to line up, but to be honest? transforming him back and forth is easy once you know how to do it, and if u know where everything goes on a car (you drivers should really) its pretty intuitive
To finish, he’s an outstanding mold and a fantastic camaro (camero? I can never remember how to spell it…) His tranformation can be a little tricky at first, but you really should be able to get the hang of it after two or three transformations
no longer is it simply “break apart all the kibble to reveal the robot inside” which I think is why everyone seems to be griping
(side note, when even my five year old brother can figure it out with the instructions, you know its not that hard…)
all in all worth the ten bucks or so you’ll spend on it at target or toys R us or wherever
2 Stars some problems (with mine, atleast)
It had come to my attention that I had been leaning heavily towards only buying decepticon figures, so I decided to pick up bumblebee, along with sideswipe.
I had bought the old camaro mold of bumblebee from the first movie, but never bothered to look very hard for his upgraded, new camaro form after that. I’ll admit that at the time, I wasn’t super happy with the older one.
Having said this, I find him to be far superior to this latest model. Although I don’t really have a problem with little bits coming off during transformations (like the yellow pieces on his shoulders), I DO have a problem with pieces not fitting together properly. Generally speaking, the instructions are highly cryptic (as is the case with many of the revenge of the fallen figures), and I find the back end of the figure to be highly flawed. Perhaps I made some kind of grievous error during one of the transformations, but one of his legs will not fold properly at all. It worked once or twice, but after that, no dice.
He still looks fine in robot mode, despite his weird, wobbly waist (which i find to be over-articulated).
I think the problem stems largely from the automorph feature for his legs; the back window pieces are connected to springs rather than just gears, and if the springs somehow become wound incorrectly (by say, twisting the window in the wrong manner rather than letting it move on its own), the entire transformation of that leg is wrecked. I find it completely impossible to fit his leg (i believe it is the left one) back together. As such, the door can’t close properly on that side, and car mode is wasted.
I won’t try and tell anybody that they shouldnt pick up the figure if you really like bumblebee, since his robot mode is really quite nice looking, but if you are looking to play around with him a lot, maybe steer clear of him in favour of some other dudes (like sideswipe or rampage). I am seriously considering returning him.
PS the car mode doesn’t look very nice…too many seams and visible panels, and it doesn’t really fit together well even when there is nothing wrong with various body parts.
4 Stars Great replica but hard transformer
My 4 year old got this for his birthday. He LOVES Bumblebee and cries at all the parts where he gets hurt in the movies, so he was psyched to get this toy. Dad was out of town when it arrived and I couldn’t figure out how to transform it for the life of me. I can only get part of it. Needless to say, everytime he wants to transform it – he runs for Dad (which is about every 5 minutes). The parts do pop off, but also do pop right back on. Not sure how long til they wear down and stop going back on though. Also, my son keeps popping the missile launcher off because he can’t remember to twist it out to the side before loading the missile. Again, easily pops back on, but Mom/Dad have to do it.
It looks totally cool both as a robot and as a transformer. Seems to be made well as it isn’t broke yet after 4 full days of constant play with my son, who tends to be rough.
Overall, my son absolutely loves the toy and I would buy it again if something happened to it.
1 Star Terrible toy – definitely not a child’s toy
I got this toy for my son who turned 5 and loves the Transformers. It is awful – the parts pop off much more easily than they should for a kid to use and it is impossible to transform from robot mode to car mode. My husband who is an engineer could not figure out how to transform it and certainly my 5 year old could not change it. In fact my husband was talking with some co-workers who also said what terrible toys the new generation of Transformers are. It’s unfortunate because they don’t need to be so difficult but I would not recommend this item or any of the more advanced Transformers to anyone to buy. Unless you just want to use the toy as a robot and not play with it. Very disappointing – buyer beware. 
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Parker Brothers Scrabble Slam Cards
Show off for your friends! Build your vocabulary! Tell your parents its almost like studying!It’s the Scrabble Slam Card Game! You’re gonna love this fun twist on America’s favorite word game– Scrabble! Impress all your friends with your vast vocabulary and extensive knowledge of the English language! Ages 8 and up. Batteries not required.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Terrific game!
This is a terrific game for adults and children. With kids, this is a fun way to learn spelling and making words. Shipping was speedy and price just right.
5 Stars Fun for Everyone!
I needed this game in a huury, because we were taking a trip. Amazon sent it right away. Scrabble Slam is lots of fun. It is fast moving and makes one think. It makes you pay attention to how many different 4-letter words in the world can possibly be created. It is important to have a dictionary nearby. Have fun!
5 Stars Quick and Fun
This is a quick easy game to pick up and play for a few minutes while waiting for food to be delivered, commercials, on hold….etc. The directions are simple and its fun.
2 Stars Just Ho-Hum
I was a little disappointed with this game. Not as fun or stimulating as I thought it was going to be. Can be confusing with the layout of the cards having letters on both sides. Can also be repetitive with players changing the same letters to make the same words over and over again. If wanting a word game, buyer is better off with original Scrabble, Boggle or Bananagrams.
5 Stars Scrabble Slam Card Game
Very easy to learn and to play. Simple but very fun. My husband and I love it, and he’s not even a game person.
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