Editorial Review

Well-designed with lots of terrific detail, Learning Resources' Calculator Cash Register completely satisfies a young child's hunger to play with bills, coins, cash drawers, and big numbers. The chiming cash register features a built-in solar calculator as its keypad, thus allowing kids to act as bankers, shopkeepers, and accountants all at once. A large cash drawer holds life-sized bills in four denominations (1, 5, 10, and 20), and four coin holders make room for embossed plastic pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. There is even a credit card slot that dings when you correctly slide the faux VISA card through it.A suggested-activities booklet is included. Requires a 1.5V button cell battery (included) to make the chiming noise. No assembly required. Winner of awards from Dr. Toy, FamilyFun Magazine, and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Solid, Great Toy
I bought this for my 2 year old daughter last year and she has played with it all year.It works well and the voice is not too annoying or loud. When you are cleaning up the money you can open the cash drawer without the voice coming on which, believe me, is a huge plus.It is a real calculator and when she presses numbers it says them out loud which is educational.And when she presses the minus key really fast over and over again, it says "Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine" which cracks us all up :)

This is the funniest toy ever
When I got this toy i played with it for such along time and still do. You only spend $29.99 on it and it is money well spent. You make the right choice if you get this toy. The age group i would say is probably 5-whenever. Let me tell you parents what when my mom and dad got this for me i lovedit and it made me happy for so long.Three words for this toy.
MONEY WELL SPENT!!!!!!!!! FUN
so you should get this toy. KNOW dont think twice get it...NOW
dont forget get the scanner and bar codes* that go with it.
*SOLD SEPARTLEY

A preschool favorite
I'm buying this toy for my son's 3rd birthday because he makes a beeline to it everytime we go to our parent-child preschool class.He usually sets up a toy phone nearby, too. I get to be the customer and bring a basket of toy food to him which he "scans" on the notepad area.It's nice when toys leave something to the imagination.He loves the play bills and coins and pretending to make change.I believe that this toy will grow with my child and still be fun for him in a few years.

I figure that if this toy has survived daily use by multiple 2-4 year olds, it will survive around our house.If it doesn't, then I will update this posting!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Pretend Play    3. Money    4. Learning    5. Math    6. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    7. Electronic    8. Preschool    9. Counting    10. Electronic Learning Aids   

Editorial Review

This pretend cash register may seem like all fun and games to your little one but is actually teaching him coin and money values, coin identification, numbers, counting, and quantities. The register comes with a stack of play pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, all encased in easy-to-handle plastic chips. In explore mode, the smart coin reader on the register identifies all coins as kids drop them in, teaching their name and value. Four additional price tags represent larger monetary values and as kids slide price tags over the flashing scanner or drop coins in the register, they learn how to add values together and make totals. Kids can also set the register to price check mode to play a fun game that teaches number identification. Final checkout reinforces numbers, coins, and coin combinations once again and plays a fun song when the register opens. Throughout playtime, kids will receive encouragement and requests to keep playing from the LeapFrog's friendly voice. --Cristina Vaamonde ... Read more

Features

• Teaches coin names and values
• Teaches coin combinations
• Includes realistic play coins, including pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters

Reviews (56)

Very Dissappointing!
My daughter loves money and cash registers and anything having to do with either one. However, after only one day the tags stopped scanning completely. The coins get stuck constantly, so you the parent has to keep unjamming them! My daughter is only 2, but can count extremely well with money. This toy was a complete let down to both of us because it does not add the same way a real cash register does. Don't waste your money on this one!

Can Get Annoying Very Quickly
My daughter had a cash register which was cheap, didn't have a ringing sound and broke fairly quickly, so I decided to get her this one last Christmas, because it was made by Leapfrog and seemed to be durable and came with counting games.What a mistake!The only plus is that it's durable.I mean, that's the ONLY plus.Here's all the minuses:

1.The coins jam extremely easily.Luckily, there's a little access slot to unjam the coins.When my daughter played with it the first two times, we put the cover for the slot back on.The third time she played with it (and the third time it jammed) we threw the cover away, since we realized that every time she plays with it it was going to jam.And it does!My daughter likes putting the coins in very quickly and doing that it's easy for them to get stuck.It takes a butter knife or a screw driver to unstick them.I told her not to put the coins in too quickly, but she still does, and of course they jam again and again.To say I'm sick of unjamming these coins every thirty seconds is an understatement.

2.It's extremely loud.Now, I have a very high tolerance for loud toys.I grew up in a household where the TV was always on at full volume and everybody was always screaming at each other, so what others consider to be 'loud' toys, seem very reasonable to me.So, take it from me...when I say this thing is extremely loud, for most people it would be unbearably, blow your eardrums off loud.I would not be surprised if this thing registered a hundred decibels or more with one of those sound meter things.Luckily, there is a volume control, but unfortunately when the cash register is first turned on, it's on the highest volume setting.You have to click the volume button about fourteen times to get it to a reasonable setting (again, which to most people would still be considered loud).At first, I thought my daughter was turning it up on purpose and yelled at her, thinking no toy company in their right mind would have the setting naturally that loud.I felt like a total jerk when I realized that she wasn't doing it, and that Leapfrog wasn't in their right mind when the set the volume for this product.If I had tried it out in a store and saw it was this noisy, I would have never bought it for her.So, besides unjamming the coin slot every time, you also have to turn it down every time. (Don't expect your kid to do this--my daughter doesn't mind the rock concert volume at all.)This is a huge minus for any parent who is not deaf and would like to stay that way.

3.My daughter doesn't like the games.My daughter at first played the games, but she got sick of them very quickly.I think it's because they're a little too complicated for the age range, and like others have said, the games have too much talking and not enough action.There also isn't a setting where the toy would function like a regular cash register.When my daughter does play with it nowadays, it's usually with the toy turned off.

4.There's nowhere to store the price tags.Though the coins are large, and they all fit in the till, the price tags are too big to go in there too and with a toddler, that means a higher chance of misplacing them.I like to have all the small parts accessible to my daughter so she doesn't have to dig through the toybox looking for them, but unfortunately, we're constantly hunting for the stupid price tags.

Though it looks like a very nice toy, I would not recommend it to anyone.It's definitely more annoying, both to parents and children, than it is fun.

Not all that I had hoped...But daughter likes it!
This register does have some fun, and educational qualities, as you would expect from the Leapfrog brand.I bought it knowing that it would be more durable than a cheap $10 bo-bo brand one would be (and it is).
We gave it to my 3 1/2 yr old daughter for Christmas.I also bought her the shopping cart set too. (It's nice bcs the pieces interchange.)
My daughter likes it and plays with it fairly often. She will out-grown it soon though.
Here's my biggest letdown list:
1.) The coins get stuck.Slip a butter knife in there, and you can get loosen them with no problem.If your child will excitedly push coins through as fast as possible- this will happen.
2.) The automated voice only counts to ten.Yes, you can only count to ten.The coins are all identified correctly, but when it is in the counting mode, it's only to ten.
3.) There is no "free-play" option.Sometimes, we like (my daughter and I!) to play store, and just want to ring things up based on what we type into the register (like a calculator).You cannot ring things up for say $9.99 (and have the computer-voice identify the amount). Instead, you have to turn the thing completely off (and just-gasp-PRETEND to), or risk hearing the voice interrupt itself endlessly. It is basically designed to ring up the included Leapfrog toys only. Nor can you type in the payment amount of say $10, let alone figure change. I'm not sure you can ring up anything over $1.29?! It also doesn't "total up" multiple items.
4.) There is no debit/credit card option.How sad is that?! My daughter LOVES paying at the real grocery store and that was one feature mommy overlooked on this machine. My daughter is bummed that it doesn't have that option to swipe a card. Maybe that's a good thing?!

Things I do Like:
1.) The coins are realistic looking and have the safety covers. They are color coded to help child distinguish them while learning. They aren't a choking hazard.
2.) Volume control.Thank you Leapfrog.
3.) Unisex color, durable plastic, cute kids' voices.
4.) Works with the shopping cart.

Bottom line, my daughter likes it and it is suitable for toddlers, but if you want a more realistic cash register toy, this isn't it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Preschool    2. Learning    3. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    4. Electronic    5. Alphabet   

Reviews (23)

Not enough space
We just bought this bank the other day for my 5 year old son with the intent on it being an actual bank he could keep his coins in, BUT there is not enough room.Once it gets too heavy (which was after about $11, you have to empty it.The back also comes off really easy (my 19 month old boy could open it!!), too.If it weren't for those to problems, it would be perfect!!

Best money teaching device for kids
I truly love this bank and so does my five year old son.It allows him to set a savings goal.Not only that, it has catchy little jingles that teaches them all about money.As a teacher and a parent, I recommend this bank for all.

Easy to open
My son received this for his 3rd birthday.He loves it although it only took him a minute to figure out how to open the lock and get the money out of it.He enjoys hearing it count the money and watching it go through.He even started to repeat what they say.They dont make it easy to reset the machine after the money's been takin out as it continues to count the money as if it were still in there.But all in all it has the right idea to teach children how to start saving and counting money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Talking    3. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    4. Electronic    5. Math   

Editorial Review

The Barbie Shop With Me Cash Register proves once again that Barbie is the coolest.Madedurably and in Barb's trademark colors (pink, hot pink, purple, white, etc.), this is a sleek number that canbe operated on the floor, bed, or tabletop. It features four realistic ways to buy noodles, yogurt, and toiletpaper. Option 1: A "clerk"--either a child or Barbie--scans the bar codes of included price tags. Option 2:You can manually input the price of items. Option 3: Items may be scrolled down the register. Option 4,which is, by the way, your humble writer's favorite: Make up your own prices! Get "Barbie Discounts"when you use your savings debit card. The Barbie register comes with a slew of accessories, including 18scannable price tags, play money, play credit/debit cards, a keypad, built-in microphone, and a 120-itemshopping catalogue offering everything from Barbie-brand jeans to junk food. The machine features ahigh-tech hand-held scanner and LCD on the register, which shows a customer's subtotal, item number, unitprice, and total. You get everything but a receipt. Hmmm.

A built-in microphone allows your child to make store announcements and call for price checks and itemvoids. This heightens the interaction this toy was built for, since Barbie's voice simulates the real shoppingexperience enough already. "Cash or charge?" she asks in a perky tone. Tip: If you don't pay up at oncewith your Barbie greenbacks or American Express-like credit card, you'll be harassed. We writers foundourselves fumbling through our own wallets, trolling for coupons. Barbie prompts the shopper throughoutthe entire process ("Seventeen dollars and twelve cents... No... seventeen dollars and TWELVE cents.").And parents--there's no volume control. If you just happen to sneak a play while your kid's eating lunch,well... everybody in the house will hear if your card is over the limit. Just kidding. But it's best to useBarbie's credit cards anyway. This kind of hectic shopping experience makes adults really appreciate theonline shopping experience, but kids will love it so much they'll forget it's just a pretend play toy. Registercomes with all accessories, manufacturer's warranty, a real grocery store coupon for a kid's treat, and thefour required AA batteries. --Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Educational and Fun!!!
This toy is very educational and fun. Like going shopping in your own home. It is very high tech and advanced. If I had to recommend a toy for a child this would be my number one choice.
It is educational because it has a built in calculator. Also when you have to give change you have to count out the right amount of money to give back to the customer.I am 11 years old and I stil play with mine. It is the best toy I have ever had. Very amazing!!!!!!! Kids are learning some math skills and are having fun doing it.

Very nice!
I have had this toy for such a long time and even though I'm 10 I Istill play with it!It even teaches little kids math skills!I don't like what the lady said about her kid not being able to read it because I had it when I was five and I still had fun with it. Still a great toy!

Microphone will drive you crazy
I bought this register used at Goodwill for my 3 year old niece. She was with me when I bought it and loved it right away, even when the batteries weren't put in. We brought it home and her 15 month old sister adored it too. The only problem about this toy is the microphone. It absolutely drove their parents crazy! That's pretty much the only part of the register the girls played with and she figured out that if she put the microphone in her mouth and blew on it, a VERY loud feedback sound would occur! I didn't think the microphone was real when I bought it or that it would cause such problems. So, it is a good toy, but the microphone can be annoying, which is probably why I found the toy at Goodwill in the first place. :) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Pretend Play    3. Money    4. Learning   

Reviews (14)

Ideal baby shower gift
As a purchaser of the Money Savvy Pig for the past several years I am delighted with the new larger size and the ease at which the money can be taken out when it comes time to transfer the money to the bank or to spend on the goal that the child determined.I buy several at a time to have on hand for baby showers. Most of the other guests want to buy one for their children too.I also used them for Christmas gifts for my neighbor girls who were saving money for their summer camp. I've even had teens ask where they can get one.The Money Savvy Pig is a great tool to share with children during Teach Children to Save Week (scheduled for April 26, 2005).

Time to Pig Out
What a great gift for kids!I have 4 boys ages 1-8.They all love their pigs.In addition to helping teach them about money management and budgeting, it makes it fun to save.With the plastic pigs, you can see the money in the pig.The kids love fattening up the pig.Also, this was unintentional, but my 1 year old did a pretty good job stress testing the pig.Let's just say the pig can withstand a 1 year old pounding him on a hard wood floor.The kids love putting stickers on the pig saying what they are saving up for as well.

A Great gift to kids - Cute and Functional!
I recently ordered two Money Savvy pigs for my two young nieces. Besides for being a good tool to teach the kids about the basic family finance, Money Savvy pigs will help them to develop some important values in life, such as appreciation and being responsible. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Activity   

Features

• ATM-style savings bank
• Swipe with your own ATM card to see balance
• Deposit paper money with bill feeder
• Coins slots automatically know value of each coin
• Keypad makes sound effects

Reviews (7)

Not what is advertised at all!!!!
I bought three of these from two different stores.All three shared the same problem:they do NOT do what they are advertised as doing.First, in the instructions included in the box, it says the ATM says 'Hi, and welcome back'.Not one of the twelve in the store did that, as did not the three I bought hoping to find a good one.Further, not ONE of the three would recognize a bill had been inserted, OR even let you add a bill using the 'bill' buttons on the top.My son and I both were thrilled with the IDEA of such a product, which is why it got two stars....for performance, it gets none.

Not great for older kids
I bought this ATM today and was little disappointed.It was really annoying. Everytime you push a button it makes a weird spacy sound.You don't need a PIN number like a real ATM.The combo is difficult to turn and you can't change it when your sister finds out the number.The dollar amount is hard to enter. It's not like the directions.I really wanted something more like a real ATM.I recommend this toy for kids between 5 through 9 (I'm 11).

Big Hit!
We have not had the bad luck with this toy that others posting seem to have. My 9-year old son got this for his birthday and loves it. The other kids all wanted one too, and every parent wanted to know where I had gotten it. It was a big hit and he is keeping track of his money like never before! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Learning    3. Pretend Play   

Reviews (5)

Complete shutdown within a month
Like many other reviewers, we truly loved the idea of this toy - great for learning about money, fun scanning & mic features, acceptable color scheme - but first the mic stopped working (within a couple of weeks after Christmas) then the number screen froze but the register sounds continued.By the end of January everything had completely stopped working (the cash drawer still pops out).We, also, could not find any information about the manufacturer and the gift-giver had long since thrown out receipts.We're quite bummed.Worth noting - the LeapPad register my mom got as a freebie when purchasing a Leapster is still going strong...I hadn't liked it as much because of the fake-looking money, weird 'price tags' and annoyingly perky voice but hey, it WORKS!

broke easy
My daughter received for xmas last year and it broke about 3 months later. We were very disappointed.

Fun to play with but broke WAY too soon
My 3 year old and her friends and cousins of various ages loved the cash register. (especially the scanning and microphone features) HOWEVER, within a month it had broken.None of the electronic features worked.The toy had only received moderate use in pretty gentle conditions so it must have been very fragile.

We received the item as a gift.Perhaps we received a lemon and if I didn't have a newborn and a job keeping me to busy to follow up, Amazon would have exchanged it.But I didn't have any time to spare.I also couldn't find a website or phone number for Summit to follow up with them.Its really a shame because now that my daughter is 4, I think the toy would be a fun way for her to start learning basic principals of addition and subtraction without even realizing it.

Incidentally, a 2 1/2 year old was over recently and within minutes snapped the microphone off (which didn't matter I guess since it wasn't working for us) so keep this toy away from the younger kids.

Maybe it is worth buying IF you know you can return it if it breaks within the first few months and IF you have time to deal with the hassle of trying to exchange it.If somebody could guaranty me that it would be durable and last a couple years, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat since it is an enjoyable toy. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Just Like Home - Electronic Cash Register
I guess you get what you pay for.It's very inexpensive and the first thing to go is the hand held scanner, and it goes very quickly.I brought it back to the store for another, but the scanner for that one broke quickly also, and the salesperson said that there were a lot of complaints about that for this item.My daughter accumulated a lot of play money in different denominations so she could learn to count money, but alas, the drawer was too small to accommodate it. (The money that comes with the register is not realistic-looking, so it doesn't promote currency and coin recognition.)Basically, this toy may be fine for young children, but it doesn't grow with them because it won't last and even if it did, it has limitations that prevent its use from being expanded as your child's skills advance.Unless you're not interested in durability, longevity or educational value, you're better off with the Pretend and Play cash register from Learning Resources for three times the price of this one.

Don't waste your money
My Daughter loved this toy, I guess a little too much the second day the microphone stopped working, the Conveyor Scanner stopped beeping and the credit card slider stopped making noise as well. Buy anything else but this one.

the best educational fun toy!!!!!!!
THIS TOY IS SO COOL.IT HAS EVERYTHING FOR JUST TENDOLLARS.I HOPE THE PRICE NEVER CHANGES!!!AND I ALSO HOPE THAT EVERY CHILD WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE TOY AS MUCH AS I DID!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU TOYS "R" US FOR MAKING THE BEST TOYS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Preschool    2. Learning    3. Math    4. Activity   

Reviews (13)

Great item at a great price
My son has not stopped playing with this since we brought it home.For the price, it is a great quality and works great.It has a turntable inside that turns just like the real microwaves.The accessories that come alone with it are very durable.Can't beat this item for the price!

sucky toy
this toy is really not good. I know cause I used to have one and it wood always be brokeded down. you guys reely shoodin'by this toy cause its ungood.

Great Attention Keeper
My 18-month old son loves this toy! And what a deal at $10. It is quite realistic with a timer and turntable. While the timer is counting down a green light comes on which then turns red when the food is ready. And the included foods are cute and more nutritous items than some other playsets. This really has kept his attention and helped him learn to manipulate the buttons to make the oven work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity   

Reviews (5)

love this register
my girls are 4 and 5.we must have tried at least 5 or 6 other registers.this one is the most realistic and they love hearing their voices on the mic.the ONLY draw back to this register is that the mic wire finally became bent and no longer works after about 2 years of consistent play.

Hours of Fun
We bought this cash register for our son who had just turned 3.He is now 4 and we still play with it often.Just today, I changed the orginal batteries.They had been weak for some time, but the register still worked.The only thing that was effected was the scanner, which stopped scanning.Once the new batteries were in, everything worked great.We have lots of fun scanning his groceries.The scanner does not always scan items that do not have the sticker bar codes.I find that to be the only down fall of this product.

Danger : this product contains carcinogens
There is a small tag attached to the wire of the scanner that reads as follows, Warning: "California Proposition 65."The coated electrical wire of this product contains a substance known to the State of California to be a carcinogen or reproductive toxicant.Wash hands after handling. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This all-inclusive McDonald's cash register set packs enough fun to swaykids into working for the Golden Arches one day. That may be the plan of itsmanufacturer, but for now its familiar colors and objects make it a greatpretend-play toy. The set includes everything from a Mickey D's cash registerwith a beeping, flashing scanner to a hot fudge sundae. Kids will really feelthe part wearing the included McDonald's visor or intercom/headset, which says10 phrases, including the one we've all heard: "Welcome to McDonald's. May Itake your order?" Other pieces include supplies for making a cheeseburger "valuemeal," and currency and credit cards featuring Ronald's face. --DianeBeall ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Best birthday present he got!!
I have to say this cash register, and all it's great accessories, were the best presents my son got for his 2nd birthday.We had been looking for a cash register because he was really into things with buttons and that made noises and he knows that McDonald's is the place we go to get fries so it seemed like a great gift for him.

We were right!Once he saw what was under the wrapping paper he had to get everything out of the box and immediately put on the hat and started playing with the walkie talkie and then he got hold of the cash register and started trying to figure out how to open the money part (i did decide to take away the coins and money though just so he wouldn't try to swallow them) and he wanted to find out everything about this toy.He figured out how to make the noise when he zipped the credit card through it and found out that if you push the button on the scanner it lights up and makes a scanning noise.That birthday was in August and it's now mid March and he still plays with this thing at least once a day!For $19.99 you can't beat that.

I gave it 4 stars for durability though because the cover on the money box part came off.Actually I think my son, the destructive 2 year old that he is, ripped it off but I would have liked for it to have been a little more securely attached.But again, it's $19.99 which is a savings of around $20 off the Leap Frog cash register, which we also looked at, and it does a lot more so I'm not too worried about it.Great toy if your child is at the age where they are starting to do pretend play!

A good time for your future restauranteur
My 6yo son got this toy for Christmas in conjunction with the drive-through set, and while it doesn't fit on the surface of that toy very well, it's a great pretend "restaurant" set-up.I was really amazed that the cash register actually is a working calculator! And of course, little kids love wearing the hat and earpiece - it looks so cute on!The one big complaint I'd have is the quality of the play money.There are 2 sets of one quarter, one dime, and one nickel all glued together, and a fake $1, $5, and $10 bill each. One each!And they're glued to the package and they tear when you try to take them out! The little plastic sundae looked almost good enough to eat! One caveat: Make sure to not lose the key to the cash register drawer, or else it's impossible to lock or unlock it.I recommend supplementing this with some fake toy money if you're trying to teach your child about counting money, but it's still a very high-functioning, fun, and realistic toy that my son really enjoys and plays with a lot.

Dial 'M' for McDonalds
My 4 year old nephew thoroughly enjoyed this toy, the fake fries and money keeping him occupied for hours on end... especially when he picked up the phrase "Would you like fries with that?" How we laughed... until he'd said it 10 times in a row which is when we wondered if we had made the right decision in buying this for the little tyke - especially seeing as he was getting more spotty and developing greasy hair!

All in all, it kept him quiet - so 4 stars for that; 1 star from me though as it made us feel old before our years and suddenly realised that this is what he may be doing in 14 years time...

Durable but age endearing! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play    2. Play Sets   

Reviews (7)

Not up to Disney standards
We received this toy as a gift for my 4 year old.It says 4-9 year old recommended but most of the functionality is for minimum 7 year old readers.The drawer did not open until I pried it open with a screwdriver (almost breaking it.)The paper money ripped as I tried to separate it from the package.The calculator function would not make sense to anyone under 9 years old. You need to press the buttons in a specific order to make the calculator work properly otherwise you just end up with a lot of ERROR messages on the display.We have another electronic cash register that I paid (...) for at a dollar store that makes a lot more sense for this age range.

The quality is very disappointing.
My 3 1/2 year old daughter loves to play with this register, but often gets frustrated because the drawer doesn't work right and the screen only works sometimes.

This was an expensive toy and I wish I had read the reviews before I bought it.I plan on writing the company and complaining.Hopefully other shoppers will avoid the problems I (and the other buyers) have encountered.

JUNK!
My daughter was so excited to buy this with her Christmas money and ended up disappointed and frustrated when we got it home and it wouldn't work right out of the box.The drawer won't open, there was very little money.The paper money ripped when we took it out of the box because it was stuck to the box w/rubber cement.It's heading back to the store tonight!Biggest piece of junk we've spent $22 on! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Math    3. Princesses    4. Activity    5. Pretend Play    6. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    7. Electronic    8. Preschool   

Editorial Review

Kids can mind the store with the Pretend & Play Talking Scanner.The 5-inch red and blue plastic tool rests comfortably in its blueplastic base until it's time for checkout. Then young checkers can scanany of the included 32 price stickers to hear a price and see itdisplayed on the LCD screen. The front button is pressed to receive arandom price quote, or hit the side button to mute the voice. Additionalprice stickers are available from the manufacturer if kids want to gowholesale. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Be sure to read instructions!
My 5 year old has had the cash register that coordinates with this scanner for 3 years and it's WONDERFUL, but when she was old enough to notice the other registers with scanners on the shelf, she was disappointed, so I was elated to find this scanner. I almost didn't buy it after reading the reviews for durability, but I think I now know what went wrong...there is a RESET "button" on the underside of the scanner.It's actually a teeny-tiny hole- I had to unfold a paper clip to slip inside and trigger it.This is explained in the directions for the toy, but we thought it was broken- reading incorrect numbers, displaying jibberish, etc.It works great as long as we reset when needed, and my daughter absolutely loves it.She doesn't use the barcode stickers- it will "scan" anytime you push the button, giving a new price.The only reason I gave it a lower score for educational value is that obviously it can't know the real value of an item, so when she scanned the family dog, the price was something like $ and when she scanned a lollipop, it was $.A little misleading, but that's what us parents are for.This toy is fun and I highly recommend the matching cash register- it's the best I've seen anywhere and will grow with them for years.We even use it during yard sales since it holds real-size money.

Piece of [trash]
I bought this toy for my 8-year old for Christmas.A piece of the scanner was missing (the piece that holds the batteries in).Luckily I opened it up and checked it before wrapping it or he would have been very disappointed.So it is being sent back.Also, I'm not asking to have it replaced because when I put batteries and "scanned" the bar codes I noticed that it does not read the price that is actually on the bar codes.This may do for a 3 or 4 year old child.But my 8-year old would have noticed this right away and that would have been a big dissapointment.

The best toy in the world!!!!!
I bought this toy back in September, and it was the best toy I ever got. I play with it with my register all the time. I really enjoy it so you should get it for your kids because they will love it!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Math    3. Activity    4. Pretend Play    5. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    6. Electronic    7. Counting   

Editorial Review

Everything costs, and the monsters in this funny LeapPad story prove it. They have to figure out how much coinage it'll take to buy their favorite pet, and your child will help. LeapPad's multisensory, experiential interface makes kids--even those just getting used to school--want to count as well as big kids can. With Monster Money, kids see, hear, say, and touch throughout the story, retaining new information, and enhancing learned information, like counting, adding, currency, values, and more. The book teaches early math skills in a thoughtful, preoperational learning format that kids will think is fun, not work.

It's simple to use (just insert the cartridge and book into a LeapPad, and use the attached stylus to hear information), but this system is an innovative technology that provides entertaining, effective learning, designed by a Stanford-trained reading expert. As well, the system has been credited with the TMA's Educational Toy of the Year and People's Choice awards.

Two notes: Make sure the LeapPad book you get is appropriate for the child's educational level; this one should be a challenge for kids up to age 6. As well, know that some LeapBooks work on both LeapPad and LeapPad Pro, like this one, but some books only work with one system. --Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Not What I Expected
I bought this for my six year old 1st. grader and was very disappointed! Not only did it not have quarters in the series of coins, it never teaches that "5" pennies= "1" nickle, "10" pennies = "1" dime or "2" nickles etc.. It is also very redundant with the same money combinations.

Worth the Money!!
This is a great book. It teaches counting and money (pennies, nickels, dimes). Kids pick a monster, who in turn, picks an item that costs a certain amount. Kids then add up the correct amount of money the item costs. There are all different games to play. Well worth the money!!

Poor humor!
My 5 and 3 year olds enjoyed this book.I however am not so pleased.I agree with some of the other reviews that they really don't learn much about the coins and counting them, but I was also annoyed to find "potty" humor in a child's educational toy.There is a page that jokes about gas which the kids of course find hilarious, but I think they get enough of that in every day life and should not have it involved in their education! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    3. Math    4. Preschool    5. Electronic    6. Alphabet   

Reviews (2)

cute & durable, but sounds are annoying
I wanted a cute bank for my daughter & found this adorable piggy bank. My son, who is 3 1/2 has a bank that he loves and wanted his baby sister to have one too. The bank is cute and durable! The only problem with the bank is that when coins get stuck in the slot the sound doesn't stop and it is very annoying. Overall, we love the bank, but find the sound to be unnecessary.

A pig that goes MOO
=o)I want to give our daughter (3) a bank for Christmas.The ideal bank, in my mind, would look like a classic ceramic pink pig, but be made of durable plastic.This bank is the closest I've been able to find.I would have ordered it here, but it had to be mailed separately, with its own shipping fee - I don't know why.But today I found one at Wal-Mart, and he is now in the Santa Box, waiting for Christmas.He's cute.I don't understand what sound he makes... it's more like a Moo than anything.. maybe "Moo, oink oink."?But I was glad that it's not loud;I'm so weary of noisy things.It's just slightly loud enough and brief enough to reward a coin being dropped in.He would be a lot cuter without the battery compartment on his head.The coins are very easily accessible through a round twisty "man-hole" type opening on the pig's underside.I'm hoping my daughter doesn't figure this out.I'd like her to actually save her coins instead of getting them out just to reinsert again, or carry around.It will be educational to sort and count her saved coins.Every child needs a bank!I'm glad this one won't break. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Our Favorite Cash Register
My daughter received this for her 2nd birthday and it is one of her favorite toys still.She loves the light up screen and she enjoys "scanning" the fruit and credit card.We have looked at many different cash registers and this was our favorite.I have tried to buy it for gifts several times but I have had trouble finding it in the stores so it must be very popular.

Not for a 2 year old...or anyone??
Perhaps my daughter received this gift to early in her career, or perhaps it's just not a well thought out toy.

The biggest issue I have with The Magic Screen Cash Register toy is that it has about a 45 minute life span in both interest and durability. The concept is quite good and seems to be focused specifically on numbers and counting. The snazziest feature is scanning 1 of 3 fruits (a banana, apple or orange) on a scanner where it tells you how many fruits you have scanned. The big issue here is that is stops working properly and becomes quite annoying. Beyond malfunctioning, the toy really just looses its flair after a very short time of play because there is so little to do. I feel that a cash register that didn't talk and didn't scan would actually be more interesting because you could then be more creative with your child, instead of listening to the voice say the same things over and over.

For those that like cool looking toys, I'd say this fits the bill. It really does look nice and beyond the programming malfunctioning, the physical durability seems good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning   

Reviews (1)

High quality play money
This is the highest quality play money I've seen.The bills are more durable than most and the coins are made of a dense plastic.The realism is very good for educational purposes.My 7 yr. old gets a lot of use out of it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Preschool    2. Learning    3. Math   

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Math    3. Time    4. Activity    5. Pretend Play