Faulty Toys

As many of you know, my kids are "spoiled rotten" when it comes to toys. Christmas this year was no exception. We (okay, I) went overboard again and made sure they got everything the wanted and everything I thought they needed.

There were two things that I bought that I am so disappointed with. I debated over buying the This is Serious Ming Ming, but every time we went to the store Alexis would pick it up and carry it around constantly. If you aren't familiar with this toy it is a little stuffed duck that sings and "flies". Actually, it just rolls around and it's cape lifts up, but it's cute and Alexis and Justin both really liked it. So I did some research and though there were a few bad reviews that said it stopped working or malfunctioned, most of the reviews were 4 or 5 stars so I decided to buy it. I waited til it was on sale and got it for $10 less that the usual price and Alexis's happy little face on Christmas morning was worth every penny. She didn't really play with it th first couple of days as she was really absorbed with her other toys, but as the newness began to wear off of the bigger toys, she picked it up and spent a fair amount of time with it. So did Justin and for 3 days it quite a bit off use. Well, yesterday, Ming Ming started acting funny. It all started with a high pitch whine while she was singing and then she stopped "flying". I keep hoping it's a battery issue, but I have a sinking suspicition I should have paid more attention to the bad reviews. A mere 11 days after Christmas, it appears that This is Serious Ming Ming, is in serious twouble!

The second disappointment was the ball pit. The Wonder Pet's Fly Boat Ball Pit was a big hit in our house. Both of my kids have pretty much lived in it for the past 11 days and Alexis has even put her pillow in it to take naps. They love jumping in it and watching tv in it. Alexis takes her Ming Ming in it and uses a toy golf club as an oar and goes off on many adventures to save the animals. As you can tell she is quite the fan of The Wonder Pets. Anyway, because it is just a blowup ball pit, I didn't expect it to be extremely long lasting, however, because of the age group it is made for, I expected it to be a little more sturdy than it was. The bottom ring went flat last night and I can't seem to find a hole in it. It won't keep any air, so it must be a big gash, but I've searched and searched with no success. I'm thinking it may be a seam, so when the kids go to bed tonight, I'll try again.

With toddler toys, I don't expect an extremely long life, but 11 days is just ridiculous. It angers me so much that we spend our hard earned money on toys that can't stand up to the job they are made for: entertaining children. If anyone has more horror stories about faulty toys or biggest disappointments...I'd love to hear them. Misery loves company and Alexis has a birthday coming up, so I'd like to avoid buying more horrible toys!