About This Toy

As I mentioned in my last review, my 22 month old daughter is a Blue's Clues fanatic, so when I saw this Blue's Clues School House brand new on eBay for about $7.00, I let the Easter Bunny know about it and he got it for her for Easter :-)

The Blue's Clues School House is made from hard plastic and stands 7 inches high when taking the flag pole into account. The outside of the school house is red with various different decorations. On one side is a wagon filled with balls, plus multi colored flowers and grass also adorn the outside. Windows outlined in blue show a scene in each one, as if you were looking into the school house from outside and observing what was going on. In one window scene, Blue and Steve are working on a computer trying to figure out what 1+1 equals. In another scene Blue is reading a book with Purple Kangaroo and Orange Kitten. On one of the sides of the school house is a recycle center. This recycle bin is removable and kids can open the lid and turn the wheel to see pictures of different recyclable items, for example, a paper bag, a milk carton, and a newspaper. The symbol for recycling is painted above the recycle bin on the side of the school house. On the roof of the school house is a blue flag pole that is holding a yellow flag with an imprint of Blue's pawprint. There is also a yellow thingy which I think is suppose to represent the school bell.

The Blue's Clues School House opens up so that your little one can fully play with the inside of it. On one half of the school house there is a little kitchen, which comes with a sink, a stove, and a cupboard with little kitchen utensils hanging off of it. There is also a picture of Steve's and Blue's house. I'm guessing it's there so that they can skidoo back home when the school day is over. On the other half of the school house is the door that allows the little play figures to go in and out. There is a clock, a book shelf, a picture of the Felt Friends and Turquoise the turtle in a little bowl. Now all of these things are molded plastic and attached to the school house. My daughter can't, for example, take down a kitchen utensil or anything like that and play with it. It's part of the decor of the school house.

Inside the Blue's Clues school house are 3 things that, when pushed, make noise. There is a button right on the floor by the door that makes a sound of the school bell ringing. Another button on the floor near Turquoise's bowl makes a water type noise. Then if you press the picture of the Felt Friends, you can hear them sing "Boom Ba Cha Cha La La Boom Boom Boom." This means, of course, that batteries are required. The Blue's Clues School House takes 2 AA batteries and the battery compartment is on the outside of the school house. In fact, they make the battery compartment fit so seamlessly into the outside that it's easy to over look it. A phillips head screw holds the battery compartment door shut so you don't have to worry about your child getting a hold of the batteries and choking on them.

Included with the Blue's Clues School House are 6 play pieces. 3 of them are figures. Naturally, we have Blue and she is carrying her own Handy Dandy Notebook. Next is Magenta and she is carrying a backpack and she also remembered to put her glasses on! Last but not least is Orange Kitten, a favorite but rarely seen character on the show Blue's Clues. Orange Kitten brought her lunch box and a juice box to school. All 3 figures stand around 2 to 2 1/4 inches high, so as you can see they are pretty small but I don't believe that they are choking hazards. I have this little cup that you put things in and if an object fits into it, it's considered a choking hazard. None of these items fit in the cup and my daughter has had no problem playing with them or chewing on them. The figures fit perfectly through the door of the school house and my daughter will make them walk in and out over and over. Then there are 3 objects. One of them is an art easel with a picture of Blue and Steve painted on it. Then there is a table with art supplies, like paint, paper and crayons, on it. Last but not least is a yellow chair that Blue and her friends can use with both the table and the easel.

Why I Recommend This Toy

First of all, the fact that it's a Blue's Clues toy made me want to buy it right off the bat, but also, this isn't a toy that you can find readily in a store. I just happened to stumble on it on eBay and thought it was so cute and knew my daughter had to have it. Now that she's got it, she loves it. This is one of the first toys she plays with in the morning. She sits and presses all the buttons and loves to hear the noises they make. Like I said above, she likes to make Blue, Magenta, and Orange go in and out of the door and will in fact make other various figures do the same, although they don't really fit too well.

My daughter is really starting to try and pretend play and this toy fits that bill perfectly because of it's setting and the little items included. It promotes recycling, which I feel is so very important, and it also seems to promote art, with the easel and the table loaded up with art supplies. These are all wonderful things for a child to learn.

Blue's Clues School House is also very sturdy. When it's closed up, my daughter will sit on it and watch tv. I don't know how that can be comfortable but she likes to do it. Also, because it's plastic, it's washable. Just take a damp washcloth and wipe off any dirt that gets on it. The 6 items can be put in the top rack of the dishwasher and they come out nice and clean.

I do have one complaint about this toy, and because of that I couldn't give it a full 5 stars. It's advertised on the box that it can close up and be carried around from place to place. Well, it does close up but once you pick it up it has the habit of opening up and spilling the 6 items it came with all over the place. If you can imagine trying to fish a 2 inch object out from under the backseat of the car, you can understand why I don't suggest actually carrying it out of the house by it's handle. Instead, if you want to bring it to Grandma's, put it in a plastic shopping bag so you can be assured of not losing any of the items should the school house suddenly swing wide open. Now, if you're just moving it around the house, no biggie but when the box said it could be moved from place to place by the handle, I just assumed that they meant it could also be brought outside of the house as well. Basically, the latch isn't very strong and I don't thing the makers had much of a choice because if they made it any stronger, most kids wouldn't be able to open the school house. My daughter has a Blue's Clues refrigerator and my husband had to file the latch down in order for her to open and close it. With the Blue's Clues School House, she's always been able to easily open it but that is what makes it open up and dump it's contents when you carry it around by the handle.

Overall though, I've been thrilled with the Blue's Clues School House and my daughter has a lot of fun playing with it. I will be looking for another one to give to my friend's son for his 2nd birthday because he enjoys playing with it so much when he comes over.

Pros:

- Made from washable sturdy plastic
- Promotes recycling
- Promotes arts and crafts
- Encourages pretend play
- A different kind of toy than what is normally found
- It's Blue and her friends, with Orange Kitten making an appearance
- Batteries have held up really good
- Makes a few neat sounds

Cons:

- School house swings open when carrying it around by it's handle making it easy to lose the items inside
- Not easy to find in stores. I had to buy mine on eBay, but I got a great price and it was brand new in the box!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 6.99
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months