I'm someone who doesn't mind paying a bit extra for a good, quality item. I've often found the old adage "you get what you pay for" to be thoroughly true. When my husband called me, all excited with his latest & greatest new find, I was very wary. We had been looking for a nice table for my 1½ year old son, but my husband had stumbled across the American Plastic Toys Activity Desk on sale for 75% off and figured the deal was simply too good to pass up. The desk wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my little guy, but the lure of such a good price pulled me in...

Product Description:

The American Plastic Toys Activity Desk and Chair is a desk geared toward toddlers. The desk is made entirely of durable plastics and measures approximately 31½" x 18½" x 33".

The desk is cute in bold primary colors (yellow desk-top, blue legs, red drawer & lamp, etc). The desk-top is a shiny, slick plastic that is hard to leave a permanent mark upon. The desktop is tilted forward slightly (not completely flat), and the edges are raised to keep pens, pencils, and other tools from rolling off and falling to the floor. On the left side of the desktop are 3 circular indentions (of varying widths and depths) for holding paint jars, cups, and the like. On the right is a large circular indention for holding the red crayon caddy, as well as another squarish indention (the squarish one would be great for holding loose crayons). Two long and slender indentions run along the top of the desk on either side of the light, and another long and somewhat wider indention runs along the front of the desk (for pencils, crayons, etc).

Other features include an attached lamp and removable crayon caddy. The red caddy has individual holes for crayons or pencils and a larger center hole for holding markers and other larger supplies. There are large cubby holes in the desk legs with nice storage for books and other larger supplies (there is 1 large cubby on the right side, 2 smaller cubbies on the left side). There is a red drawer right under the desk-top for more storage.

The yellow and blue chair is cute and can swivel 360º. It has a very large base so we have no worries about it tipping over as my boy climbs onto it.

The desk must be assembled. The only tool required is a Phillips screwdriver. 2 AA batteries (not included) are required for the light. The manufacturer recommends this product for children ages 2 to 7.

Our Experiences:

Although I do have some issues with it, overall I've been pleasantly surprised by the American Plastic Toys Activity Desk. I put the entire desk together myself, and during the construction most of my concerns were put to rest. I was worried that, due to the cheap price, every corner would be cut and only the cheapest materials and construction methods would be used -- however I am now quite satisfied that the plastic is sturdy and the desk put together in such a way that it should withstand quite a bit of abuse. Although there was quite a bit to assemble, the construction itself went quite well -- the instructions were easy to follow and the pieces effectively labeled.

That being said, I wasn't 100% thrilled with the construction experience. Many of the plastic pieces were still attached to sprues. This aspect of assembly was very annoying -- the pieces didn't just snap off the sprues easily. The pieces could be broken off (after plenty of bending back & forth) or cut off (with wire cutters or a knife), but I hated having to whittle down the pieces where they had been attached, trying to make sure no sharp or jagged edges were left sticking out. My one other issue with the construction was that the desk top ended up getting a bit discolored on one side -- meaning that the plastic got stressed as I tightened the screws on that side.

My son, at 1½, is still a bit young for the desk, but he really enjoys it a lot. The chair is a bit tall for him, but he can climb right onto it without assistance (he is tall for his age). The desk is large enough to accommodate the largest of his oversized books with ease, so he will sit and "read" at his desk like a big boy. Because he is so young we don't stock the desk with pens or crayons (because then we would end up with art all over the walls), but my boy has found ways to have unconventional fun with his desk. He puts toys (such as his Little People and Weeble characters) into the top-cubby and the circular indentions, and rolls cars down the inclined desktop. He also loves putting books and other items into the drawer -- seeing how full he can stuff it and still manage to close it.

A desk with a flat surface, as opposed to this desk's slightly tilted surface, might be better for spreading out homework and the like. The tilted desktop might also frustrate toddlers who get annoyed when their crayons roll down if placed anywhere other than the slots provided. Right now my boy enjoys coloring and reading on the slanted surface, so we really don't have any complaints about it (yet).

I'm not at all fond of the light. The light is basically a self-contained little light kit that fits inside the desk's red lamp casing. The lamp is very easy to work and my son enjoys turning it off and on, however the light bulb burned out after just a few hours use. We had to partially dis-assemble the lamp to get to the little light kit (which you would have to do to get to the batteries as well). The bulb is quite unique -- we're hoping we can find a replacement (either the bulb or the entire kit) at Radio Shack or something. My son enjoys the desk without the light, so we aren't in a big rush to get a replacement.

The crayon/pencil holder is cheap and doesn't fit well into the desk. They market it by calling it "removable" and "rotates 360 degrees" -- actually that means that the caddy is not attached to the desk in any way, so it wobbles around and can be spun. My boy likes to take it out and throw it. I suppose it is nice that it can be removed, I just wish it fit more securely into the desk and didn't wobble so much.

The other complaints I have are quite minor. The red desk drawer is made of a very soft plastic and doesn't seem as sturdy as the rest of the desk. I worry that it might not survive the wear and tear that my boy will be providing in the coming years. That being said, it does slide in and out much nicer than I expected. The seat does indeed swivel, but it doesn't glide around smoothly. I actually see that as a good thing, as my son is short enough that he must "climb" into the seat, and if it swiveled very easily he would have a much harder time climbing aboard.

The vibrant colors (red, blue, and yellow) are cute and attractively arranged on the desk, however the color scheme might not go with every decor. The furniture in my boy's room is mostly wooden so the all-plastic desk does look a bit odd, however the main color in his room is blue so in that respect it fits right in.

I perused other, much more expensive toddler desks at the store last weekend. The biggest difference I noted was that most of these desks were larger (not necessarily wider, but quite a bit deeper). I must admit that I prefer the size of our American Plastic Toys Activity Desk, as we don't have a huge amount of space in his room for a desk -- the deeper desks have a much bigger footprint. The other, more expensive desks had more areas for storage on top of the desk (or on shelves over the desk), however ours provides plenty of storage via the drawer and leg-cubbies. Overall, I didn't see that big of a difference between my $16.00 desk and the very expensive (usually over $100) desks -- certainly not $90 worth of a difference. Even at the non-clearance price (anywhere from $29-$40) the American Plastic Toys Activity Desk is still a good deal.

Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) The chair swivels
+) Attached lamp
+) Cubby-holes on both sides provide lots of storage
+) Large drawer for storing supplies
+) Large working area
+) Indentions on desk-top for holding pens,paint,etc
+) The desk is large, but not huge
+) Easy to clean - doesn't stain
+) Sturdy
Cons:
-) Assembly required (including removing pieces from the sprues)
-) Caddy is not well-made
-) Color scheme might not go with every decor
-) I'm not a fan of the lamp (hard to get to batteries or to replace the bulb)

Final Thoughts:

Overall I still think you get what you pay for, but the American Plastic Toys Activity Desk was quite a good value for the money. Basically I like the desk very much with the exception of the red pieces (the lamp, the drawer, and the crayon caddy). Perhaps I can put all the money we saved by purchasing this desk toward a much nicer desk when my son gets older and outgrows his toddler-sized desk.

Visit my profile page to see a small picture of my son kickin' back at his Activity Desk


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 16.00