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Roundtable Roundup: When New Toys Get Old

How Long 'til the Thrill Is Gone? Read What Moms Say

To determine which toys have lasting play value, our Roundtable moms and kids looked back at the products they evaluated from March to July 2007. Here’s what they said:

BABY ROUNDTABLE

Product	Month reviewed	Times played with per week	Have they requested a similar toy?	Comments
Curvino Push Toy by SELECTA SPIELZEUG	March	2	Y Y Y	“I never thought of buying my 1-year-old daughter cars [because] she is a girl; yet she gives her babies rides in it.”
My Traveling ABCs and companion book Shopping With My ABCs by BABE EASE	March	0.25	N Y N	“My 1-year-old girl has the book in her bookbag, but has lost most of the letters.”
Dragonstone Castle by HABA USA/HABERMAASS CORP	March	1.5	Y Y Y	“We played with this one a lot; it was great because it traveled well. My 2-year-old son always asks for HABA toys at the store!”
Golden Retriever Puppy by DOUGLAS CUDDLE TOYS	April	4.25	Y Y	“Who knew?! This toy goes with us everywhere! Everyday! Of all the toys we have seen, this is one my 2-year-old son still uses the most!”
Fisher-Price Little People Light & Sound Puzzle Collection – Old MacDonald by SABABA TOYS	April	1.88	Y Y Y	“My 1-year-old girl plays with this puzzle every day. She has even started to sing E-I-O.”
Whistling Hippos by ALEX	May	0.44	N Y	“My baby plays with these toys in her pool.”
Bathtub Fun Center by RAVENSBURGER	May	1.69	Y Y	“This is the one that is always attached to the side of the tub. She loves this water toy.”
Whale-of-Fun by TINY LOVE	May	1.38	N Y	“My daughter loves the whale — he is a bath must.”
Frubi Sunglasses by FRUBI SHADES	June	0.65		“This is a great and needed product.”
Ernie Fire Engine by WOW TOYS	June	3.3	Y Y Y	“My 2-year-old boy plays with this toy several times a week ... and asks for more almost daily! ”
Harry Copter Animal Rescue by WOW TOYS	June	3.3	Y Y Y Y	“My 3-year-old girl loves rescuing the animals.”
Smart Kids - Your Baby Can Read! by PENTON OVERSEAS INC.	July	0.5	N N N	“My 3-year-old daughter liked the flash cards only; she doesn’t like to watch the DVD.”

PRESCHOOL ROUNDTABLE

Product	Month reviewed	Times played with per week	Have they requested a similar toy?	Comments
Fabulantis by EUROPLAY CORP.	March	0.4	Y N N N	“It was an OK game for my 7-year-old, but too complicated for my 5-year-old”
Fantasy Land Jigsaw Puzzle Blocks by HABA USA	March	0.25	N N N N N	“My kids love puzzles.”
L’il DaVinci Gallery Edition Art Frames by DYNAMIC FRAMES	March	0.25	N N N N Y	“We change the picture once a month.”
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by UNIVERSITY GAMES	April	0.1	Y N N N N	“The box broke up, so we threw the game away.”
Wild Animal Panorama by SAFARI LTD.	April	0.15	Y N N N N	“My kids still like this one.”
Little Mermaid 4 in 1 Under the Sea Games by USAOPOLY	April	0.25	N N N N	“My kids like this set.”
Bubba: The Bottom Feeder Game by FUNDEX GAMES	May	1.25	Y Y N Y	“My children have asked to take Bubba to the pool.”
Dive Pets Fishin' Net by FUNDEX GAMES	May	1.82	Y N Y Y	“I think my kids were a little old for this one.”
Tub Tunes Symphony by ALEX	May	0.1	N N N N	“If I reintroduce the instruments in the tub, I'm sure my kids will want to use them.”
Urban Kidz “I Promise” Series by ALL 4 KIDZ ENTERPRISES	June	2.9	N N Y N	“Almost daily, we read a different book.”
Cub Cadet by PEG PEREGO	July	4.2	Y Y Y N	“I’m sure they’d like to have another one.”

HOMESCHOOLERS ROUNDTABLE

Product	Month reviewed	Times played with per week	Have they requested a similar toy?	Comments
Cross Over from SJB PRODUCTS LLC	March	0.13	N N	“I like this toy better than my 7-year-old daughter does.”
Idol Quest from REX GAMES	March	0.94	N N N Y	“My children almost always choose this game to take to gatherings.”
Khet from INNOVENTION TOYS LLC	March	1.13	N N N Y	“My older children are always getting this one down to play with their father.”
Nerdy Wordy Crossword Game from BRIARPATCH INC.	March	0.5	N N N N
American Trivia: Junior Edition from OUTSET MEDIA	March	1.19	N N N Y	“They love this game.”
Sentence Says: Dice Edition from MARBAN INDUSTRIES INC.	March	0	N N N N	“We took this to a party on May 28 and have packed it away with school materials since then.”
Touchdown from K & T TOYS INC.	April	1.75	Y N N Y	”This toy is a staple in the car to play while en route to errands, on road trips, etc.”
250-Piece Dinosaur Panorama Puzzle from SAFARI LTD.	April	0.5	Y N N N	“This was a very nice puzzle, [with] nice large pieces and very interesting graphics.”
Top Toss Pro from FUNDEX GAMES LTD.	April	1.13	N N N N	“This toy was a hit at our end-of-year cooperative party.”
BlongoBall from BLONGO FAMILY FUN	April	0.31	N N N N	“This is a good group game.”
You’ve Been Sentenced from McNEILL DESIGNS FOR BRIGHTER MINDS LLC	May	1	N N N	“This is a very fun game the whole family enjoys.”
My Word from OUT OF THE BOX PUBLISHING	May	0.67	N N N	“This is great fun, and works on spelling skills, too!”
10 Days in the USA from OUT OF THE BOX PUBLISHING	May	1.31	Y N N N	“This is probably my kids’ favorite board game. They've also modified the play, so that it can be an extra-cutthroat race to the finish.”
Apples to Apples Kids and Apples to Apples Junior from OUT OF THE BOX PUBLISHING	May	1.5	N N N N	“It’s very, very popular not only for those at our house, but with friends who come to visit.”
Freddy Big Chair from FREDDY & FRIENDS LLC	June	2.25	N N N N	“Freddy is a permanent fixture in front of our gaming system, but only the 7- and 8-year-olds will sit in it.”
Once Upon a Blue Moon from FREDDY & FRIENDS LLC	June	0	N N N N	“We did not enjoy the book as much as we did the companion chair.”
Space TiViTz from SAS GAMES INC.	July	0.25	N N N N	“I might push this game as a learning toy next winter when ... my 7-year-old is learning her times tables.”
Baseball’s Board Game from FUN GAMES INC.	July	0.75	N N N Y	“My 14- and 7-year-old boys engage in this game quite often.”

DOLLS ROUNDTABLE

Product	Month reviewed	Times played with per week	Have they requested a similar toy?	Comments
Only Hearts Club	March	2.33	Y Y Y	“My granddaughters want more of these and more clothes for them.”
P31 Doll from ONE2BELIEVE	April	2.67	N N N	“They still make cookies with this doll.”
Käthe Kruse Waldorf Melena by EUROPLAY CORP.	May	0.33	N N N	“My granddaughter ... and her friend Patty in Honolulu let these dolls talk on the Internet.”
Karito Kids Wan Ling by KIDSGIVE	June	3.83	Y Y Y	“This is the girls’ favorite. They play with it almost every day. They would like to have the whole series of these dolls.”
Bébé Do by COROLLE	July	5.5	Y Y Y	“My granddaughters think this is the sweetest baby doll they have. They take this doll everywhere and care for it like a real baby.”

Writer's Bio: ALISON MAREK is an award-winning writer, director and cartoonist whose work has been published by Fairchild Publications and DC Comics (Piranha Press), broadcast on Showtime and other cable networks, and viewed worldwide in film festivals. See her short films and print work on www.alisonmarek.com. Watch her nefarious villains in the web series www.MuggsMovers.com. Get inspired by her cartoons "Daily ARFFirmations to Unleash Your Inner Fido" at www.ARFFirmations.com. Phew! And then ...  Read more articles by this author

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