This Grandma always goes for Oppenheimer Toy Award winning toys on Toy Portolio. I know the toys have been tested by real children and evaluated by expert testers. However, I had run out of toys to get for our youngest grandchild and it was his third birthday. He has inherited toys from three older grandchildren. He must have every truck and car created. He has everything. He does not need anything. But, this Grandma wanted him to have a visit present –especially on his third birthday visit. So, in addition to a deposit in his 529 college plan for his birthday, I held my breath and took him to Target.
Yes, this crazy grandma took a three year old boy to the toy section in Target. I did keep him in the seat in the shopping cart. We actually made it down several aisles. Okay, remember I said he has everything. He said, “stop” when we got to a display of Go! Go! Smart Wheels by V Tech. He was fascinated by the display. I must admit the display was clever as it combined several $20 or so individual sets. He selected the airport. Of, course, it was his. Click here.
I was in such a hurry to get out of the toy department that I did not notice that it only came with one Smart Wheels vehicle—an airplane vehicle! When we got it home and put together, he definitely was disappointed that it only came with one vehicle. I took out the booklet and let him pick other sets and other vehicles that I put on his Amazon wish list for me to bring for future visits and immediately ordered two more vehicles to be delivered in two days. No way was I bringing him back to Target for another go round!
Yes, he played with it for about fifteen minutes, adding more of his own vehicles and figures to the pretend play. He played with it again the next day. Is it the best toy? No, it is not on Toy Portfolio. It does get four and one half stars on Amazon and seems to be appropriate for two to three year colds. Is it entertaining? Yes. The vehicle talks and sings and makes sounds as it crosses various “smart” spots on the toy. He examined this phenomena and was curious about how this worked. He tried his other vehicles and saw they did not work. He flew the airplane around the room. We played together. It was fun. For fifteen minutes. At $20, this is more than $1 a minute, and the extra cars run $7 – 10 each.
Yes, I did put the other sets and other vehicles he was interested in on his wish list and I will get them for him for future visits. I was really surprised that this three year old did not ask for every vehicle and every set! It took up room in his parents’ house but was not overly big. Maybe they did not object to size because it was his birthday time. The 2 in 1 race track which he wants next can be used as a straight track or a circular track, so maybe he will play with that longer. The thing about Oppenheimer Toy Award winning toys is that the children tend to play with them longer. On Amazon, one complaint was that although the reviews say all the sets are interchangeable and connect, some don’t. I don’t care. I will get him what he selected, whether they connect or not. I am a grandma.
Would I bring the three year old back to the toy department in any toy store? No, his birthday is over. My heart might not last the stress of worrying what would happen.
Joy,
Mema
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