Editorial Review

Four hippos try to eat as many marbles as they can--as fast as they can. This game is fast-paced and riotous for kids who get to take turns popping a white marble into the ring, then furiously pressing on their hippo's levered tail to catch the prize. As if that's not enough, in the advanced game, all 20 marbles are released at the same time. Utter mayhem ensues, and whoever snares the most marbles wins. If only it would get kids to clean their plates as well as those pudgy hippos do! --Lynne Sampson ... Read more

Reviews (85)

Awesoma Power!
THIS IS THE BEST GAME IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUY IT AND/OR CRY, NOW!!!!!!!!!

Do not bother with it.
I loved this game as a child and wanted to buy it for my 3 year old son.Great game, now made into a piece of PLASTIC GARBAGE!. The light weight marbles are terrible and the heads of my hippos don't even lift up most of the time.
It's truly a shame they have to ruin these type of games with cheap materials.

GREAT GAME, TOO BAD THE PLASTIC CAN'T HANDLE THE HUNGER...
Why is it that companies who decide to reissue classic games from the 50's, 60's and 70's seemingly ALWAYS do so using the cheapest of plastics?Gone are the days of thick precisely engineered plastics, strong metal supporting parts and ready-to-play-out-of-the-box sturdy construction.Instead, we get cheap inferior versions (Spirograph) and flimsy "assembly required" thin plastic versions that don't work properly (Hungry Hippos, Hands Down).C'mon folks, we're talking PLASTIC here...the stuff is plentiful and inexpensive: spend an extra 5 cents on the manufacturing end and give me a better product.

My beef with this toy is that it appears no one at the manufacturer bothered to play-test it.The lightweight plastic pellets go flying everywhere (you can't call 'em marbles anymore), the hippos get stuck or they fall off during play, and you can count on a plastic piece eventually breaking off or cracking, leaving you with crying children and extremely disappointed adults.(However, there IS satisfaction to be had after it breaks...go outside, place it in the driveway and stomp on it until it's reduced to nothing more than itty-bitty colored plastic pieces.Great for getting out the aggression this crappy toy provokes!)

Forget this rubbish, you're better off getting an original.Thank goodness for eBay, second-hand stores, and flea markets.Happy hunting! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Family Favorites    4. Animals    5. Hippos    6. Preschool   

Editorial Review

Battleship captains plot their strategies, send out torpedoes, and as the last ship (often the smallest, two-peg patrol boat) hides in an unsuspected corner, anticipation mounts. Like many classic games, Battleship walks a fine line between strategy and luck. The goal is to conceal the location of your ships while finding and destroying your enemies' fighters. The playing arena is a notebook-size plastic board updated for '90s sensibilities: the "floor" of the board is printed with waves and the exterior vaguely resembles a laptop. The design mimics the view a submarine captain would have, complete with a glimmer of radar waves. The game is perfect entertainment to share: simple enough for children, yet gratifying enough for adults to enjoy. One design decision keeps this edition from being truly stellar: the playing boards don't lock securely, allowing the small pegs to fall out and spill from the sides if jostled. --Jennifer Buckendorff ... Read more

Reviews (46)

A great little logic test.
This game is a classic and it really gets kids thinking about plotting the possibles and probables. They don't even realise it's educational as it's such fun. The design makes it a perfect travel game. A great one to get out when the chorus of "are we there yet?", is driving you crazy and playing "eye spy" is making everyone loose the will to live rapidly!
I even get away with playing my knid of music without the children moaning or noticing!

Lots of fun...
This game is pretty fun, you don't have to think too much and the instructions are easy enough as well. I do agree with the one reviewer who saaid that the pegs can be horrible if scattered everywhere. What we do is keep them in seperate plastic bags, and unwrap them before the game starts. It's a little bit more time-consuming, but that way it keeps them from winding up in a kid or pet's mouth.

You've Sunk My Battleship!
I just bought this game, because I remembered how much fun I had playing it when I was younger.This is one of those games that never gets old, and anyone from a child, to an adult can have fun playing it.

You each have a console, with 2 grids: your ocean grid where YOUR ships are, and the striking grid.The object of the game is to shout out coordinates to try and sink your opponent's ships.By marking them in the grid above, you then strategize where your opponent has placed his/her ships.You either have a "hit", or "miss".Play continues until you have sunk all of the ships on the other player's console.

There are many ways you can play this game.You can even make a few rules up if you like.There are also different forms of play in the instructions, inside the box.

One example of play that I like: if you sink your opponent's Battleship, the game is automatically over, and you've won.

All in all, this game is alot of fun.The consoles are pretty durable, and there are spots for you to store the ships, and the hit/miss pegs.As far as educational value, I think it would help children to work with grids, and strategizing.You have to be aware of what size ships you are dealing with and where they will fit on the grid (in the NON-hit spaces that remain on your opponent's grid).

I prefer this version to the electronic version.There are no sound effects and no noise, which I think makes it easier and less hassle.

If by chance you haven't played this game, buy it today! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Classic Games    3. Board Games    4. Family Favorites   

Editorial Review

It's "the game that ties you up in knots"! Twister has beenaround forever, and it's still as much fun as you remember. The gamebox contains a spinner, a plastic mat marked with colored circles, andthe rules, which are brief. You don't need anything else except a groupof friends. A referee spins the spinner to come up with a color andwhether a hand or a foot is to be placed in a circle of that color.It's easy at first, but after four or five spins you'll be more tangledthan a plate of spaghetti. If you fall, or if any part of you except ahand or a foot touches the mat, you're out, and the last player left isthe winner. If you're looking for something to break the ice atparties, this game is it. ... Read more

Reviews (45)

A classic for all ages really
Surely everyone knows Twister? My first encounter was when my sister got the game for her birthday in 1976.
She and her friends had a ball with it at her party, then the adults had a go; or rather the Dads.
The Mums all seemed to wear frocks in those days and they didn't want to disgrace themselves at my Sister's party! The Dads on the other hand, would be really dumb at the drop of a hat to make us kids laugh.
I remember it being fun whatever age I was (I played a lot of games at college and we were all pretty giddy with wine then, much like the Dads back in 76!).
You can't fail to enjoy it, just be careful if your back is troubled or you have any injuries that are healing. Oh and be careful if you play with someone with stinky feet! the game really is a "shoes off" number, This is a fine idea but I remember back in 76 one of the Dads was not so sweet and one of my college buddies was rank! This means the mat needs a wipe down occassionally, otherwise there is a unfortunate lasting pong every time you open the box!!

It's a blast!
I have played this for years at birthday parties, but finally got one of my own last summer. So I took it to a Summer Youth Camp with me...and about 25 of us teens took turns on there. It was such a blast!
The only thing I would say is, if you have back or neck problems, you might want to skip this one. Or you could always be the spinner person. Either way, this one's tons of fun!

Twister-4 1/2 Stars
Twister is a very nice, fun, calm game. If you have any sort of party with friends this is a great game to play. And it's not really any age limit, just as long as you know your right from your left. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Family Favorites    4. Classic Games    5. Party Games    6. Grownup   

Editorial Review

Surely countless medical careers have been launched because of this humorous game. The Operation game board features Sam the patient, lying atop a red plastic "operating table" with 12 body cavities exposed. Players perform highly skilled procedures with a pair of tweezers such as removing a broken heart or butterflies in the stomach. This kind of surgery requires a steady hand! Doctors must remove the offending body part without touching the metal lining of the cavity. Touch the metal edge, and you'll set off the buzzer and make Sam's nose light up. Then the designated Specialist steps in--for double the fee! If you're playing solo, try performing all 12 operations without getting zapped. Two AA batteries are required. Operation is for one or more players. --Elizabeth Ward ... Read more

Reviews (70)

JUNK
I played this game as a kid and loved it. But now this thing is made so cheap, the top paper isn't even glued down and we've had some parts get stuck under it, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to pick up these pieces, even if you are steady and all that, you can't get the pieces out because they are real slippery and so are the tweezers. There is nothing to grip the pieces, they are both totally smooth. This game sucks!!!!

Operation - made by Milton Bradley
Another game that I find it amazing that is made available in this hi-tech age we live in.As a kid,I thought this game was okay.Purpose is to remove these tiny plastic parts from the operating board.Comes with twelve parts that's to be 'professionally' removed with a pair of tweezers.Don't lose the parts and this game should last awhile.Anyone else remember the TV ad for this game way back when as the girl in pigtails reads off the instuctions on the card,"Take out wrenched ankle..."?That commercial may've done more damage than Milton Bradley knows.Requires two size AA batteries.

Not like it used to be
I remember playing this game when I was a kid. I perchased it for my daughter thinking that she would have fun. Didn't happen!
She hated the noise it made.(A truely disterbing and loud sound) So we Cut the wire to the sound but it didn't help. She tried to play but the pieces were lost within a week and the game hit the trash. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Family Favorites    4. Electronic   

Editorial Review

Build a better mousetrap? We dare you. Naturally, the object is to trap mice in the mousetrap, while avoiding getting trapped. By rolling the die, you proceed around the game board, collecting cheese pieces and building a mousetrap bit by bit. Once complete, you set the wheels in motion, as it were, to try to capture the opposition's mice. But this is no ordinary trap. With this contraption you start by turning the crank, that rotates the gears, that push the lever, that moves the shoe, that kicks the bucket, that sends the ball down the stairs and into the gutter, that leads to the rod that releases a second ball, that falls through the bathtub and onto the springboard, that catapults the diver into the washtub, that causes the cage to fall and--whew!--hopefully, capture a mouse. The last "mouse" left uncaptured wins --Alison Golder ... Read more

Reviews (71)

Mouse Trap - made by Milton Bradley
In this hi-tech age,I'm amazed a game like Mouse Trap is even made anymore.Don't get me wrong,I liked this game as a kid but that was over thirty years ago.I recently picked this game up and I found out the hard way that most kids over the age of,say eight probably wouldn't have much interest in it.The recommended age is over three.So,that would narrow it down to kids between 3 to 7.If you're an adult with some time on your hands,you could possibly find this game somewhat entertaining for maybe twenty minutes before wanting to find something else to do.Only downside is that too many of the required pieces can easily end up lost or broken.Overall,it's an okay game.

Beats computer games any day!
I had this game when I was young and it has been around for years now. You could be forgiven for dismissing the game as a silly bit of fun but a large part of the point of this is setting up the game. This requires kids to test their dexterity, physical and mental, as well as consider some early notions of scientifc principles; logic, physics, probability etc.
I think it's fab for developing young brains while the have lot's of fun and barely realise you are taxing their grey cells!

It's a blast!
Any kids that I've played this with have never actually played the game...they just love putting the contraption together! There is nothing more rewarding than hearing this excited little laugh-scream when the mouse is captured.
I say, skip the game part and build the trap first! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Family Favorites   

Editorial Review

This classic game has been around for nearly half a century and is just as fun as ever. The bugs' faces are a bit goofier than before, but the object remains the same: to be the first to create your own Cootie. Just arrange the bug parts on the fold-out board and roll the die to win the parts you need. (Roll a 1 and pick a body, roll a 2 and select a head, roll a 3, etc.) Body parts are made of hard plastic and come in various mix-and-match colors. Small pieces are a danger to young children, so supervision is recommended. Instructions in English and Spanish. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Instant Winner
I just baught this game for my son (4 1/2) and he loved it right away. He loves to play with me or on his own. Only drawback: the poor quality; the pieces keep on falling off. My son is very meticulous for his age and doesn't mind. He's just extra careful handling his cootie. But I think it could be a great cause of frustration. I always have to pick up my pieces and I think it takes some of the fun away. Strange that it is so poorly made. But my son has so much fun with this game and that's what matters.

Pieces Fall Out
I believe the game is fun but the pieces would not stay together. The head, body, legs, and antennae would keep falling off. This frustrated my children because they had to keep putting the pieces together after they already put them on and so it took the enjoyment out of the game. My children is 3 and 4 years old and my nephew is 6 years old.

too bad times have changed
this "new" "updated" Cootie STINKS!it is nothing like the original and this one IS NOT DURABLE.the parts are so cheep and they do not stay in the holes.Go on eBay and find an original... don't waste your money on this new version. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Preschool   

Editorial Review

Especially appealing to energetic little critters, the classic toddler game Ants in the Pants requires no reading or waiting for turns. It's "One--two--three--Go!" and everyone is racing to pop all four of their bugs into Fido's bloomers. It's that simple. Plastic "ants" are big enough (2.5 inches) that even little fingers find it easy to perform feats of insect trajectory. A hilarious hit with the shorter set. --Julie Ubben ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Lots of fun, but can be frustrating for little ones
I purchased this game (and others) as a Christmas present for my daycare kids this year.We opened it today and spent a long time all playing it on the kitchen floor.I had 2 & 3 yr olds and 9 yr olds (and me!) all playing.The very youngest ones got a little frustrated but I think with some practice they'll get it.They all still had fun with it and didn't want to put it away.I think this toy is great for working on their eye/hand coordination and problem solving.They also had to use some teamwork to retrieve each other's misses.

Since we got it today I can't say much about the durability.The bottom is plastic and the top is cardboard.The cardboard is thick, but I can see it deteriorating over time.. especially with a daycare!

Overall I think this is one of those great simple games that every kid should get to experience.

Not Durable and too difficult
We bought this for our daughter when she was younger. It was too frustrating. The ants are not made like they once were and it is near impossible to get them into the pants. We would cheat for her and pretend they went in after a long while of trying. Even we could not get them in. Plus the material is so cheesy that they break very easily. Save your money and buy a better game instead.

Fun toy for young children
I had this game when I was a kid and I loved playing with it.
The pieces are charming, even though it tend to be pretty difficult operating if the muscle coordination is not good. I would not recommend this game to toddlers if they want to chew on the game pieces. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Preschool   

Editorial Review

A polar bear is happily skating across the ice. He's gesturing thumbs up. A big smile stretches his face. Uh-oh. What's that tapping sound? A block of ice just disappeared from his pond. And there goes another one. The polar bear is running out of room to skate. In Don't Break the Ice, two to four players take turns wielding plastic mallets and tapping out ice blocks. The goal is to keep the polar bear skating for as long as possible. But as the game progresses, ice blocks start falling faster and faster. And then, there goes the bear! Luckily, these ice blocks don't melt. The game can quickly be reassembled and soon the polar bear is skating again. This bear might lose his footing, but he's always got his smile. --Wendy Slotboom ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Easy Fun Toy
I bought this toy for my son and niece. They love it. They can put it together themselves and when the polar bear falls watch out because everyone laughs, even the one who made the polar bear fall. It teaches children how to take turns and to accept a loss if they actually do knock the polar bear down. I even play to get in on the fun.

Classic Toy
I remembering playing with this toy when I was a little girl. It was so easy to set up and so much fun to play. It held up for a long time so it was very durable. This toy is a lot of fun and kids (and adults) will appreciate the anticipation of someone "breaking the ice".

Fun for all ages!
This is a great game for any age.It is simple enough for young children to play, and yet still holds the attention of older children.The only drawback is that play time is very short and therefore you spend most of the time putting the ice back in the tray.But still an inexpensive, yet fun game for all ages. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Preschool   

Editorial Review

Movie star, master of disguise, starchy tuber extraordinaire: is there anything Mr. Potato Head can't do? This specimen comes with 25 different features to mix and match, including glasses, ears, mustache, lips, arms, eyes, and hat. There's even a sticking-out tongue, in case he's feeling especially silly. All the pieces tuck inside his body for storage, and the whole shebang packs up into a plastic suitcase for face-making fun on the go. --Mary Park ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Vintage- You could never go wrong
An excellent toy; it promotes motor and gross skills as well as creative thinking; the children are not only proud of their creation but you could determine thier understanding quite a bit. it holds their interest because it provides versatility. Excellent choice.

A great toy revived!
My oldest had to have Mr Potato Head when Toy Story came out. Of course the cardboard box didn't last long & the pieces were scattered & lost but with this set the container is plastic & it is easier to keep the pieces together & hold their attention longer. It is now being played with by child # 3, so I would say it is definitely worth the money. My only complaint would be the container could be a little bigger to allow little hands to put the accessories away easier. But all in all, it is a great toy.

Switch to the suitcase, puh-lease!!!!!!!!
This is very different (and much more fun) from the basic Mr. Potato Head in that the basic version only contained one, non-mix-and-matchable outfit (2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose,1 mouth, 1 hat, 1 pair of shoes). This one has 2 -you heard me- 2 mix-and-matchable outfits, just like the Romper Room version we had as kids. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Pretend Play    3. Play Sets    4. Preschool