Work is boring; Mom needs [desk] toys too!

I swear, I saw Shrek 2: Mule Kickin’ Donkey at Target every trip I made for two months. Priced at around $8 I couldn’t rationalize the purchase since my 6 year old didn’t exactly have a keen interest for it. It’s not that he isn’t a big Shrek fan, he is – though I’m probably a bigger one – it just wasn’t a toy that caught his interest. At all. And unlike myself – he had actually seen Shrek 2 in theaters. Don’t pity me too much, I bought Shrek 2 on DVD when it recently came out so I have seen it myself. Finally.

Anyway, when I saw this little action figure set priced at under $2 in the clearance bin I took it as a sign (even though I don’t believe in signs) and didn’t hesitate to make my purchase.


So here’s what drew me in ......

This cute little set comes with 4 pieces. They are:

- A 6” figure of Shrek’s charming and annoying side kick, Donkey. Donkey was the biggest selling point for me. I loved him in Shrek and the detailing of this little figure was enough for me to be impressed (I am not a collector). Donkey is made out of a hard plastic, his body is pretty sturdy while his legs and head – not so much. His tail sticks straight out and is also hard plastic. His legs move, but only together so if the back legs move so do the front. Donkey is not the most stable of guys as a light bump will send him slipping into a legs half way extended pose. He has soft fringe for his mane which is a nice touch. His head can bob up and down but quickly falls when let go, that is unless you fully extend his neck (which looks a little odd). Of course, no Donkey figure would be complete if he didn’t have a mouth which could open and close. Mmm, humm! Donkey’s mouth was made for talkin’…. Ok, he doesn’t talk…

- A fairy or pixie or whatever. She looks a lot like Julia Roberts as Tinkerbelle in the movie Hook. She’s made from somewhat pliable material. I dare say if I had the desire, with very little effort I could snap one of her teeny tiny arms, legs or wings right off. Tempting… but no. That said, with normal play I think she would hold up reasonably well unless she’s put on Donkey’s back. I’ll get to that in a minute.


- A stand for donkey to uh… stand on. This is the cheapest made piece of the bunch. It’s a hollow, lightweight, hard plastic. There are pegs for Donkey’s front hooves to sit on and a slightly flattened surface for Donkey’s back hooves to rest amidst the leafy bumpy texture. One nice stomp with shoes on and this baby is history.

- A scented waffle, I kid you not. Aside from Donkey with the absolutely hilarious look on his face this waffle was the other main selling point for me. The waffle, made from a rather pliable plastic (rubber?) is about 2” across and has several bites taken out of it. There is of course a pat of butter and what appears to be several pats of melted butter on top. The scent is pretty dead on. If you sniff it up close you can smell some plastic along with an odd fake scent. Since this set lives on top of my computer monitor it is far enough away that it just smells like freshly made waffles, slathered in melted butter, topped with delicious warm maple syrup. Are you drooling yet?


What’s not so fabulous? Well…..

I recently read reviews on another site that were less than flattering for this toy set. The main complaints were that Donkey’s head came off and could possibly pose a choking hazard for young children.. I have not had any problems with Donkey’s head coming off and just to test it out I played a little rough with him and still – nothing. He’s perfectly fine. His head isn’t going anywhere, I assure you. I must add, if you abide by the age recommendation (of 4+) there should be no worries about chocking since most 4+ year olds no longer put toys in the mouths (obviously, there will be exceptions to this). Going into more detail – I think the fairy would poses a much greater choking hazard as her wand, foot or arm could be bitten off (I haven’t test it out, but I’d bet money on it) and that could be rather disastrous. But again, this would be why there is an age recommendation.

That said this set isn’t 100% Woo Hoo! Some problems or less than great things about this toy are:

- Donkey has a little hole on his back near his rump. The packaging shows lil Ms Pixie standing on Donkey, ok. The only way to get the little fairy to stand on Donkey’s back is if you really jam her foot into the hole. That will last a few times after which her foot will come off and a child will cry over their footless fairy. Hasbro should have either designed this better or left this feature off entirely.

- I’m not real thrilled with Donkey’s Mule Kickin’ action as I think it’s kind of a sham. I mean, his legs, all four of them, move at the same time. They’re all in sync with each other which really makes any kickin’ he does…. Well, it’s ridiculous to even call it kickin’ action.


Other sets, too!

Apparently there are three other sets in this series of Shrek 2 figures. The Shrek figure comes with, among other things, a disgustingly scented flower. If I could find the Puss in Boots set – which also comes with Gingerbread Man and the Three Blind Mice, I’d buy it – even if it meant paying full price. I need that set. There’s a set with Fiona as well. Meh. I never was much for princesses.

Basically….

I’m pleased with my purchase. I’m not sure I honestly think this set, cute and delightfully scented as it may be, is worth the retail price which I’ve seen to be as high as $12.99. At under $2, it is a steal. I think Hasbro did an ok job coming up quickly with a cute and playable toy for the release of the movie Shrek 2.

For me, this set makes for a great desk toy. Should I tire of Donkey’s Chicklet grin and pouffy hair staring down at me the kid will inherit. I’m not sure how much he’ll play with it based on his reaction and play with it thus far (I share. I’m such a good mom.) but a new toy is a new toy, right? Donkey would get some play time at least for a day or two after which he’ll be buried in the abyss that is a Little Tykes Toy Box.




Disclaimer: No toys were harmed during the writing of this review.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1.98
Type of Toy: Action Figure
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years