I had some Weeble-Wobble toys when I was growing up that I simply loved. I was wandering through the toy section of a local K-Mart when I saw the new line of Weebles, and I knew that I wanted to get some for my son.

I would have loved to get him the large Weebles Rescue Adventure Playset, with cute vehicles and tons of slides to roll the Weebles down, but my boy was only 9 months old at the time, and I didn't even know whether or not he would like playing with Weebles. I ultimately decided to go with one of the small sets instead, and use it to determine whether or not to get the larger set. The one I selected was the Weebles 123 Counting Slide.

Product Description:

This set comes with 1 Weeble, 3 stair-step type blocks, 1 slide, and a little archway. All of the pieces are made of a hard plastic.

This Weeble looks nothing like the Weeble-Wobbles I had as a child. Mine were egg-shaped and would definitely be considered a "choking hazard" these days. The new Weebles both wobble and roll -- the bottom of the Weeble is actually a ball that can spin. The top part of the Weeble is a separate piece from the ball (although it cannot be removed), and looks like a cute, chubby child. The top piece is somehow weighted to keep him consistently upright -- just like the original it will wobble but it won't fall down. It is larger than the original Weebles, standing at 2 and a half inches tall. The Weeble that comes with the 123 Counting Slide is blond with blue eyes, wears a green shirt with purple trim, has a red ball for "legs", and wears a red cap (backwards, of course).

The platforms can be used as stair steps leading up to the slide, or can be stacked on top of each other and used like blocks. They have notches so they can be connected together (in stair-step form), and the top of each block has an indention so that the Weeble can sit on top without fear of rolling off. The smallest block (just over 1 inch high) is a pinkish color and has a large number 1 on the side. The middle block is turquoise and has a "2" on the side. The largest is purple, is just over 3 inches high, and has a "3" on the side. There are little ridges and details in the molding on the side of the blocks that give them a bit of a circus-feel.

The yellow slide is two pieces -- a platform that fits over the top of a block, and the slide itself. The slide works from any of the 3 blocks (although not as well from the smallest). The archway (which has a "Weebles" banner over the top) can be set at the bottom of the slide for the Weeble to roll through.

There are no batteries required. This set is recommended for children ages 12-months and up.

Our experiences:

My son had really enjoyed his Weebles 123 Counting Slide. He was only 9 months old when I first brought it home, so we tended to have to help him set up the slide and roll the Weeble down. He is currently 16 months old and has been able to do it all by himself for a little while now. He also went through a phase of carrying his Weeble around with him everywhere -- it is a very good size for toddlers' hands.

My son has always enjoyed knocking down towers, and the blocks from the 123 Counting Slide make good towers for knocking over. I particularly like the numbered blocks because they can be used to teach numeric concepts. For example, when you place the #1 block on the #2 block, they are the exact same height as the #3 block -- thus I can use them to illustrate that 1 plus 2 equals 3.

For some odd reason my son loves pulling the slide apart (separating the platform from the slide). Fortunately it is very easy to snap back together -- I'm grateful that it was constructed in such a way that it can come apart without breaking.

One thing that I should probably mention -- I actually took the Weeble to work to show some of my friends what the "new & improved" Weebles looked like. One of my co-workers took one look at him and exclaimed "He looks morbidly obese!" I'll admit, the characters are very cute but they do look chubby, and some parents might not want so-called "un-healthy" toys in their homes. I must say that this didn't even occur to me when I purchased it, but I think his "anti-Barbie" physique is a positive and think that my son should be exposed to people of all shapes and sizes in his play.

My boy does have lots of fun with the 1-2-3 Counting Slide, but we have decided to wait until he gets a bit older before we get him the larger set (mostly because he loves tearing the slide apart, so we imagine he would like tearing the larger set apart too). We're thinking it might make a great gift at his 2nd birthday party, but until then I'm sure he will continue to have fun with his Weebles 1-2-3 Counting Slide.

Quickie Summary:
Pros:
*) He wobbles but doesn't fall down -- and now he rolls too!
*) Cute, chunky character that fits nicely in a toddler's hands
*) NOT a choking hazard (unlike my old Weeble Wobbles)
*) Blocks can be used to teach numbers and mathematical concepts
*) No batteries, no flashing lights, just good clean character fun.
*) Slide comes apart without breaking, and can be put back together easily
*) Nice toy at a cheap price.
Cons:
-) I really can't think of any!



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 5.99
Type of Toy: Playscene