The indestructible lethal weapon also known as the YoYo Ball
Written: Dec 06 '03 (Updated Dec 07 '03)
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Pros: uh.....
Cons: break easily/quickly; dangerous; impossible to control/play with
The Bottom Line: The YoYo Ball is a horrid toy. If the string breaks, you're out of luck; it's also impossible to control and thus dangerous.
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| bops_mom's Full Review: YoYo Ball |
Why I am a sucker and bought this piece of junk
Many months ago my son and I started seeing commercials for this cool looking toy called a YoYo Ball. I remembered I had something very similar as a child and loved it so I was determined to find these YoYo Ball’s and buy one for my 5 year old. Every trip to the mall I checked the toy store and it was a good 6 weeks before I finally found them at K. B. Toy’s for $4.99 each, but they were two for one, so not that bad, really. My son was with me and he and I both choose one. Mine has a purple ball with yellow polka-dots and the casing is clear (as it is on all of them) with a blue design; my son’s was a bright red-orange with teal and gold.
The whole idea or concept behind the YoYo Ball is that “it always comes back to you” and “never needs rewinding” (those quotes from the YoYo Ball packaging). Think a tightly wound ball if elastic – if you stretch it out and let go it will spring back.
The bad, the horrid and terrible
Recalling the toy I had that was similar at least in concept to this as a child, I’m completely disappointed in the YoYo Ball. I’ll tell you flat out it’s a horrid product, a terrible toy that breaks very easily and is extremely unsafe and not the least bit fun. No, really!
But you may want to know why I feel that way about the YoYo Ball so here goes….
Ok, first off these are wound up so tight that it’s hard to make them drop more than a couple of inches before it springs right back up. I mean, you really have to try. I watched my child attempt to do it and nearly laughed. I figured it had to be because he has Mild Cerebral Palsy and has weaker arms and hands than the average child his age. Then I tried it for myself and realized even for an adult with normal hand/arm strength, this toy was too much work to be fun. What a total bummer!
I thought maybe if it was played with a lot, after a period of time, maybe it would loosen up and become easier to use…. As difficult as it was for my son to play with his YoYo Ball, he kept at it and less than 48 hours later his YoYo Ball broke. I kid you not. It was broken. And just how do you break a YoYo Ball? Well, the string snaps and gets sucked inside the ball never to be seen again - that’s how. What a bummer!
So, being the wonderful mommy I am, I told the kiddo he could have/use my YoYo Ball. He continued to play with it for a few days at which point he gave up as it was simply not a fun toy – at all.
In addition to how easily the YoYo Ball can break and how hard it is to really play with the YoYo Ball is quite a hazard. Let me tell you! I got hit with it when my husband decided the kiddo and I were wimps (ha and a ha). He tried to show us that it just took a bit of strength that we simply don’t have to really get the ball out there and let me tell ya – he whacked me but good. It was quite painful and unlike a normal YoYo, you really have zero control over the YoYo Ball so it will go where it will go and hit whoever and whatever is in the way. The fact that the casing is so very hard and proven to be so durable really only adds to the hazardous factor.
I honestly have nothing good to say about the YoYo Ball. I mean, they look cool and the concept is a good one; Big Toys LLC. just did a terrible job taking that idea and manufacturing a toy from it. The YoYo Ball is insanely sturdy and durable, but that only ends up being a con as it makes the YoYo Ball a nearly indestructible lethal weapon.
bops_mom’s Final Thoughts and Recommendation
If you had a toy similar to the YoYo Ball as a child – don’t buy a YoYo Ball thinking it will be equally as fun. The YoYo Ball is a worthless toy with a very poor design and has great potential to be dangerous; knock out teeth, give black eyes and bruises. Don’t buy this toy. Trust me on this. YoYo Ball is recommended for ages 3 and up, but I don’t recommend it to anyone. I wasted $5 on the two I bought and even my son quickly gave up on it. Save your money!
Thanks for reading!
~ Melissa :o)
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 4.99
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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bops_mom
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Member: Melissa S.
Location: California
Reviews written: 625
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