Flexible Parenting Reviews

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Paz's Lift-Off Rocket

Trying to find toys that interest my kids for more than 5 minutes can be challenging. Finding toys that are not the run of the mill toys can also be difficult. It is a rare toy that meets both criteria. When I saw that the Parent Bloggers Network was looking for people to review Paz's Lift-Off Rocket, I thought that it was a toy that looked like it had a lot of potential. Right away my kids loved it. Although it is marketed for the 3+ group, my 17 month old enjoys playing with it as well.

It's a red rocket that comes with 4 astronaut animals: Paz who's a penguin, Dog, Pig and Rabbit. It also features a lunar explorer buggy and a moon crater. When you press the button, it counts down to take off and the boosters flash. The interior of the rocket is designed to create a hospitable environment. The top compartment is the control room and has nonmoveable dials and steering wheels. The middle compartment has a permanent microwave oven, coffee pot, cups, canisters, toaster, washing machine and drawers. There's even a murphey bed in it! In case your saying "what?", a murphey bed is a bed that folds into the wall when not in use. So what's under the bed then? Why a toilet complete with a roll of toilet paper of course! The bottom compartment is a roomy compartment for the lunar explorer buggy.

Why do I like this toy? First of all, it's red which is my son's favorite color. In all seriousness, I do think that the color is a nice touch because it's bright and inviting. I also liked that the toy is made out of tough durable plastic. My 4 year-old likes to fly the rocket around the house, but unfortunately it has frequently fallen back to earth. It looks none the worse from its travels. The carrying handle is also well built. Most importantly, the rocket passes my one big test: in addition to a volume control, it has an off switch! I'm often not a huge fan of toys with batteries, but this one is a very nice compromise because its compartments and gadgets offer so much room for creative play. Plus, you can turn the sound off if you have a migraine.

I think that the astronauts are cute, and that they are animals. It makes it a little different from the norm, and my boys enjoy it. I find it really cute. The rabbit's space helmet even allows for his ears. This toy is a big hit with both of my boys. It's one of the few toys that makes it out of the toy bin on a daily basis. It also has been a hit with almost all of our playdates.

There are a few minor things that I don't like about this toy. My 4 year-old had no interest in the moon crater. While the animals are cute, they often fall out of the rocket. That's not to say that my kids didn't play with them, but they are as often riding around the parking garage in Matchbox cars (or sometimes flying in outer space in Matchbox cars) as they are riding the rocket ship. My only other complaint is that the top door always falls off of the rocket. This appears to be a safety feature to prevent little fingers from getting caught and to keep the plastic from snapping. Because of the way my boys play with the toy, the door is rarely on the rocket. They don't seem to care.

My overall opinion is that the toy is a good one. My kids really seem to like it, and it is very popular. I think this is a good gift for a relative to give. It's different, fun, will make you the cool relative and you're not the one looking under the couches for the door. I can't honestly say that this toy is a favorite of mine, but it is a favorite of my boys.

posted by Alex Elliot @ 10:19 PM 1 comments

1 Comments:

At December 12, 2007 2:24 PM, Worker Mommy said…

I love toy recommendations from other parents. That way I know whether or not to waste my money.
Nothing worse then shelling out a lot of cash for the supposed must have toy and having your kid hate it!

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Name:	Alex Elliot
Home:	MA, United States
About Me:	Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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