"The Popper": Best $18.00 we've ever spent…
Written: Jun 15 '05 (Updated Jul 12 '05)
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Pros: Stimulating, fun-filled enjoyment for your child.
Cons: Can be annoying at times.
The Bottom Line: The best $18.00 we ever spent on a toy. The popper is now two years old and our kids (myself included) still enjoy it!
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| mcknoche1's Full Review: Hasbro Busy Ball Popper |
I purchased the Playskool® Air-tivityTM Ball Popper for a daughter when she was 18 months old. I have to admit that the “concept” of an eternal ball fountain intrigued me into forking out the approximate $18.00 sale price at Wal-Mart, although I had no idea how entertaining this toy would eventually be. Half embarrassingly, I must admit that after putting the toy together I had more fun playing with it than any other toy we have purchased for our girls.
The popper represents the best $18.00 we ever spent … and I mean it! As of today, six of my friends or family have purchased this product upon my recommendation. Each of them is very much impressed with the popper and has recommended it to others as well. It is a true hit a birthday parties for younger children, causing the other moms to ask where you bought it. Playskool should put me on payroll!
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Ages: The manufacturer states nine months to age four. I cannot fathom this since my twins are now nearly six and quite enjoy playing with the popper. Whenever we have gatherings at our house, all the children nearly always congregate around the popper first for quite some time before moving on to other toys. Some of these children are as old as eight. I must also admit that when I go to put the toy away, I spend a few minutes playing with it!
Size and Weight: 6.40” x 13.10” x 18.00” and approximately 5 lbs.
Music: When the popper is initiated, it begins playing one of eight brief songs that are stimulating for children, but mind-numbing for adults if you are around the toy over an extended period of use. Be prepared to be shopping at the grocery store and having one of the songs pop into your head to drive you crazy!
Assembly: The popper itself contains three parts, the base, chute, and bowl. The blue base consists of a transparent gooseneck to which is housed the pink air motor. The orange chute next snaps easily into place on top of the base, with the yellow bowl then snapping into it. The popper also comes with five light plastic balls (each ˝ white in color with the other half one of the following: yellow, blue, green, purple, and red) which sit in the gooseneck of the base until the popper is initiated. Four D batteries (purchased separately) are required in order for the popper to function.
The balls are quite lightweight, and as such, when the child is running to chase down the ball, they oftentimes step on it and crush it. On one end of the ball is a pinpoint hole (left over from the injection molding process in manufacture) that you can blow into to try and reshape the ball. By doing this, there will be small wrinkles in the plastic that you cannot fix which will affect somewhat the effectiveness of the ball in the popper due to aerodynamics. The balls are also small loose items which often become lost and are not available for replacement from Playskool.
Children have no problem (usually) chasing down the loose balls, but for some reason they have more difficulty snapping the chute or top bowl into place when they mistakenly knock them off during popper play. In a period of about 30 minutes, be prepared to stop what you are doing to snap the pieces back into place a couple of times or you will add crying to the sometimes annoying music.
Use: To the right of the popper one finds a red button, or plunger. When pressing the plunger down, sound effects (mostly pops and whistles) precede the initiation of the air motor. The force of the air from the motor pushes each ball up the pipe and out the top of the yellow bowl where they then roll down the chute and back into the base. This process is repeated over a brief span of approximately 30 seconds before the motor automatically shuts off. To repeat the procedure, the child simply presses the plunger once again.
The sound of the blower sounds oddly enough like a hair dryer or one of those upright popcorn poppers popular in the 1980’s.
Often times the bowl top is not large enough to catch a ball if it sails too high, causing the ball to bounce out and roll across the floor. For this reason, the popper is not only stimulating for children but it also encourages exercise as the child scurries off to chase down the rogue ball and return it to the popper. You will quickly see that for your child, chasing the ball is half the fun -- unless your child cannot walk or crawl yet, in which case you will break a sweat!
Inherent with the product is the desire for children to plug up the tube for a few seconds and then remove it to cause a ball to go shooting out the top of the popper. This causes the motor to wear down a bit over time when all five balls are being used. This action also causes the batteries to die down sooner as the motor has to work harder.
Awards:
• Nappa Gold Winner (2003)
• Child Magazine Best Toy (2003)
• American Baby Best Toy (2003)
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Pros:
• Will quickly become the most popular toy your child owns.
• Mind stimulating for children, with added benefit of exercise for chasing down loose balls.
• Amazingly entertaining for most children and identically entertaining for adults.
• From box to play, approximately 10 minutes including battery installation.
• Bright and colorful presentation.
• Stimulating music that turns itself off after approximately 30 seconds.
• An on/off switch for parents who would like a few moments of peace at times, that overrides the plunger in starting the popper.
• Much, much more.
Cons:
• The music can become mind-numbing for adults over extended periods of use.
• The balls crush easily and are not available for replacement from Playskool.
• The top bowl and middle chute snap off easily during use, if bumped, causing the balls to roll everywhere.
• Motor and battery life can wear down substantially when child plugs up the blow tube with hand.
"See my #1 review of the Cosco Alpha Omega car seat."
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 18.00
Type of Toy: Baby Toy
Age Range of Child: Other
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Epinions.com ID:
mcknoche1
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Member: Mindy
Location: Missouri
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 29 members
About Me:
Married to wonderful husband for 7 yrs, and have 4 lovely little girls.
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