My son received the Fisher-Price Racin’Ramps Garage for his first birthday. The best part about it for us was the look on his face when the package was opened. We had been having a hard time keeping him interested in opening presents but when this one came out he actually got an “oooh... look at that” look on his face. We caught it on camera. That look alone made this toy a winner in our book.

The toy comes with the garage and ramps, two vehicles and two little people. The two vehicles include a tow truck and a car. The tow truck has, of course, a hook on the back and the car can be hooked on (facing forward or backward) and pulled around by the tow truck. The “seat” in the tow truck, for the little person, is also a button and when pushed makes different noises. The three different noises are a beeping (like a back up beeper), a honking type noise and an engine noise (like when starting a car). The tow truck required two AA batteries, which are included, and several months later I have yet to need to replace them. Both vehicles have a little hole in the back for use at the gas pump. The two little people included are a man holding a phone and a man holding a oil type can.

The garage comes equipped with a ramp, an elevator, two levels and a gas pump. The ramp starts at the top level of the garage, spins around twice and end at the back, bottom level of the garage. Both vehicles, when placed at the top, roll down quite quickly on their own. You can even send them down together (tuck towing car).

The elevator begins at the bottom and stops at both the middle level and the top. When the elevator as at either of the upper levels a stop sign goes into place at the bottom preventing any cars from entering. The elevator is operated via a side push bar that has a bell in it. You either pull the bar up or push it down. The bell dings as you reach each level. At each level the platform that the cars sit on tips in the direction of exit allowing the cars to easily roll in or out. The elevator is fairly easy to operate. It clicks as push or pulled so it won’t fall out of place, even when on the top floor. Because of it clicking in place, it does require some “force” when operating. When I say force, I mean it has to be pushed/pulled and does not just roll. That being said, my 1 1/2 year old operates it with ease so it is not like it is hard.

The middle floor is basically like a parking spot. The top floor is access to the top of the ramp. The floors have arrows on the to direct “traffic.” On the bottom of the garage, in the front, there is a gas pump. There is also a striped cylinder thing that spins. It rattles when spinned. I am not exactly sure what the purpose of this is other than a fun noisemaker.

Assembly of the garage was pretty simple. The ramp must be snapped together. The floors also must be put into position and snapped into place with pillars. The ramp is then spiraled down through the floors and snapped into place. I had it put together in less than five minutes no problem.

The garage is designed, I believe, for kids about age 3-5. My 1 1/2 year old however, loves playing with it. He has, of course, not completely grasped how everything works. He moves the elevator up and down with out the vehicles in it. He likes dropping the people and vehicles down the top of the elevator and seeing them fall to the bottom. He also likes sending other toys, besides the vehicles, down the ramp. I think all this is great. It just means that he will get several years use out of this toy as he discovers the actual function of the elevator, ramp, floors, gas pump, etc…

The garage seems safe. No places to get little arms or hands stuck. No places that I have discovered where fingers would be pinched. It is pretty sturdy and does not tip overly easy. It is light enough that my son can move it around. He plays kind of rough with it at times and nothing has broken or come undone. All in all, I feel that this toy will not only hold up well for several years but also provide hours of entertainment for my son (and brother who is on the way).



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 39.00
Type of Toy: Car, Truck or Raceway
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years