Hasbro Playskool Busy Ball Popper Reviews

• Who knew how much fun they'd have?

  
  By A2L03A61EET8KV on 2003-10-15
  I must admit that when my mom gave this toy to my 12 month old, I didn't think it would be a hit - boy was I wrong! Both the baby and my 3 1/2 year old think the ball fountain is neat.

  With this toy you push the plunger, the music starts and the balls begin popping out of the top, rolling down the shoot and popping out the top again. Sometimes the balls just keep going through the circuit and sometimes they fly out of the toy and roll across the floor. My daughters enjoy it all!

  From a parent point, the negatives are that the music is a little annoying and the five balls roll all over and need to be picked up again and again. The positive is that it keeps my little ones engrossed. The 3 1/2 year old can operate it all by herself and the 1 year old can play with it with only a little assistance from me (helping her corral loose balls and pushing the plunger).

  We haven't had any trouble with the sturdiness of the balls, but the yellow funnel does get knocked off occasionally. It goes back on easily enough, but disrupts the play temporarily.

  Bottom line is that we really like this toy and are happy to have it in our toy collection
  
  

• WOW! What a GREAT toy!

  
  By AMDNJNZ6DRKUP on 2003-11-09
  I first encountered this toy in a doctor's office and was amazed by its popularity. My 18 month-old son loved it as did ALL of the other kids in the office -- from about 9 mos to 5 years. The kids could not get enough of this toy. I got it for our own home, and its popularity remains high. I have given it as a birthday gift, and it has been a winner in those homes as well. The kids really do play with it endlessly. On that note, though, please know that this toy makes some NOISE, so if you are a person who can't stand noisy toys, this is NOT the toy for your house.
  
  

• Entertains all ages

  
  By A39N47Z9768B1J on 2007-03-07
  We got this toy for our baby to "grow" into... but it seems that each of her older brothers has played with it more than she ever can. The music plays so loud and fast that it stresses me out listening to it. I wonder if it might be overstimulation for the baby. It plays songs like "flight of the bumble bee" and "pop goes the weasle" (among other songs) I was going to discontect the sound wires, but I think the music is there too cover up the noise the motor makes. The balls are fun to watch, going around and around. I would say there is more fun to this toy than learning, but then again, all play is some type of learning, right? I would suggest you go to the Hasbro site and order replacement balls right away, they get lost quickly and it doesn't work right without all 5 balls. It is $4 for a pack of 5 balls.
  
  

• What colorful, musical fun!

  
  By A3HETHW2XD3DWH on 2004-08-05
  Our 20 month old played with this at a friend's house and didn't want to put it away, which is not like her since she bores easily with most toys. We purchased one for her and the moment she sets it down to play, her face lights up, she squeals with delight when she presses the big red ball to start the action, and then once the balls start popping in the air, she is overjoyed.
  
  The colorful balls are placed in the chute on top of the unit, then as they slide down the ramp, the air popper forces them up through the top hole and they pop around like popcorn! We watch our daughter laugh and have a blast with this toy all the time, but she is learning so much from it as well. First she learned cause and effect when pushing the red lever to start the machine. She learned that the music will not start until the balls begin moving. Next she learned where to place the balls, and how to catch them if they scooted away, and finally she learned words like BALL, STOP, OUT, PLAY, DANCE just from the repetition of the activities. The fun music reminds me of a circus parade and several songs randomly play while the popper is activated.
  
  Storage is a snap since it's heavy enough to stay upright while playing, and light enough to grab and go when it's time to clean up. There are three main pieces that an adult has to screw together, and though a child might be able to pry off the top piece, it easily snaps back into place. Just don't lift it from the top piece and you shouldn't have a problem.
  
  I recommend this toy for babies who are able to sit up unassisted so that an adult can help them play with the balls, but highly recommend it for walking toddlers since they will love chasing after the balls.
  A+ from this parent on this one!
  
  

• Beware of PVC in this toy

  
  By A33NVVSLIZTQZ7 on 2007-10-06
  I just returned this toy (& the Hasbro Busy Basics Busy Ball Choo Choo) after discovering it contains PVC. A Hasbro Playskool customer service representative confirmed the presence of PVC. As a new parent, I've learned that PVC is dangerous to a child's health and that many US companies are voluntarily going PVC-free and many European countries have banned it. Not all plastics are dangerous which is why I initially purchased this toy but when it arrived I was surprised to discover that characteristic smell (like shower curtains) and soft plastic.
  
  
• Noisy fan....
  By A29UF1PXWUX2YN on 2005-11-25
  Very simply, if your child doesn't like to hear the vacuum cleaner or hair dryer, he won't like this toy. He's totally freaked out by the noise the fan makes. Who would have thought?
  
  
• 2 different versions!
  By AP6H6LAUHAMYP on 2007-03-31
  I saw an advertisement for this toy on the tv. I was SHOCKED that they were still selling it! Years ago, my young son got his arm trapped inside the hole where the balls come out. We had called Playskool and they had us return it to the store and they sent us a free 'I'm sorry' gift.
  
  The one pictured on Amazon is the DANGEROUS one that many kids have gotten their arms stuck in. If you look on the Playskool website, they have a newer version which offers a cover over the hole where kids like to stick their little paws.
  
  Be sure you get the newer version! It is a super cute toy, and I am glad they have fixed the problem so many have had.
  
  
• fun toy, but balls are not durable
  By A24IZC1DO5LA6Y on 2003-10-12
  I bought this toy for my triplet girls, when they were 9 months old. They really enjoyed it, and they soon learned how to start the machine on their own. They did need help collecting the balls and placing them back in the machine. One major flaw is the quality of the balls. My girls literally chewed them up. One ball ended up getting squooshed so much that it cracked, and once that happens it can't get lifted through the air tube. We're now down to 3 (out of 5) balls, and they are all in bad shape -- the surfaces are all chewed up and rough, and they do not go through the tube very smoothly. It renders the toy basically useless. When I sent $ to Hasbro for replacement balls, they were not in stock, and they could not tell me when they would be in stock. So now the toy has lost a lot of its appeal.
  
  
• Lots of Fun For Parent and Child
  By A1GTFKOAZT8GQL on 2003-10-31
  I bought this for my daughter because I found the commercials very amusing. The toy looked like a lot of fun. As soon as my daughter (9 months old) saw the box she started clapping and cooing (prob. because of the bright colors on the box). I put it together (pretty easily I might add) and we let the fun begin. My daugter and I played with it for nearly 2 hours. At first she didn't know what to think, the noise made her a little scared but once she saw the balls pop up and we started chasing them around the toy quickly became a favorite of hers. Now she crawls up to it hits the plungers and looks at me and my husband like OK its time for the family to play.
  One word of caution, my daugter is in the "pull up" stage and she tried to pull up on the toy and we had to scramble to catch her, therefore, it is a toy that needs strict adult supervision, but it give the family an excuse to paly together. WE LOVE IT !!!
  
  
• BEWARE OF THIS TOY!
  By AVWOCAK8IRE1A on 2005-11-28
  My little man received this gift on his first birthday. It looked like a whole lot of fun! We took it out and it was not more than 5 minutes of playtime before his little arm was stuck down inside the toy! He saw where we put the ball in...he could see the ball down the hole, and he reached for it! He was screaming...as my husband gently tried to remove the ball popper, which was suctioned on to his arm at that point. Such a sad little face on the birthday boy! I contacted the company...and they replaced the toy free of charge...we decided on the pinball table, and he loves it! I just can't understand why they would make the hole the size of a babies arm??? Duh! Can't be smaller...choking hazard...why not bigger...or the chute not so long...I don't know. Hope this helps discourage everyone from buying it, I would hate to see this happen to another little one.
  
  
• Lots of fun for your little one
  By on 2003-06-25
  We bought this for our 9-month-old twins. The two of them have a blast when they play with their Air-tivity Ball Fountain. The balls are little enough for even their tiny hands to pick and and play with. They both screech and laugh when the balls come flying up. Sometimes the balls can go all over the place, which makes it a little extra work to go and retrieve them all. It makes funny sounds and music, too. I was suprised when it said it needed four D batteries, though! I use that in our SWING which plays music, lights up, and has six varying speeds! Hopefully then, the batteries won't have to be replaced as much since they're so big. All in all, this is a fun and different toy that'll entertain for a long time!
  
  
• Great Toy!
  By A1GES3G2YJIF7 on 2003-10-17
  I bought this toy when my daughter turned 1. It was a great purchase, because she and my 4 year old were equally entertained and could play with it together. Every child who enters my home, regardless of age, seems to gravitate towards this toy. It's easy for little hands to grab the balss and drop them back in the fountain. I would like to see Hasbro offer replacement balls, since the balls tend to end up everywhere. This one is a definite hit!
  
  
• I HATE this toy!
  By A1WUPF0L9YH9JL on 2006-09-30
  I must admit, my daughter really likes this toy ... when it's working correctly! Most of the time, the balls just fly out of the toy, never to be seen again until I go searching under furniture for them. I do feel as if I'm "fetching" these balls for my daughter over and over again. If I don't, she gets frustrated because the toy doesn't do anything! I love Playskool toys, but I really feel like they missed the mark with this one!
  
  
• a way to provide volume control
  By A303V8BIJIRXCW on 2004-12-31
  Here's a hint - worked for us (thank goodness). Take a piece of duct tape (we used white, prettier) and put it over the speaker. It made the toy less overwhelming for the baby and she really has fun with it now. The music is still audible, just not quite so loud.
  
  
• Keeps 'em busy
  By A2ZQFI6YIC2AXI on 2005-10-27
  I initially got this toy for my daughter when she was one year old, and she didnt have an interest in it and could not understand how to get it going. Now that she's two, wow! She loves the music (though I think the fan that runs the toy is a little loud), the movement, and the different places to put the balls. The balls are just the right size for little hands, too. Just as soon as she sits down and the balls get going, one may bounce out across the floor - so she's up and down, retrieving balls, putting them in, turning the toy on, what more could you ask to keep a toddler busy!!?? She thinks its alot of fun.
  
  Note - if you loose some balls, you can order them from Hasboro in sets of 5.
  
  
• BEWARE PARENTS!!!!!!
  By A2BMP1WI5MTKOX on 2005-11-26
  I thought getting this item for my daughter's first Birthday was going to be exciting.. In fact it's was the total opposite. It was a nightmare. My daughter got her arm stuck inside of the hole where the balls come out. Not only could we not get her arm out the suction on the toy made it impossible to get her arm to move. My poor daughter First Birthday was ruined by that toy. I do warn you parents BEWARE of this toy. I emailed and contacted the manufacture of this toy and was given a brush off. I think this item should be taken off the shelves. Very dangerous!!
  
  
  
• should be recalled or have better warnings
  By AQ59CTJIQKN4B on 2004-03-03
  while i have to admit my triplets like this toy it is dangerous. you must watch your kids while they play with this toy and it should not be left for them to play with at will. my 10 month old got her foot stuck in the tube and my 6 year old neice got her hand stuck while trying to remove a toy that got placed in the tube. the babies love it but i know now not to let them play with it unless I am sitting there with them.
  
  
• Like playing fetch?
  By A1UC12MLS3HQYD on 2006-09-23
  I would give this zero stars if I could. Unless you like endlessly playing fetch with balls shooting across the room, then this toy is not for you. The picture on the box makes it seem as if the balls pop out and roll down the chute. Not so. About 75% of them fly all over the room, under sofa, etc. Going back to the store.
  
  
• You can order replacement balls!
  By AKJ4DR7BZW0D8 on 2007-10-21
  We bought this after seeing it listed as one of the top toys in 2003 (or 2004?) for my oldest daughter. She had a great time with it (and I did enjoy it more when she was old enough to run after the balls herself). Most of the balls ended up lost and it got stored away. I took it back out after my son was old enough to enjoy it and was happy to learn you can order more balls on the company's website! He is now 2 years old and still plays with it often - and it entertained a friend's 6 year old son as well recently.
  
  
• Lots of fun!
  By on 2003-04-16
  My daughter got this toy for her first birthday, she and 5 other kids ranging from her age to age 5 sat down around it and played with it for 30 min. They all loved it! As soon as it turns on she shreiks with delight. The only draw back is that the balls fly out all over the place and you have to run after them all the time. Also it turns off by itself too fast and my daughter has had a little bit of a problem learning how to start it again. But besides that it is a really cute toy.
  
  
• Lots of entertainment in a little space...
  By A3SMFU9ASGNVU9 on 2003-10-01
  My 84 year old Grandma saw an ad for this on tv and just had it to get it for my daughter for her first birthday. It was such a hit with all the kids at her birthday party that one friend bought two (one for her son and one for her neice). The music is funny and the balls are unpredictable...which makes it fun every time. Grandma was right this toy is a winner.
  
  
• WOW! What a GREAT toy!
  By AMDNJNZ6DRKUP on 2003-10-14
  I first encountered this toy in a doctor's office and was amazed by its popularity. My 18 month-old son loved it as did ALL of the other kids in the office -- from about 9 mos to 5 years. The kids could not get enough of this toy. I got it for our own home, and its popularity remains high. I have given it as a birthday gift, and it has been a winner in those homes as well. The kids really do play with it endlessly. On that note, though, please know that this toy makes some NOISE, so if you are a person who can't stand noisy toys, this is NOT the toy for your house.
  
  
• Unsafe
  By A2RVPCQMQAAK48 on 2005-10-24
  While the toy was turned off, my son stuck his hand in opening to just past his wrist and got his hand stuck. This was horrible. I thought we were going to have to break his hand to get it out.
  
  
• Fun toy but high-maintenance
  By A2KRD2C9XAZ8T8 on 2005-11-29
  My daughter received this as a gift for her first birthday. She really loved it, and would sit there endlessly watching the balls fly through the popper and listening to the songs play. That part was great.
  
  However, once the interest of watching the balls faded, she decided to try dropping other items into the ball popper. Almost anything else besides the balls they give you with the toy is too heavy for the suction to handle, so you have to take the popper apart and remove the toy, then put it back together. It's pretty easy to disassemble/reassemble, but it does get old after the 15th or so time it happens. Also, if the kids keep hitting the start button when there's a heavy object inside, it can eventually burn out the motor, as we discovered. I would also point out that the set of Fisher Price balls that go with the Ball Blast and several of their other toys, LOOK very similar to the ball popper balls, but are actually slightly bigger and will get stuck inside the Ball Popper. So if you have any of those other toys, make sure to keep the balls separate.
  
  Anyway, all that having been said, this is a good toy, and my daughter did very much enjoy it, it's just that some of the parental maintenance work involved got to be a bit much.
  
  
• This toy was a big hit!
  By A2I2U0V9SLH4ZC on 2005-12-02
  My son received the ball popper for his first birthday. When we first turned it on for him, he cried and ran away! Within a week, though, he thought it was great. Now he plays with it constantly. The balls do go all over, but he has a great time rounding them up and putting them back in. He's 28 months now and still loves it.
  As far as it being dangerous, I just can't imagine it. My son sticks his arm in it all the time. It has never gotten stuck. The suction is almost nonexistent (just enough to suck up a plastic ball). Maybe these people who complained got one with a super powerful motor. The suction on my son's machine isn't nearly strong enough for anything to get stuck.
  Not the most educational toy around, but who says they all have to be? This toy is just a lot of fun!
  
  
  
• Spend more time chasing balls then he get's to play
  By A5XER64PH7NE on 2007-01-08
  I'm very dissappointed with this product, I purchased for my 10 month old for christmas. 90% of the time the balls shoot out and I'm hunting under furniture for them he ends up losing intrest as soon as they shoot out, he's only entertained while they cycle through which doesn't last long..He has no interest in hunting for the balls...So if you enjoy hunting down the balls this toy is for you !!!
  
  
• terrific toy fun for entire family! EXTRA BALLS!
  By A1ZT84N4S96Q3G on 2007-08-04
  http://www.hasbro.com/forms/orderform.cfm?prodname=PLAYSKOOL%20BUSY%20BALL%20POP
  PER&sku=06104
  
  If you need more balls just go to this link. Balls do go all over which is what makes it so crazy and fun! So get extra balls even if you don't lose any. It just makes it more fun to have lots of balls!
  
  
• What a COOL toy!!!!!
  By A3I9ACAJN179DP on 2003-08-09
  This toy is awesome. The minute I took it out of the box, my 9 mos old boy went crazy. He loves this toy. He squeals with joy everytime we turn it on. The balls shoot out the top with air and then circle back down into the transparent tube. My baby plays with this toy everyday for long periods of time. The only thing I recommend is to purchase rechargeable D size batteries.
  
  
• The BEST
  By A3M601EOOVDUFM on 2003-10-28
  All I can say is my son received this for his first birthday and he plays with it NONSTOP. He gets so enthusiastic about it. It's easy for children to comprehend, it plays a variety of melodies to coincide with the "popping" (i.e., "Rockin' Robin"), and it's fun! What I enjoy most is that it has enhanced his coordination and even his vocabulary... since the balls fly onto the floor and must be retrieved.

  The only few negatives I found is that a lot of use tends to wear down the "vacuum" (even after you replace the batteries).
  That, and my son places foreign objects in the toy (i.e., pacifiers), which is not a big deal - just frustrating for the child when he can't figure out why it's not working like it's supposed to.

  Regardless, it's the best toy I've seen that has been able to hold my son's interest for long periods of time.
  
  

• My 10 month old AND my 3 year old enjoy it!!
  By A3AVVSW3IZ353H on 2004-09-15
  This toy is GREAT! I initially saw the commercial for it right after my youngest daughter was born. I wanted to get it then but knew it was just too early. I forgot all about it until the other day while at Toys R Us. I saw it and immediately purchased it. My youngest daughter is 10 months old now and when we turned this toy on she was beside herself with excitement. I will say that she was a little startled at first with the music and the balls popping up by themselves but after about a day or so of play this is her favorite toy! I also have a hard time keeping my 3 year old from taking it over.
  
  It's true that the balls do fly out occasionally but we manage to keep track of them. I don't have any problems with the motor/fan drowning out the music. It's very durable. Even if my 3 year old manages to pull it apart it snaps back together easily. I know someone mentioned that it was top heavy and that it turns over when their child leans on it to stand up. I just wanted to say that this toy was not meant to be one to assist with standing. My 10 month old sometimes leans on it to stand up too but I don't expect it to hold her.
  
  The bottom line is this...it plays music and makes balls pop up and go around and around by themselves. It entertains my daughters endlessly. It was a genius idea and if for some reason it broke tomorrow I would go out and buy another one!
  
  

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