Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube Reviews

• The best baby toddler toy ever

  
  By AJKUC6TROZWQP on 2001-02-23
  This was purchased as a gift for my 1 yr old and became the immediate favorite of both my daughter and her 3 yr old brother. This is the first game that they can both play together. It keeps them occupied for hours, and the music, while clearly electronic, closely mimics the sound of real instruments and is not at all irritating- so we don't mind listening to it for hours. It is also exceptionally durable, having now been dropped, kicked, licked, and knocked out the car window. No cracks, no broken pieces, and still plays as well as it did the first day out of the box.
  
  

• If you live in a musical household, pass on this toy...

  
  By ALEK6XIA8ZCIT on 2003-11-23
  Although the concept is an intriguing and potentially enlightening one for an infant/toddler, the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. As a musician and engineer, I acquire and test out many toys claiming to enrich a child's musical tastes/abilities, etc.

  As a musician, the sound this cube produces is so terrible, I shudder every time I hear it. When I first heard it, I immediately thought the batteries were dead and changed them, only to discover that brand new batteries made no difference whatsoever. My 11 month old son pressed the buttons eagerly to see what would happen, frowned, and then quickly pressed them again to make it stop and pointed at the CD player from which there is almost always some sort of music playing! He by far prefers a CD or even an MP3, so this toy has now been abandoned. The distinction between the different instruments is very slight. My violin sounds nothing like this supposed violin sound. The rest of the instruments do not resemble their real counterparts very much either, and even the intonation is not exact.

  As an engineer, I know that even the simplest synthesizers and even the most terrible audio compression algorithms produce better audio quality. Why couldn't the engineers of this toy make this sound better? If anything, I would think the audio auality of this toy would put a musically oriented child off of music entirely. For this price you can buy a better electronic keyboard and play with truly different sounds with your little one.

  As for selection, aside from a few obvious ones that are acceptable, there are numerous more interesting and more familiar pieces composed by Mozart. I'd love to know who chose these pieces and why.

  So far, this toy has mostly been thrown around. As such, it has not yet broken, though I too have experienced the need to turn it off and on again in order to get it to function "properly" again.

  So, I would wait for a new version of this toy to come out with considerably better electronics before buying. Or, at the very least, listen to it at the store before you buy it to see if you can stomach the sound yourself.
  
  

• Fun music with fun play.

  
  By A3GKPMHV4U64IY on 2003-07-01
  I am on my second child and this toy continues to be a favorite.

  The cube has six buttons. It will play one of six Mozart tunes. One button switches between the tunes while the others turn on and off specific instruments (piano, violin, harp, french horn, flute).

  The cube has rounded corners with durable rubber bumpers that make it both safe and durable. It is amazing how much abuse this toy can take.

  My oldest received the toy when she was 13 months and now nearly three years later she is still playing with it as is her younger brother.

  A little pricey, but very-well made. A toy that will last from one child to another.
  
  

• Greaat for babies of all ages!

  
  By AIJ40TKNBI2LJ on 2001-10-15
  We bought this last year for Christmas for our (then) 18-month-old. She loved it, but the real surprise was last month when our 10-month-old discovered it. To say he loved it would be a real understatement!! He loves to crawl around after it and will play with it for 30 minutes at a time--amazing for a baby to play with something for that long.

  The music is a pleasure to listen to, especially compared with most musical baby toys. Like the other reviewers, I would have liked the addition of a volume control, but otherwise this toy is perfect. The batteries even seem to last a very long time. I was amazed that my 2-1/2 year old and 10-month-old can be mesmerized by the same toy.
  
  

• My son loves this toy!!!

  
  By A24X8M0BW1VSDD on 2003-10-28
  My son received this toy when he was 4 months old, and was instantly taken with the music. Now at 15 months, he still loves this toy, but he can also press the buttons to make the music play himself. I have noticed that he almost always presses the flute button, so I think that he has learned from this toy which sounds he likes better. So not only is this toy great fun for little ones, but it is also educational. I have also given this toy as a gift to many of my friends babies and have always gotten positive feedback.
  
  
• This is a must have!
  By A1RI7H9EOB5MT5 on 2001-11-17
  I have 10 month old twin boys. I got this as a gift at their birth. Since they have been able to manipulate toys they have enjoyed playing with this cube. When one starts it up, the other comes running. This is a toy that will continue to grow with them and teach them the wonders of music. Right now they just enjoy the cause and effect of touching a button and the cube playing. I am looking forward to when they can add & remove instruments to listen to the different sounds and parts. I highly recommend this for any parent interested in spurring a musical interest in their child.
  
  
• A toy that keeps on giving
  By A1GHHBZYBV8EKW on 2005-11-02
  My wife and I have been living with these 8 tunes for the last 4 months with our 7 mos. old. He was attracted to the noise and lights from the outset, and it remains his favorite light and noise toy to this day. He can manipulate it easily, and is fascinated by his control over the sound.
  
  The toy itself is very well designed. The panels take just the right pressure to activate, the chip does an excellent job of determining whether a press is designed to turn a panel on, off, or was just an errant double-tap from a youngster with less than 100% control over his appendages. The rounded rubber corners are safe, flash enticingly, and apparently taste delightful.
  
  There are only 2 reasons I give this 4 stars rather than 5. The first is that moisture can seep around the panels and destroy the contacts inside, keeping the panel from operating. We've lost one panel so far to well-aimed spit-up. Babies and wetness go hand-in-hand, after all. The second is that while the eight songs are well-chosen, it would be nice if manufacturers started designing these toys with the ability to either purchase or download additional tunes to update the cube. For nearly 50 dollars, either a tune-stick slot or a flash USB port would be a very welcome relief to parents who have heard the french horn solo to twinkle, twinkle little star for an hour straight.
  
  **Six month update***
  The cube is still going strong, except for the one panel I mentioned as having failed earlier. Although we use rechargeable batteries it is still nice that it really sips battery power. The set of included alkalines went nearly 6 months before needing to be replaced.
  
  The cube is still a favorite toy, and has grown with our son. Now it is baby's first boom-box -- he drags it with him to other toys, gives it a casual slap to get it started, and enjoys the music while he plays with his blocks or toy cars. When he really focuses on it, he enjoys making it change sounds by activating or deactivating the various panels. He has the sing-along version as well, and he will fire them both up and frown at the cacophony; much like a 3-foot orchestra conductor.
  
  The bottom line is that this toy has been a winner from day one, and continues to be a winner. For its price, it is a fantastic value, and for the fun it brings our baby, it is priceless. If I could, I would update our star rating to 5. My earlier comments are still valid, but it's really the maestro's toy, and it's pretty clear how he feels about it: 5 stars all the way.
  
  
• Music & Dance Appreciation 101
  By A3U3I6NWRIJ6TN on 2001-12-03
  My 15 month old daughter adores this toy. She has had it since she was 6 months old. Since she has been about 11 months old, she has become even more enamored with it. She carries it around and dances to it all the time. If I hum one of the tunes, she will go find the toy and start playing with it. This toy is part of the reason she loves music and dance so much! It is highly durable as well--the first set of batteries lasted over a year, and it can easily withstand being dropped. I highly recommend it.
  
  
• Great for the growing baby!
  By AWE9EOMF8NXEY on 2002-06-20
  My son received this as a gift at Christmas. He was 3 mos at the time and it was a bit of a disappointment to the gift giver when he has no interest in it. However, by his 5th month... he was enthralled with it. The large buttons are easy for little hands to slap. The multiple songs are inspirational and enjoyment for both the parent and child. When played in dim room, my son loved the flashing lights.

  My only negative comments are: I don't think a child below 5-6 mos is ready for the bright lights and sound (no volume control). It's great for music, but not as a "cause and effect" toy. The buttons are so easy to push, he'd set it off with his toes as he was holding it and didn't realize he was doing it.
  
  

• Fabulous!!!
  By AVO6OJNIV7S4O on 2003-05-02
  We bought this toy when I was 5 months pregnant. We started letting my daughter play with this cube when she was 6 months. She is now 10 months old and we were surprised yesterday when she turned and tossed the cube to the "orchester" button whenever she wants some music!!! Talking about music stimulates the brain...this may be true.
  
  
• I played with it for 10 minutes....
  By A4A6TD63P937K on 2001-11-24
  in the store. My husband wanted to look for baby toys and all I wanted to do was play with this cube. You can play the entire musical score or break it down into individual instruments. I can easily see this toy growing with the child, learning cause and effect (if I push this music comes out) to more sophisticated reasoning (if I push this I only hear one kind of instrument). Great for musically inclined parents and kids!
  
  
• No problems, he loves it!
  By on 2002-11-24
  This was a gift and I'm glad Harry got it! For the first 5 months it scared him to death, which scared me to death, but now at 8 months he adores it and it is his only toy that continues to hold his interest. He is usually bored after the first five minutes with a toy but not this one. He can consistently make it play, he loves the flashing light and there is a big enough variety of music to keep him happy. I haven't had any durability problems, but it has never fallen since it lives on the floor. DO NOT buy it for a young baby, however. Everyone seems to agree that it really frightens them.
  
  
• philadelphia mom
  By on 2002-12-09
  I got this toy for my son when he was just a few weeks old. As an infant, he loved the music and flashing lights. It held his attention longer than any of his other toys. I had to put it away for a few months when he was around 8 months old because he would want to pick it up and drop it (it's extremely durable, but I was worried he would drop it on his foot or leg and hurt himself. It's very heavy for a baby!). I got it out again when he was around 14 months old, and it became one of his favorite toys. It's very easy to use and the music selections are nice. It plays 10 different Mozart pieces. You can press the "orchestra" button to hear all the music instruments together, or you can listen to individual instruments (flute, french horn, piano, harp, or violin), or any combination of those instruments. My son is now almost 2, and is starting to say (or at least attempt to say) some of the names of the instruments. He enjoys this toy very much, though it no longer holds his attention for more than 10 minutes or so.
  
  
• DON'T BUY THIS!
  By A21CUUZVXUV114 on 2002-09-11
  I really wish I had heard the Mozart Magic Cube prior to buying it for my daughter. The intonation and distortion are just nasty, and no one of any age should have to be subjected to it. It's really too bad, because conceptually the toy is a good idea. But the violin is really flat, and sounds particularly awful when played along with the flute.
  I also think it's sad that a music teacher mentioned in one of the other reviews gave this as a gift. It illustrates the state of music education in America.
  If you want to buy your child something good, buy CDs of Mozart and real instruments to play along with it -- maracas, drums, whatever. Even if an electronic instrument is in tune, it's much more passive than something physical, natural, and acoustic.
  
  
• toy for the tone deaf
  By A8GWKL3O1394R on 2003-12-10
  I knew this thing wouldnt sound very good, I can accept that. Most all of these kind of toys sound like crap. What gets me is the violin is badly out of tune with the other insturments. Many a sour note. My son holds his ears when it plays all the insturments together. Otherwise its another piece of plastic that makes noise and passes the time. What do you expect for 20 bucks? Want to get your child into music? Get them a harmonica. My son plays all the time and passes on the cube.
  
  
• Great toy for the tone deaf!
  By A2W2XKWWESJWU5 on 2006-01-15
  This item is extremely overpriced for what you get. The sound is awful and the song selection is limited. The instruments sound nothing like they would in "real life" and, for the price, they should. I'm a big fan of Neurosmith products (too bad they're O-O-B). If you can find them through other outlets (eBay, Overstock) - and are looking for products that truly represent what music should sound like - check them out (a few recommendations - Sunshine Symphony, Pet Me Platypus...or the music blocks).
  Overall, a good idea but poor delivery - improve on the sound quality.
  
  
  
• Music for baby AND momma, too!
  By AXCKI7M2MPIGB on 2000-08-24
  At last! A wonderful toy that plays GOOD music!

  My 8 month old is delighted by the music and flashing lights. I'm just delighted not to hear "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"!

  There is good cause & effect learning - pressing the buttons on the sides starts or changes the current composition (one of 8), and also adds or subtracts instruments from the mix.

  As he grows, I'm sure the friendly icons on each button, and their effects, will become familiar to him.
  
  

• 1 and 3 yr old love it!
  By A35EGB5DY86LM2 on 2000-09-11
  I bought this toy for our daughter's first birthday. She loves it. She figured out how to change the tune quickly. Our 3 year old son also plays with it often. He's learned the different instruments and developed favorites. The cube is not annoying and the songs are soothing. Definetly an improvement over most loud and repetitive children's toys.
  
  
• great toy with design flaw
  By AZE2TK7PUIFZI on 2002-06-26
  Everyone in our family loves this toy. We bought it for our youngest when he was 11 months and he still enjoys it now that he is 2-1/2. Our 5-1/2 year old also enjoys it. I can't add anything that hasn't already been said positively. The only downside is that there seems to be a bit of a design flaw when it comes to the battery cover. The design almost ensures that it will eventually crack by the on-off switch. It has already happened to us twice. Embryonics did supply us a replacement part at no cost though.
  
  
• My son's favorite toy!
  By A1YHOBAJZSMSXY on 2002-07-21
  I honestly can't say enough about this toy. I actually bought it more for myself than for my son, since he was only about 3 months old at the time. I didn't think he'd get much out of it until he was older. Boy, was I wrong! He took to it instantly, even though at first we had to start it for him. As soon as he sees it, he gets a huge smile on his face and his eyes just light up. Best of all, we can always count on it to calm him down if he's been crying and nothing else seems to work.

  The only complaint I have is that one of the buttons has already broken, so it is now impossible to use the "piano" button. Still, I think it is a measure of how great this toy is that if it stopped working tomorrow, I'd buy another one right away without hesitation.
  
  

• A must have if your child likes music
  By on 2002-11-18
  I bought this for my daughter's 1st b-day after reading the reviews and she LOVES it. My 3-yr old son likes it also. It took her no time to figure out how to push the buttons to make her own "music", and she dances all the time. It has been dropped and has worked with no problems. I have not encountered any problems with the battery cover. Shop/surf around for the best price. I would definitely recommend this toy.
  
  
• long-lasting fun
  By A1XYAO565C30DN on 2004-03-16
  I bought this for my son when he was 7 months old. At first my nanny would push the buttons for him, and he would stare transfixed at the toy for a long time, sometimes lulled to sleep eventually. As he grew older he figured out how to push it to change tunes. He still enjoys it now that he is 13 months old. The tunes grew on us, too. It is not "noisy" like other musical toys. I think the way you can add or take away instruments is very good for developing children's musical ear. However, I have to say one thing bad about it. The toy is just slightly out of tune. That bothers me because I would like children to hear music in tune. I disagree with some of the reviewers who wrote that the toy was not very durable. For us it has held up quite well after being thrown numerous times (knock on wood). One other good thing about it is that it has got no sharp corners whatsoever. Very good for young children. I highly recommend it.
  
  
• nice while it lasted
  By ASZBHCTOJH99D on 2005-11-20
  This toy stopped working as our child was starting to enjoy it. It just stopped! We tried new batteries, everything. Very disappointing.
  
  
• Great toy for children of all ages
  By A2SNPJA6J0LQVH on 2005-12-07
  My twins loved this toy when they were infants, they'd stare at the flashing lights and listen to the music. Now they are 13 months old, and my son in particular loves to turn the various sides off and on listening to how the music changes.
  
  Often, if I need to distract him from something I can start the cube playing and he'll go right over to it and start to play with it.
  
  There's the added benefit that the music is pleasant for adults as well. We don't get tired of hearing it play over and over again, and it has several different Mozart pieces that it plays.
  
  
• It's an instant smile!
  By A2AUNZX6J6F2AG on 2000-11-07
  My one year old received this for his first birthday and it brings a smile to his face whenever he plays with it. Most musical toys I have gotten tierd of the tune and begged the kids to stop playing with them, but NOT this toy! Mozart is excellent for brain development and it's easy to listen to. However, there is no volume control on this toy.
  
  
• Fun? Depends on who you ask. . . .
  By on 2002-03-20
  Buyer beware! My 16-month-old received this toy as a gift from my mother-in-law and of course loved it - the one time my husband and I let him play with it. What parent needs to lose his or her sanity over a toy? ...Whereas some musical toys have volume control or only play for few seconds, the Mozart Magic Cube blares at one solitary volume level and plays the ENTIRE sonata before it shuts off. It's like the Energizer Bunny: it keeps going and going and going and . . . .... . . . Heed my warning...buy a board book about musical instruments and a Baby Mozart tape instead.
  
  
• this is the best!
  By A1SKA57ZMX4V50 on 2002-12-27
  Of all of the many musical toys my daughter has, this one is the best. The sound quality is top notch, and the songs are beautiful! This is one toy that will NOT annoy you, even after hours of use. We received the Mozart cube when my baby was five months old - too young to do anything more than randomly bang on the it. Now that she is a year old, she has figured out how to use the toy to its full capacity and enjoys breaking up the orchestra into various duets/trios. THRILLING! This toy will teach your child more about music than anything else on the market AND it will delight you as well. This is an absolute must have!
  
  
• gotta have his tunes
  By A2QPAS1OMRGQPO on 2003-03-11
  My year-old son received this as a shower gift and started playing with it seriously at about 7 months. I immediately loved it because it played "real" music, not just rinky-dinky, artificial-sounding nursery tunes. Now, at a year, he keeps it close by while he looks at his picture books. He hits a button, "reads" while the music plays, and then, without looking, reaches out and hits the cube whenever the music stops. If I turn its switch to "off," he lets me know about it! He hasn't yet experimented with the combinations of instruments, but he's so attached to the toy, I'm sure it will be of interest to him for a long time to come. After 5 months of daily play, the original battery is going strong, and he often stands on it with no ill effects. An almost perfect toy. Give one to every baby you know!
  
  
• A great baby toy!
  By A224CB06TCVOX0 on 2005-11-15
  Bought this for my oldest child when she was a few months old. She wasn't interested in it right away (I had more fun playing with it than she did) but around 18 mos. it caught her interest. It's endlessly durable and the music quality is good. One bad thing is there is no volume control, just off and on. Also, it plays about 10 different melodies but doesn't always cycle through depending on which musical instrument you press. When operated by a toddler, you tend to hear the first song over and over and over and over.... The best part is that older kids can enjoy it too. Now that she's 4, my daughter can still have fun playing with it, changing and adding instruments to get different sounds. Definitely recommended!
  
  
• Great while it lasted....
  By AEVW9L81ASP46 on 2005-11-26
  My son really enjoyed the Mozart cube, but it didn't last very long. It stopped working after less than 2 weeks of use. I changed the batteries, but it still didn't work. It is just too pricey for the amount of time that it lasted.
  
  

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