I had to take this away from my husband and brother at my daughter's first birthday party. They got ahold of it before she could even see it and they were doing wheelies and flinging the kids out and leaving the door in the back down and coming to a screeching stop to see how many would fall out. Full sound effects from the bus and talking kids. Grandma was getting nervous, "You'll teach the child negative behavior!" It was very funny but I guess you had to be there.

This is a very simple design that probably any kid can relate to. I have never met a toddler whose eyes didn't light up at the sight of a yellow school bus full of little kids! My daughter loves school buses because she knows her brother rides one increasing the coolness factor.

The Bus
The bus is obviously yellow, they really didn't have much choice on that. The sides are mostly open so it's a convertible bus. The instinct is to wrap your hand around the top of the hood and push. The style also makes it very easy to carry.

The bus is very heavy plastic and can take a beating. The bus with all of the accessories weighs 1.5 pounds.

There is a red stop sign that you can push out or put back.

There is a door in the back which folds down for a ramp to get the wheel chair off.

There is a set of stairs on the left side for the children to get out (no door).

It comes with two stickers attached. The front says, "School Bus" with the lights, and the back has a handicapped license plate with back lights.

The interior is black with circular indention with a short peg in the seats to place the children. The children have a circle underneath that fits right on the peg. You have to push fairly hard to get the people seated so they won't immediately roll out when the bus moves. All of the pegs are the same size so you can put the person in whatever seat you like.

The People
There is 1 man, 2 boys, and 2 girls for the bus.

Dan the Bus Driver. The bus driver is a white man (although his face looks like he's 10) with a tie and hat.

Saxophone Steve is a black/dark brown face boy playing a saxophone and has on a purple band uniform.

Jessica is a white girl with blue eyes and her hand is waving. Jessica looks like a boy to me.

Chad is a white boy with blue eyes wearing a red sweater and brown pants

Bookloving Betty is a white girl with long black braided hair and wearing glasses. She is holding a book.

Little plastic wheel chair (all fit in the wheel chair but the Saxophone guy doesn't sit/stay in the chair correctly). The chair has 2 moving wheels.

The tots are made out of strong soft plastic that weighs an ounce. They're not going to break a tooth if the child tastes it and they won't cry as long if they get hit in the head by a flying person. The heads of the children are about 2" and the bottom of the children are 1" wide so they may fit into the mouth but they're not going to swallow them. I have not noticed any chipping of paint or plastic. There are no moving parts on the children.

What Did My Daughter Think?
My daughter, now 2, is very hard to please with toddler toys. She prefers my son's big-kid toys and now crayons and Legos are the big thing and all things plastic are OUT! She's had this for over a year now and only plays with it now and then which is probably because she doesn't have much interest in anything that has wheels. I think this may have a tad bit more interest for a boy or a child who likes to push things.

We usually count as we go down stairs, and it's funny to watch her count the stairs as the tots go down the steps. She also yells, "Sit Down!" at them which just cracks me up and she says "Open Door" while she's opening the back! and "Bye! See you!" as it speeds through the hall. I think she can relate this to a real vehicle.

The age on the box says 2-4. I think the toy would be appropriate and appreciated at all of those ages.

I should also mention that it seems to be fun to crash this into the furniture multiple times.

The best part about this toy is its simplicity. A child could use their imagination and use it as a prop for other pretend play. Even if this is not played with as much as a "favorite" toy, it is a toy that will be picked up frequently and played with if only for a few minutes. In the long run, I think the toys that make noise get on the kids nerves just as much as ours!

What Do I Like About It?
Here are the primary reasons I like this toy:

1. No Batteries

2. No Noise

3. Indestructible (for most)

4. Lots of room for pretend and imagination

5. Not a faddish item, will still be "cool" if you plan on holding toys for the next child

6. Incorporates interests of both boys and girls

7. Shows diversity in appearances of children

8. Can be used as an accessory in other play activities.

9. Rolls easily on the carpet...you can get some real speed!

10. The wheels are tight with no silver pieces exposed. (Every kid that I know has a toy box full of vehicles without wheels!)

Drawbacks
The people tend to fall out easily if not pushed down hard enough or correctly. By age 2, they should be able to seat them correctly.

Since most of the bus is open, the tots quickly fall out of the bus and go straight to the bottom of the toy box.

I wish it had something to cover the windows because it would be nice to just throw the pieces in and shut the door, at least all the pieces would be there the next time you wanted to play with it.

Finally, the toy is somewhat big or bulky. It takes up a lot of room in the toy box or on a shelf. (measures 12 x 5 x 6")

Where To Buy
I think this would make a great gift because it doesn't require batteries or make noise which parents tend to be fussy about, and who wouldn't like a school bus?

This particular one is called Toddle Tot School Bus but just says "Little Tikes" on the school bus. There are some VERY similar products that are out there right now. If you are buying this as a gift you may want to check and see if they already have one. Little Tikes use to make this with the "hard plastic" little people.

I got mine as Wal-mart and I think they still sell them there. They probably have them in the local toy stores or online.

Online:
www.amazon.com ($13)
www.etoys.com ($13)





Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 13.00
Type of Toy: Car, Truck or Raceway
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months