Wave right over this toy. "Clichi Soirie Write-Off"
Written: Jul 06 '02 (Updated Jul 06 '02)
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Pros: Easy to clean, cheap
Cons: cheap, doesn't work, does not hold a child's attention.
The Bottom Line: Save your money and buy a bath toy that actually works. This toy is not worth your time or money.
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| Mininut's Full Review: Wave Rider Elmo |
Well I won’t beat around the bush it is time to let the cat out of the bag and let you know just how awful this toy really is. We purchased this wave rider toy with the hopes that our then 12-month-old son would have great bath time fun with it. Boy was this toy dead in the water .
About the Wave Rider Elmo
When you first open the box that your Elmo toy come in you would think that this 8 inch long toy would be a lot of fun but this toy was about as fun as a wet blanket on a cold winters day . This is a nice looking toy made of a durable plastic and easy to clean. Since you can stick it in the tub you can clean it while your little one plays to help it stay sanitized. The wave runner is yellow, blue and red and perched on top is Elmo in the driver’s seat showing off his fancy red life jacket. Elmo is also made of hard plastic and has wavy hard plastic hair and big white eyes. Look on the side of the wave runner and you will see a knob that is used to wind the wave runner. Now the name of this toy is “wave rider” and you would think that this toy would work great in water but that is not the case at all. However this wave runner does ok on land which in my opinion, defeats the purpose of this toy and if it was not going to work in water then why didn’t they call it “ground rider Elmo”? Oh well, what ever floats their boat I guess.
What I despised about this toy
Now I used a strong word on this toy, normally I would write about what I disliked about an item but dislike is way to mild to describe just how I feel about this toy. I quite literally despised this toy. Now granted there is a thin line between love and hate but this is a really awful toy. Working this toy is easy as pie but keeping it working is another chore all together. We took the toy from the box and placed it in the water, almost instantly you knew Elmo was thinking abandon ship! The wave runner started taking on water and was tipping over, you had to be very careful not to rock the boat or it would sink completely. We wound up the wave runner and it would spin out but not actually move through the water, I was not going to give up though, come hell or high water I was going to get this toy to work for Wayne. We decided to try working this toy on the floor, we wound it up and sat it down and it pushed off about 4 inches and died out. We could wind the toy up and let it go and Elmo would bob up and down on the seat but the wave rider just wouldn’t go very far on land but at least it went further on land than it did in water. All hands on deck this toy was a flop.
So were there any positive points to this toy?
Luckily we didn’t spend an arm and a leg on this toy so it was affordable for a bath toy but a little expensive to end up being a garden statue, which is where ours is at. We tried to Always look on the bright side with this toy but we really couldn’t find any positive points about it other than it makes a great sinking ship if your little one wants something to bomb in the tub. I will say that this toy is very easily cleaned and easy to disinfect. Because this toy takes on water at every use in the tub, you will want to completely drain the toy after each use. By draining the wave rider you will keep water from staying in the toy and becoming stagnate which can build up a lot of mildew and mold and that is not a good thing for your little one to be playing with. To avoid any kind of moldy water sitting in any of your little ones toys you should soak then in hot bleach water at least once per week. This also works well with pool toys and any toys that are in contact with water on a daily basis.
What did Wayne like about this toy?
We decided that even though the toy would not run through water like it was supposed to then we could at least keep it in the tub and he could push it around like a boat and have just as much fun. After all he was 12 months old and what little 12 month old doesn’t like to push things through water. This is when we learned that this toy was just a plain hazard to have around and we tossed out the door. Wayne stood up in the tub while I was holding onto his arm to wash his little bum and he slipped and fell smack dab on top of the wave rider Elmo. At first we though he had racked himself but it turned out that he had fallen on top of the hard plastic wavy hair of Elmo and tore his little bottom. We had to take him to the Dr. to make sure there was no ligament damage and he didn’t even fall that hard. At this point I am about at the end of my rope with this toy . Not only does it not work but also it isn’t even safe to have in the tub with your little one.
What is the bottom line
If you are thinking that the wave rider Elmo would be a great toy for your little one then you are barking up the wrong tree . If you already have a wave rider Elmo then I suggest you toss it in the trash and start back at square one and get a more fun and safe toy that actually works. You may never have a problem out of the wave rider Elmo but it is better to be safe than sorry .
Water safety
Accidents happen everyday and some of the most common household accidents happen in or around water. Whether it is the pool, bathtub or hot tub NEVER leave your little one unattended in the tub or around any water. Children can drown in less than 2” of water! When you have a pool or hot tub and you have children then be sure to always use a locked safety cover when you are not using your hot tub, keep pools behind locked gates and keep doorknob protectors on all bathroom doors so that little ones cannot access these areas. Make sure that all pools and hot tubs have dual drains and drain covers that meet current safety standards. Remember that improper drains can cause a vacuum that can suction to your children and can cause a child to become stuck and drown. Keep your hot water heater at 102 degrees or lower and all hot tub heaters should be no hotter than 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to put non-slip surface material in your tub to help with footing. Small stick it pads can be found at local stores and most will now change color if the water is to hot. It is best to use a large mat that covers a large area so that no matter where your little one stands, they are protected from slipping. Always keep bath faucets covered with a soft rubber or cushion cover in case your little one falls and keep all toys that have any pointed edges out of the water. Never let your child take cars or metal toys into the tub either as these are hazardous if the child falls on them. Remember that all tub and water accidents can be avoided as easy as 1-2-3
In closing
I was extremely disappointed in this fisher-price toy. Fisher-price is top in the market on children’s toys and I never would have guessed that this particular toy would flop like a fish out of water . I do not recommend this toy at all in fact I beg you to avoid it at all cost. This toy is rotten to the core.
So how do you contact Fisher Price
There are three ways to contact Fisher-Price. You can call them at 1-800-432-5437 or 1-800-442-2664, contact them at http://www.service.mattel.com/ or http://www.fisherprice.com, or mail them at Consumer Affairs, ARCOtoys Inc, A Mattel Company, C.S #9008, Crossways Park West, Woodbury, New York 11797.
The following information does not pertain to this toy but recall information is important to the health and welfare of our children. I will continue to post any and all recall information in my reviews when ever available.
Recall Information
Fisher Price has a recall on the following items:
Power Wheels-Harley-Davidson-Ride-on.
Lift & Lock Swing.
Get Up & Go Walker.
Intelli-Table
Big Action Construction Set.
Hop, Skip, Jumper.
3-in-1 Cradle Swing with Detachable Carrier.
Bounce 'n Play Activity Dome.
Grow to Pro Basketball set.
Power Wheels Vehicles.
Fisher-Price Safe Embrace Car Seat.
To find out more information about these items, please go to http://www.fisherprice.com/us/help/default.asp#safety
This review is part of the "Cliché Soirée Write-Off" hosted by mind-full to celebrate her 2-year anniversary with Epinions. If you think a write-off for this purpose is cliché . . . well, that's the point. You're ahead of the game already! Read on for more cliché phrases, and take a look at the other Epinions' talent who have thrown their hats into the write-off ring
amyk49 • AliventiAsylum • ariel10575 • BeeCharmer • CJsMommy • dedemw • dgturtle2 • fallyn96 • flamepillar • Granniemose • gungian • HawgWyld • imokliel • Jag2112 • JaclynL • jeff_wilder78 • jenb123 • katm • kiko_cat • Ladysmom • lattechick • laura10801 • Lisa_J • LRGuis • lyoness913 • mind-full • Mininut • MrReEvolution • mrsditmer • My3lilmen • ned1 • pamelita3099 • Petra • pogomom • shadow8 • sleeper54 • unhappycarrie • vbfc • wiseokc
Big Smiles and Warm Hugs
Heather aka MiniNut
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 5.99
Type of Toy: Bath Toy
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
Mininut
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Heather
Location: Leander, Texas
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 273 members
About Me:
Mother of 4 gorgeous children and survivor of Cervical Cancer.
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