Average Customer Review: ( 38 customer reviews )
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71 of 71 found the following review helpful:
 Large blocks are best Feb 02, 2005
By Graysmom
"graysmom"
These are great, durable, fun cardboard blocks for your kids to build structures they can play in (for example, mine like to build walls under tables to make a fort or "rabbit hole" while they pretend they are rabbits, or they build towers around each other which they then love to crash down on their heads.) I like them because they are a nice physical toy that encourages the imagination. They are strong enough for kids to stand on (although I don't encourage it because they will weaken over time) and light enough that they aren't hurt if the blocks fall on them. And kids learn some spatial, balance, and construction concepts as well. Warning: assembly required, and you should take care when assembling to make sure you get them right (don't bend the cardboard in the wrong place or you will weaken them). Also,the best blocks are the larger red ones. The yellow ones are much harder to build with (no stability for height) and the blue (brick-sized) ones are nearly useless. I'm buying more of the red only, and I expect I will actually throw out the blue and yellow ones since they take up storage room but are pretty much useless. These blocks are expensive if you are going to buy enough of them. I recommend that your kids will need at least 30 red ones to really build things that they can play in (even building in an open-space brick-saving fashion)... and that gets costly. They can be stacked awayin a 2x3x4 area... it's helpful to cordon off a section of your room or have a big storage box that helps your kids figure out how to put them away. 5 stars for fun and child development, but I only gave 4 stars due to the expense and useless smaller blocks included.
189 of 207 found the following review helpful:
 YOU assemble; other factors still unknown Apr 13, 2002
I found it amazing that no product listing or review mentioned an obvious question that we had when considering this purchase. YES, as you might suspect, these cardboard blocks come as individual, precut flat pieces that you must assemble yourself. Also not mentioned is the distribution of sizes. In this set of 40 total, 24 of them are the small size (blue). Even with practice, assembly takes time. Plan on an at least an hour to do all 40 of them, unless you are very nimble-fingered.Our 2-year-old found them instantly intriguing, but quickly became frustrated by the difficulty of stacking them without knocking them over. We are not worried about that, as we expect this to be a skill-building process in dexterity, balance, large-motor coordination, and so on. But it is worth mentioning that some children, depending on age or taste, may not instantly love these blocks; and we can't say for sure that our child will either, until more time passes. I think it also important to note that the stackability of these blocks will depend somewhat on the precision with which you fold each one during assembly. There always seem to be a couple of blocks that don't fit together quite as well as others, leaving a bit more tilt than one would like to blocks piled atop it. However, one does get a very sturdy block when all the folding is done. The design creates "walls" of cardboard within the body of each block, making it strong enough that a small toddler can lean or even sit on one without flattening it. We will have to wait a while to find out if our child "grows into" the specific skills required to really enjoy these blocks, or if they remain piled in a corner somewhere. The immediate reaction has not been as glorious as we were led to expect from other reviews, And we really felt that the "assembly required" issue should have been mentioned quite clearly. Although we assumed that these came in "knock-down" form, a clerk at the local [store] (where we would have bought the blocks if they had been in stock that day) said she thought these came pre-assembled. I think that example alone proves that the information should be included in the product listing.
39 of 40 found the following review helpful:
 EXCELLENT PLAY VALUE!! May 26, 2002
My older two children had these when they were little. It hit me like a ton of bricks (haha) that my 3 year old would LOVE them. I knew I could depend on Amazon! Once you assemble one brick, it is quite easy to do. It is much easier to do it WITHOUT your child watching you, but hey, it is still fun. The imagination is great as you watch them build Billy Blazes, the Rescue Heroes, a new house.....line them up and make a road for their cars....build a castle...or just pile them up to knock over! My 7 yr old has created furniture for her American Girl doll wtih them as well! They are quite durable and you can even stand on them without crushing them. They do take up some room, so you might want to save a large box to store them in. Or, you can do what I do and line them up against the wall and pretend it is the fireplace I don't have. :-) I don't think you can go wrong with this good old fashioned fun! Hey, and the GREATEST thing of all....NO BATTERIES and they don't talk!!!!! I am off to order a second set while they are in stock! I think we might get the castle ones this time to add on to our set!!
29 of 30 found the following review helpful:
A Hit With Toddlers Jul 16, 2002
By vamommy
We bought these for my 17 month old son, despite his lack of interest in Megablocks and Duplo. They aren't too difficult to assemble, but the instructions could be better. By the time we had the first two blocks assembled, my son was already stacking them. This is a great rainy day activity for the whole family (mom, dad and child). We spent several hours yesterday building towers and castles and knockling them down. My son also uses the pieces for imaginative play (who would have thought a blue piece + a yellow piece = a telephone?). I can tell these are going to be a favorite for years to come - I'm going to order more!
20 of 20 found the following review helpful:
VERY Sturdy and Fun! Your kids will love them! Dec 01, 2005
By Michelle Morales-Whiting
"Mommy of 3!"
When I first saw these online, I thought they were great, but then I saw that they were made of cardboard AND I would have to put them together. My first thought was...how sturdy can these be? I went ahead and ordered them and my children absolutely LOVE them. And, believe it or not, they have held up beautifully. I've had them for two years now. They've been stepped on SEVERAL times, thrown MANY times and stacked and knocked down constantly, but they are still in great condition. They are definitely worth the time and money!!!
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