Mattel Reviews

Although the age range is for 5 and up, I actually bought this for my 2-year old after she played with it at the home a friend's daughter, aged 6. (There are certainly many small pieces, but we only play this together -- i.e. she is never unsupervised). My 4-year son also plays with this quite a bit.

I find that this set is a very good value in comparison to the larger Ello sets -- you get fewer pieces in this set (especially the larger "plates") but you still get enough to make four people, and good selection of assorted pieces to put together a wide variety shapes and scenarios.

With a little help here and there, my 2-year old daughter is quite able to put most of the components of an Ello person together herself. (However, we've had Lego around since she was born, and for her age she's unusually good at building with those as well. If you're considering Ello for a younger child, your mileage may vary).

And I'm quite impressed with the durability, in that the sticks that you use to string the people together do not seem to break -- my daughter's inadvertently bent several of them virtually at a right-angle, and they're still intact. Again, though, I recognize that this is not designed for her age group, so the fact that she can still use it is a big plus.

Basically, this is very good starter set, especially in comparison to the larger set which is double the price but (I seem to recall) not quite double the pieces. This starter set doesn't have the reusable stickers, but we haven't really had need for them.

Overall, I'd say this is a good way to give the Ello line a "trial run" if you're unsure of whether your kid will like it. But based on the play value my kids have had so far, I think it's a keeper at our home.

My seven year old sister just got this set for christmas and my whole family has been playing with it! It's so fun how you can create anything including jewlery. We can't wait to get the bigger set.

My 10 yr. old daughter loves these! Keeps her brain & hands busy making creative little works of art.

OH MY GOD!!! I got this game for X-mas a couple years ago, but never had a chance to play it with anyone. Then this week my grandparents came to visit. One night we decided to play cards. I got out my Harry Potter Uno cards, and we had a BLAST! It was so much fun! Everyone enjoyed playing it. We stayed up until midnight playing, and we had started at 8! Lets just say it kept us busy.....

Oh, and I agree with the guy... why would you play in a dimly lite room?

I recommend this to all ages. You will have sooo much fun, trust me.

This is a terrific card game. Oh, and for the moron who put that it's hard to see the numbers on the yellow cards in a dimly lit room, why would you play there anyway?

Uno has always been a fun game. It isn't very complicated or cerebral, which is why it's fun for kids and even adults when some light diversion is needed. The idea of theme decks is a nice touch, and most themes are lent to a specific set of house rules.

I played Harry Potter Uno with a few other people today, and everybody had a great time. The Howler and Invisibility cards were a nice variation, and we made up Hogwart-esque penalties for certain situations. The nice artwork on the cards took a bit of getting used to, but everybody quickly made the adjustment. If you or your kids like Harry Potter or Uno, this deck is great idea.

This is one of the few Ken dolls that has sex appeal. Perhaps it is the five o'clock shadow, or his swash-buckling black pants, the black belt and piratical soft cotton white shirt, or his long brown hair that looks like he just stepped out of the wind, or maybe the aggressive pose - whatever, it works.

Barbie is beautiful with her long flowing, slightly tousled blond hair, a look of vulnerability in her eyes and seductive pose, and the violet blue dress that falls off her shoulders. I've never read Jude Deveraux's The Raider, but this set makes me think that Ken is anatomically correct and their night has just begun.

Fun - just looking at the set is engaging.

Durable - mine will remain in perfect condition because I'm a collector. If a child plays with the set, the first thing to go will be the shoes, the rest will follow.

Educational - Can be used to teach a child about the clothing of the era, pirates, romance.

Victoria Tarrani

I have to agree with the person who said the pictures of these dolls don't do them justice. Barbie looks much more beautiful in person than in the pictures. Her dress is amazing--the shade of blue is gorgeous! I think Ken is too muscular, but I know that most men in romance novels are like that. What really got me about this giftset is how sexy these dolls are! The looks in their eyes are smoldering! A very HOT giftset!

I am an adult collector of Barbies. I have never read this novel, but when showing the picture of this set to my mother, she absolutely loved the colors in Barbie's dress, and wanted to buy it for me. The picture, wherever you may have seen it does not do this set justice. It is absolutely beautiful, and even though I have never been a romance book reader, after receiving this set, it will be the next book I read. In my opinion, a Barbie and Ken that would inspire someone to read a book because it is such a fine set, definently deserves all the five stars it can get.

It's been a long time coming, but those of us who are collectors of the Batman Animated action figure line have finally gotten one of the most requested characters from the Dark Knight's Rogues' Gallery! Oswald Cobblepot, aka: The Penguin.

It took a new toy company, Mattel, to produce this long awaited character after years of the previous Batman toy licensee, Hasbro, overlooking one of Batman's oldest foes. The fans and collectors have been asking for this version of The Penguin for a very long time!

This is the Penguin in the traditional form...not the "Batman Returns"-inspired figure from the first "Batman:The Animated Series". It's Oswald as we know him from "The New Batman Adventures" series and it's a terrific rendition, inspired by the comic books!

The other figures in the set are just fine...a Batgirl painted in colors from the Animated Series...I just wish Mattel would dump the cloth capes and duplicate Hasbro's use of plastic, molded capes...my only complaint.

Let's hope Mattel plans more Batman Animated 4-Packs using villians from the animated series/comics that have never been produced like Firefly, Lock-Up, Dr Hugo Strange, Black Mask, Clock King, and Maxie Zeus.

Big Thumbs Up! I love the NEW Penguin figure!

This is an excellent addition to the previous 2 and 4 packs that Mattel has produced to date, and the new mold of the Penguin is the best move Mattel has made so far since they got the rights to Batman. I highly recommend this 4 pack!

The new Peguin well worth the purchase of this set. And the Bat's gang isn't painted too oddly either. All and all very very good. Now when can we see a new Scarecrow hint hint Toys'r'us...

This is by far the most true to the comic Batman Action Figure ever made. The detail is amazing. They kept it simple and they kept it Batamn.

This was the best action figure I have ever bought. The string it comes with for batman to zip across is too short, but you can always use a different one from home. Unlike most batman figures, his knees and lower arms articulate. His hands are rubber, so that makes him capable of more poses. His cape is cloth, so when he swings it looks very cool! Exquisite detail on the sculpt, I would recommend this to any collector or small child who likes to play with action figures. A+

This is by far the best looking Batman figure produced by Mattel. It stays true to the modern comics by providing the gray outfit with the Bat-logo without the yellow background. It is certainly dark and the best representation of Batman. It kicks the other Batman figures such as the Hydro-suit Batman and the Martial Arts Batman to the curb. The only downside of this figure is that the accessories do not come with instructions on how to be properly placed on the figure.
This figure is very popular and is very hard to find. I had to buy it from e-bay becuase Amazon ran out of it after a week. Finally, this is the best representation of the Dark Knight along with the 12" Batman large figure.

This is a dolly tricycle for the child to push the Little Mommy doll on. I try to keep my sister off it but she is 2 and she climbed on and could have been hurt. This is not for kids to ride on and if the earlier reviewer would have read about the product, they'd know.

My daughter got the pink & lavendar outfit Little Mommy dolls for Christmas & all of the Little Mommy accessories for her 3rd birthday. I was a little concerned about their durability due to some of the other reviews, but it's what she wanted so we got them. Now I am so glad we did!! Although they don't seem to be quite the quality we're used to seeing from Fisher Price, they are very sturdy & durable. You just have to make sure all the pieces snap into place while you're assembling it. My daughter has been playing with her little Mommy collection NON-STOP & we've not lost one piece or seen it wobble. This set is wonderful & my daughter has not tired of it at all!! It is great for building imagination & has turned my daughter into a great Little Mommy!!!

Our 20 month old son loves going for walks, but hates being in his stroller. The area we live in has no sidewalks and going for walks can make me a nervous wreck. The Little Mommy Tricycle is a great solution. Inexpensive, lightweight and durable, it allows him the freedom of being on his own, while the handle in the back lets me direct him away from anything dangerous. Plus, he loves the feeling of being on a bike like his older brother. Keep in mind, however, that it takes him/her a little while to get their bearings. Since their feet have to stay up, they have to learn balance a little bit. Take your time, and both you and your toddler will fall in love with this great little invention.

This figure is completely articulated. He's got a magnetic hand to catch the snitch with. It even comes with a stand for display. I've got the other quidditch figures and I have got to say that this one is much better. It even comes with a Firebolt.

I got it. Wow. It's neat. Almost as if everything's detailed (wrinkles, veins, nails, etc). I like the way he smiled. It's cute! I love Quidditch! Maybe I will buy an extra to hung it up. I am glad to have it to my collection.

Being such a huge Harry Potter enthusiast, I was really looking forward to the new line of Prisoner of Azkaban toys, and probably would have bought them all regardless, but I was not at all disappointed with this figure. It bears probably the closest resemblance to Daniel Radcliffe that we have seen so far, is around 8 inches tall (much bigger than the old 5 inch Harry Potter figures), and has a really cool "magnetic grip" to catch the snitch with. It's a really fun toy that I think Harry fans will love.

My 3 year old son LOVES this game and picks it more than any other when we're playing games. I like that the rules can grow with him.

My kids, 2.5 and 4.5 love fishing and playing this game. We make up how we are going to play and then Go Fish! It's great to get my 2.5 yr old to push the suction cup down (hand/eye and fine motor) and color recognition. It also works on my 4.5 yr olds number recognition - I may even write a few alphabet letters on them to help with those too. Taking turns is what it's all about at this age - we definately need to work on that! :)

My 3-year old loves this game and the fishing pole makes it very fun. I didn't think the suction cup would work very well, but it really does! Great game!

this is realy cute and fun. i love the magnet bone..you can make two dogs play tug of war and roll over with it. its a neat toy that -as most polly pockets have, alot of variety in activities and features. my only complaint is, once you pull the plastic tab for the barking dog platform, be prepared for super-sensitivity, non stop annoying barking. every time the wind blows,this thing barks! hope the battery dies soon.

i love this toy! it is sooooo fun 2 play with! all the dogs have magnets on there tummys and there mouths so they can put the bone in there mouth an stay on the unicycle. my fav part is how the dogs can launch off the purple thing and "jump" through the hoop! the polly is cute and i love how the dogs have same outfits as polly! i gave durabilite 4 stars because sometimes the dogs fall off the little pull out thing and the purple launcher sometimes falls off when you push the lever. overall its a great toy and it will entertain you for hours! you should really go out and buy this toy! P.S its worth every penny! [but it's really not pricey anyway] p.s.s really go out and buy this!!and i collect polly pockets[i have a whole box of them and the lid can't cose!] and i think they are great!!!! i should know!

This is very fun but where the dogs land when the jump goes off when you don't want it to. That is the only bad thing with it. Everything else is good.

SWEETEST TOY IN THE WORLD!!!

I think this figure is just okay. I mean there are three Harrys in the HP3 figure line. I think instead of making this toy they should have made a Hermione or a Serious Black figure. I mean the HP2 toys had a figure just like this only smaller!

I just bought this toy in store for my 12 year old son. We are both avid Potter fans. We thinks the toy is wonderful but are let down by one major flaw in the toy. The spell is supposedly Expecto Patronum, but none of the "Spells" that come with the toy resemble a patronum. If your looking for accuracy, this won't do the trick. If your looking for a cool toy then it's perfect