Remember the scary clown phase where kids and adults alike were terrified? Every time my daughters and I look at The Sunshine Symphony by Neurosmith we comment that we just don’t get it. We adults think the bright yellow face, red nose, and large black outlined eyes, is almost spooky. However, with all of our grandchildren, including the youngest, the newborns are mesmerized. They stare and stare. Our now seven month old will calm on the changing table, and as an active baby boy toy, Sunshine Symphony is magic, as it was for his now fifteen year old cousin at his age. Anything that keeps a wriggling baby quiet on a changing table is a must have toy for any new parent. It even seems to always be referred to as THE Sunshine Symphony, something with status to be revered.
All Oppenheimer Award Toys on www.toyportfolio.com are tested on babies and children who use the toy. It is surprising to us adults how much and how long a baby, and even toddler, will pay attention to Sunshine Symphony. It was granted the coveted Platinum award status when our eldest grandchild was a baby, and we have gone through many Sunshine Symphony toys over the years.
It seems to grab baby’s attention with a little bar of music and lights on the corners, and then it plays the classical music that we are supposed to play for babies’ brain development. The Sunshine Symphony plays four famous musical compositions: Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C Major, Handel’s Water Music, Tchalkovsky’s The Nutcracker, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. ISee post on classical music. See previous post, “Giving You Easy Ways to Use Certain Classical Music Which Listened to in the Background For Twenty Minutes A Day Focuses and Strengthens the Brain Of All Ages from Birth to Death.”
Granted, babies are supposed to be able to start it by touching the face, but it really takes more muscle to do so, after a while of use. What message are we giving that we adults are punching a clown face?
Our youngest grandchild goes on crawling marathons chasing to get to Sunshine Symphony as we move it across the room. We now just refer it as Sunshine. We laugh watching him and he laughs trying to reach the Sunshine. When it gets it, he loves the crinkle, squeak, beads and teether.
Thank goodness it is still made, so we don’t have to stock up. It is not an inexpensive toy so makes a great shower or new baby gift. Some websites even say it is for up to three years of age, but, by then, it is just another plush toy on the bed or shelf.
See the full description of how this perpetually miraculous toy works at Genius Baby, the manufacturer.
I discovered that the toy has been adapted for children with disabilities with a switch addition.
Definitely, buy for a baby you love at Amazon.
What other toy is sold as a six package on amazon?
Buy for a holiday present. This seems to sell out after all these years.
After writing this blog post, I just submitted a nomination for The Sunshine Symphony to the National Toy Hall of Fame for 2019!
It certainly qualifies under their criteria for induction:
“Inducted toys are selected on the basis of the following criteria:
Icon-status: the toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered.
Longevity: the toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations.
Discovery: the toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play.
Innovation: the toy profoundly changed play or toy design. A toy may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.”
Now, we just have to wait until December 2019 to see if it wins.
Joy,
Mema
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