Pretend Play Reviews

I bought this horse and a few of the Western Style Loving Family People for my six year old son. He liked the horse and playing with it for a little while. Unfortunately, the saddle does not clip onto or strap onto the horse in any way, so it falls off everytime the horse moves. The people are jointed to straddle the horse, but again, do not clip on in any way. It is not possible to pretend that the people are riding because they slip off the saddle and the saddle slips off the horse. He has the people lead the horse, or look at the horse, nothing else is practicle. I will probably have to glue the saddle onto the horse to make it usable. He is very disappointed and so am I.
In addition, I bought the Loving Family Camper, but there is not a horse trailer to allow them to pull the horse behind them for their "vacation" so the house must ride by laying on top of the camper, which is so absurd looking I have to laugh.
The camper is a lot of fun and easy to use, spend your money on it instead of the horse.

my kid is 5 and received this for his birthday. he loves it and wants so bad to wear it, but the mask is very ill-fitting and the web and spider decoration on the gloves is already peeling off. the mask is the most disappointing part. at one setting, the band rests on his ears and the next notch tighter, he cant even get it on his head. if you get this, save the box and receipt in case you have these same problems. maybe the manufacturer will correct the problems if they receive enough returns.

I agree with the other reviews that this so called toy is a challenge. However, I also had to agree with the only other positive review since at the end of it all I eventually was satisfied with the product and got it to work.

THE CHALLENGE: First of all the box should have said, "Screw driver required" "Adult Assembly/Help/Supervision required" It is certainly not the type of toy to tear off the gift-wrapping and pull it out of the box.

Removing the sewing machine from the yellow cardboard base was a task by itself. After tearing the bottom cardboard into pieces trying to yank it off, it was only to discover that a screwdriver was needed to unscrew the green clamp that was securing the cardboard base to the bottom of the sewing machine.

Getting the battery inside the battery compartment was another task that also needed a screwdriver. It is quite impractical to have to unscrew the compartment each time you want to change or take out batteries. It is not nice for a child to have to ask an adult every time or god forbid attempt to use a screwdriver with a sharp edge to unscrew things themselves.

Okay a screwdriver was also needed yet again to unscrew the plastic part that was covering the needle. A good safety device, however, impractical. The instructions want you to screw back that compartment after threading the top thread of the machine. So could you imagine each time, you have to thread the machine or re-thread the needle you have to unscrew this plastic needle cover to get access to the needle. Impractical!

My solution just leave this needle cover off to make life easier and just warn your child about the dangers of touching a moving needle in motion. Why? Because with a real adult sewing machine the needle is not totally protected as well.

I agree the instructions are not perfect. Every time I had to ask myself what does 1, 2, 3 mean again. It tries very much to mimic an actual sewing machine by making the threading of the machine and bobbin as realistic as possible. Getting the bobbin to come through to the top was quite painstaking. However, I was able to follow the picture instructions and get the machine threaded up.

Two other things to be aware of the tension knob and the presser foot lever. A first attempt to sew a piece of fabric without adjusting/playing around with the tension, the underside looks horrible. The stitches are not well formed underneath and could easily come apart. I recommend that before the child sews the actual fabric, a sample swatch should be experimented upon to play around with the tension knob so that the stitches look the same on either side. The presser foot lever is too short and you have to be very careful with the lever.

WHY THE HIGH RATINGS ANYWAY? After all I said about the product certainly it might be discouraging to buy since a lot of work is needed. However, why I consider it educational is because it really mimics an actual sewing machine in an almost realistic way. If a child can sew with this machine they can sew any machine.

It also teaches a child and adults patience and being meticulous and learning to follow instructions. Even for other products instructions are not all that clear. The picture format of the instructions is certainly useful since a child learns to look at a picture and follow the diagram so that the actual object and picture diagram look the same and is in sync with the other.

In terms of being fun and durable, it is. Considering that your child is really interested in sewing. It is certainly not a toy to buy as a last minute gift for a child because it is the first thing you see on the shelf. That definitely does not make sense.

For right now I am NOT going to return this sewing machine, even though I certainly am not throwing away the receipt just yet. 90 days is a good enough time to really know if this product is worth the while. For $12.99 it is satisfactory. If it was $9.99 though then you could overlook the set-up time and tolerate its imperfections even further. However, if you don't have the patience or tolerance level or like clear-cut, uncomplicated instructions or set-up time, then this product may not be for you and your child.

The choice is yours! I am satisfied and maybe you can be too!

As others have found, this is the worst piece of junk that I have ever seen. Shame on ToysRUs for even carrying it. It will be returned today, one day after purchase, after 2 accomplished seemstresses tried in vain to get it to work. Trash, pure trash, and a waste of good plastic. Stay away unless you want to feel like a sap for falling for it.

I'm in agreement with the other reviews that this toy is absolute trash. It shouldn't even be sold as a toy with the guise to allure parents into thinking their kids could practice any kind of sewing. Obviously the only positive review here has a vested interested in the product succeeding, as it is the the ONLY positive review.

-minimal instructions, and completely inadequate... I'm an engineer, I have solved some significant problems in my time, but could not get this piece of trash to work.
-Playgo, the Hong Kong manufacturer is no where to be found. Maybe it's due to the lawsuits from their other toys, one cannot say, but they no longer seem to be in business.
-every year we end up with instant junk toys that fail to deliver even a minimal amount of joy. This piece of ... tops them all. I realize margins must be tight, but obviously no product testing went into this toy. It might as well be a solid molded piece of plastic.
-If you do not want to see complete dissapointment in your child's face, do not buy this toy.

I do not recommend this toy - our daughter enjoyed pushing the buttons until we took it out of the box. The warning about the volume reducing once you take it out of the package can't be seen until you've already done so. And it's not a terrible idea - a lot of toys are so loud these days - but it's so low you cannot hear it. DO NOT BUY THIS TOY!!!

My son was so excited when we purchased this toy. After opening the package, the volume reduced drastically. My son got frustrated and went back to playing with his singing barney. After changing the batteries which made no difference, I noticed inside the packaging there is a note printed: VOLUME OF TOY WILL REDUCE SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN TAKEN OUT OF PACKAGING FOR SAFETY REASONS. I was furious, because that notice should have been outside the package! Not inside after you buy it. So, you can play with it at the store, but take it out of the box and you can barely hear it. I'm returning it today!

I was so disappointed in this toy. My son adored this toy in the store and when we took it out of the box the volume of the phone drastically reduced! I changed the batteries and still it was barely audible. After much frustration, I noticed a warning INSIDE THE BOX AFTER YOU PURCHASE IT. IT STATES: VOLUME OF TOY WILL REDUCE AFTER REMOVING FROM BOX FOR SAFETY REASONS. How unfair. This notice should be outside the box, not AFTER you purchase it. I am so upset. My son already forgot about the toy and pulled out his barney doll that can talk to him & hear!

We just bought this for our twins and only two of the cards work correctly. It's obvious by the others who reviewed this product that this toy just plain DOESN'T WORK!! It's too bad I didn't see this review before I purchased it, I will be returning it. This toy needs to come off the shelf and be redesigned because it could be a great toy! (if it worked!)

I'm another person with the same problem. It only reads one card and I'm going to try and return it even though it was a gift and I don't have the receipt. It seems like it would be fun if it worked.

Wow...and here I thought it was just a battery issue; but the other reviewers are absolutely correct. Only one or two of the cards work properly. What a shame, too. My two year old has no interest in this toy whatsoever.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING;I MEAN I ORDERED IT TRUE TO THE FACT,HOWEVER THIS WAS OR SCHOULD I SAY THE ONE I RECIEVED WAS NOT EVEN WORTH GIVING AWAY.I RECIEVED IT ON HALLOWEEN DAY AND WHEN I OPENED IT I THOUGHT HOW COULD THEY DO ME LIKE THIS,I WAS SO UPSET IT HAD THREAD BUSTING ALOOSE FROM THE SEAMS THREAD WAS HANGING EVERYWHERE.I READ THE REVIEW OF ANOTHER CUSTOMER WHO SAID THAT HAD IT NOT BEEN SO CLOSE TO HALLOWEEN SHE WOULD OF SENT IT BACK;IF IT LOOKED LIKE MINE I WOULD AND I RECIEVED MINE ON HALLOWEEN,I COULDN'T LET MY CHILD WEAR THIS I COULD OF CRIED THE PRICE WAS GREAT BUT I SEE WHY ACTUALLY MY SISTER SAID WELL JUST GIVE IT TO SOMEONE AS I USUALLY DO OTHER THING'S BUT HOW COULD I ,I WOULDN'T DARE, I MEAN THIS WAS NOT EVEN WORTH GIVING AWAY.. THROWING AWAY YEEEEES!I HAD TO GO TO MY LOCAL K-MART PAY 3 1/2 TIME'S MORE BUT IT WAS WORTH IT. I FELT THAT MY BUSINESS WAS NOT APPRECIATED I WOULDN'T SEND THIS TO SOMEONE I WAS PLAYING A JOKE ON.

We ordered this costume based on the picture above and we were dissappointed. The costume we got had no blue arm flares -all it had was a suit with arms painted on it. If we hadn't received it so close to halloween we would have sent it back.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING;I MEAN I ORDERED IT TRUE TO THE FACT,HOWEVER THIS WAS OR SCHOULD I SAY THE ONE I RECIEVED WAS NOT EVEN WORTH GIVING AWAY.I RECIEVED IT ON HALLOWEEN DAY AND WHEN I OPENED IT I THOUGHT HOW COULD THEY DO ME LIKE THIS,I WAS SO UPSET IT HAD THREAD BUSTING ALOOSE FROM THE SEAMS THREAD WAS HANGING EVERYWHERE.I READ THE REVIEW OF ANOTHER CUSTOMER WHO SAID THAT HAD IT NOT BEEN SO CLOSE TO HALLOWEEN SHE WOULD OF SENT IT BACK;IF IT LOOKED LIKE MINE I WOULD AND I RECIEVED MINE ON HALLOWEEN,I COULDN'T LET MY CHILD WEAR THIS I COULD OF CRIED THE PRICE WAS GREAT BUT I SEE WHY ACTUALLY MY SISTER SAID WELL JUST GIVE IT TO SOMEONE AS I USUALLY DO OTHER THING'S BUT HOW COULD I ,I WOULDN'T DARE, I MEAN THIS WAS NOT EVEN WORTH GIVING AWAY.. THROWING AWAY YEEEEES!I HAD TO GO TO MY LOCAL K-MART PAY 3 1/2 TIME'S MORE BUT IT WAS WORTH IT. I FELT THAT MY BUSINESS WAS NOT APPRECIATED I WOULDN'T SEND THIS TO SOMEONE I WAS PLAYING A JOKE ON.

We ordered this costume based on the picture above and we were dissappointed. The costume we got had no blue arm flares -all it had was a suit with arms painted on it. If we hadn't received it so close to halloween we would have sent it back.

Poor customer satisfaction because this toy is never available in store upon request.

I bought this toy for my 3 year old daughter and it did not excite her one bit! First of all, the ironing board is so short, she has to kneel to pretend to iron! Secondly, she wanted one that made realistic noises. I'm still searching.

its great but i put 1 sta for it because it cant tech you anything and the reviewr who wrote the model does not have to look like yasmin and the clothes dont.everything does not have to look get like the doll because its no little girl who has big lips and looks sooooooo perfet.

This outfit does not make you look like Yasmin. It makes you look like a pathetic street walker. It's too short! By the way, you should hire a new model. The girl in the advertisement for this item is nothing like yasmin. She is too ugly.