Activity Toy Reviews

Monopoly is a game where you buy properties that have been mortgaged by the owners, and you must buy them for a ****load of money. It is absolutely the best board game series ever made.

There are tons of special editions for monopoly, for example:
Spongebob
Simpsons
Family Guy

This product is a must buy. BUY IT NOW!

This game is a terrific new version of the classic. All the same rules apply of course, but if you choose, the game comes with instructions for a Star Wars twist! I won't tell you what it is, but I will tell you it has something to do with the dice. The game comes with eight character tokens (four are good guys, four are bad guys) and a blue die and a red die. The colors come in handy when playing the star Wars version. You buy and trade for planets. You buy settlements and citys instead of houses and hotels. I think it's great fun! Although I've lost every game to my little brothers! Oh, and for all you big Star wars fans out there, the instructions come with a translation guide for the Star wars galaxy Aurebush language. It helps you to read the words on the "Republic credits". All in all it's a great game, so get out there and play! May the Force be with you!

Monopoly is just a wonderful game. The classic version after 70 odd years is still just a great game. You can sit down with friends and have a wonderful time and the game is great for everyone from five and on. once a child can read monopoly is a great way to introduce them to the concept of money in a fun way. and it is just a blast to play. Even when your opponet gets upset and upends the board.

It's the perfect size for those small eager hands. We also really liked the allowance book that came with it; very usefull and a great idea.

I have one of these and have never gotton board. I play with it hours each day. It can bounce really high. Anyone who is looking for a fun toy or a great gift should buy this! There's some in stock at Target.Com.

I have one of these and have never gotton board. I play with it hours each day. It can bounce really high. Anyone who is looking for a fun toy or a great gift should buy this!

I got a Pogo Roo for Christmas around 1991. My parents were not sure whether I would like it or not. I played with that pogo stick more than anything I else for the next few years. I spent most of Christmas day trying to see how many jumps in a row I could get. I used this same pogo stick for years, bouncing down the street to my friends' houses. I started doing tricks like no hands and 360's by about 4th grade. The spring broke sometime around 1998 but it still worked pretty good. I finally threw it away when I was in 17 in 2001 after 10 years and millions of bounces.

We received this for Christmas (along with lots of other Chicco and other brand toys)and a month later - my kids still won't let me put Bear Ville away to rotate it with the others!! My 2 and 1/2 year old and 15 month do not tire of this toy - AT ALL!! It's a great toy, very durable and even I don't get bored sitting w/ them and playing with it day after day after day. We have a lot of the Fisher Price Little People stuff and the Little People toys just don't compare with Bear Ville. The kids lose interest w/ Little People but not Bear Ville. You really won't be disappointed with this toy! I just wish Chicco would make other Bear Ville type items! I'd buy every one!

This toy was a godsend! William received this activity center for his 1st birthday, and he adored it! When he was little, I'd place the Bear Ville Activity Center in the center of the living room floor, and he'd play for 45-minutes or more. This toy never got old for him because I rotated his toys. Moreover, this plaything keeps kids interested, because there are so many activities to explore. The progressive learning is great too. Children understand almost instantly how to get the garage spinning, and it's probably the highlight of the unit. The shape sorter was entertaining too. Unlike other shape sorters, this unit requires the shapes be sorted properly, which I like. It led to a bit of frustration early on, but he caught on, and enjoyed that aspect enormously. The stairway was one activity that took a while to catch on. He didn't understand how to operate the catapult movement until he was probably 2-years old, but then he'd snap a bear in place and continually fling him off the platform. This produced many fits of laughter! William is now 4� and has outgrown the toy; however, he still asks to play with it when he has the Full Service Garage out. I'm not sure why that is, but in his mind, they go together.

The only safety concern we've encountered with the Bear Ville Activity Center was with the shape sorter. Soon after William received the toy, he tried to retrieve the circular shapes by forcing his hand at the entrance point, rather than flipping the door open. His hand was stuck, and he cried, but it didn't discourage his play session. He continued to play on as if nothing happened. I think if there's any room for improvement, I'd suggest to the company that they eliminate the circular shape in exchange for maybe a diamond, or a heart-shape so children can't wedge their little hands in the circular opening.

If you've read any of my other Chicco toy reviews, you know I think they're fabulous playthings! They are heavy-duty, developmental, toys that children seem to love. The Bear Ville Activity Center has been dropped, and even been stepped upon umpteen times, and shows little signs of wear. It's easy to clean too. Just apply soapy water with cloth, and in minutes, it's ready for play. Definitely a winner in our household.

We were visiting my inlaws in Europe and they bought this toy for our 20 month old daughter. Out of all the toys we brought over she played with this everday. We actually had to ship it back with us. Now she is 3 and my youngest is 1 and this is still the most popular toy in the house. It have the typical shape sorter and hammer combo, but the stairs where the bear pops out and the cars are the big hit. I would recommend this toy to anyone. Very durable, washes it up great, and still fun even after having it over a year. We have bought many other Chicco toys and this is still the winner. I have never written a review on Amazon, but believe this deserves a five star rating.

I recently bought this for my 19 month old who absolutely LOVES it! She'll actually sit down and play with it for a good 30 or 40 min, take a break, then come back to it and play with it again for another half hour. The shapes are the perfect size for her little hands. Each shape is also a rattle, so they make fun noises for younger babies.

A parent can easily open the sorter by twisting either the top or bottom, but I think it would be very difficult for a baby or toddler to open. The other thing I like about this sorter is that it has three shapes on either end, so as the baby becomes more confident with the toy, they will learn how to flip it over to find the opening they need rather then mom turning it for them. My daughter started out with a sorter that was a bucket with a flat lid that had 4 different shapes on top. This worked when she was younger (though she still liked all sorters), but has since masteed it and therefore grown tired of it. This new sorter adds a new challenge, so it's still interesting for her. Another nice feature is that each shape and opening is color coded making it easier for the child to find and match the shapes. It's obviously also a great chance to teach colors.

The only negative I can mention is a minor one. The hole for the round shape isn't very tight, so sometimes the circle falls back out. It doesn't bother my daughter (I don't think she notices), she just pops it back in. Some shapes need to pushed a little harder then you'd expect, but that's just helped my daughter to learn the word 'push.'

All in all, I'd say it's an excellent toy that, if bought as early as 8 months, will easily last you for a year if not longer.