Hasbro Elefun
by Hasbro
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Our Price: $34.98 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $7.00 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Hasbro Elefun
Customer Review: Kids got bored on second run-through
Summary: 2 Stars
The first time you run this game, it's a big hit. It takes a minute or less (usually closer to 45 seconds) for all of the butterflies to come out of the trunk. I've tried all kinds of methods to make this last longer but nothing works.
Then you need to gather up the butterflies that weren't caught and get them out of the nets, reload the game & start again. It takes a while to get the game set up again and by that point, since the fun is so short-lived, I've found that the kids don't want to play it anymore.
This game could be improved by having some kind of stop-start option that would allow the butterflies to come out in a more staggered manner if you wanted. I would also like to be able to purchase refill butterflies, since they have a tendency to stick to other things and get lost. I guess I'll try to make something instead, as we have few butterflies left.
Three of the nets have broken. The kids have used them as hats and as toys outside the realm of the Elephun game. the fabric of the nets is fine but the hoops have broken at the point where they would hook together. The kids have as much fun catching the butterflies with their hands (and it seems to be easier than using the nets).
The elephant itself is very durable and my kids had more fun using it to store other things, like sticking cards, checkers and small plush toys down the trunk. They were disappointed when the elephant didn't blast these out ;)
Customer Review: Ele- Funnnnnn!
Summary: 4 Stars
This game is so much fun! My twin 4yr. old boys just received it for their birthday and it has brought hours of fun to our home. It promotes great hand-eye coordination and gets them to play together and share! Lots of team work going on here -- they work to pick up all the butterflies after the game is over and put the elephant trunk back in place! There's so much competition to see who can catch the most butterflies but there's no fighting or arguing! What a pleasure.
The game does go by quick but I think that's great especially when you factor in the attention span of two 4 year olds. They really need for things to keep moving. There's no sitting idle with this game. You've got to be quick on your feet to play!
The durability isn't bad but not great either. You've got to be careful with the nets as to not be too rough and break them. The elephants trunk needs to be treated with care so that it doesn't get kinked or torn -- I think it could be a bit shorter as well. I do wish that there were more butterflies because it seems as though they'd have even more fun if it didn't go by so quickly. It really doesn't take long for all the butterflies to come up through the trunk and then it's over. Back to the beginning!
I do give this game a 4 star rating just because it is so much fun to watch them play together and get so excited to count how many butterflies each of them have caught at the end of the game!!!
Customer Review: Yay Elefun
Summary: 4 Stars
My girls (3 and 1) and their friends really enjoy playing this game. It has taken some tinkering to get it to work smoothly, and I would like to share the results with you. (Note: "Butterflies" has been shortened to BF)
Problem: Butterflies get stuck against the inside of the trunk.
Solution: Rub a dryer sheet up and down the trunk. The friction between the BF and the trunk causes static electricity.
Problem: Butterflies don't fly.
Solution: Prime them. Unfold the BF and flatten as much as possible without undoing the stitching. This will give each BF more surface area and cause them to fly faster and higher.
Problem: Trunk doesn't inflate.
Solution: Hold it upright at startup.
Problem: Flimsy nets.
Solution: Be grateful that they are flimsy. We tried playing the game with real butterfly nets and ended up with some major owies. Little kids just don't seem to have "total body awareness" yet.
Problem: Not enough butterflies.
Solution: Order more from the manufacturer. OR Make some yourself out of lightweight paper. (We have made just a few extra and my girls get very excited when they catch the "Special mommy butterflies".)
We are very satisfied with this game. Oh, also I said this is educational becasue it provides an opportunity to learn colors, counting, cooperation, and coordination.
Customer Review: People are too hard on this toy
Summary: 4 Stars
People are really too hard on this toy. We've had it since Christmas, and my kids love it. Isn't that the point? I really thought this game was a gimmick when I saw it advertised, but my son really wanted it for Christmas and Grandma got it. Both my 2 and almost 4 year old giggle like mad when playing this game. All that laughter and running around are worth the few problems with this game.
I'm glad I read the reviews, because one mom mentioned the importance of spreading the butterfly wings in order for them to "fly" properly. This really does help. I have never had more than 2 butterflies get stuck in the trunk. It really isn't a big deal because in a minute the kids and I have them back in the elephant and ready to go again. It doesn't make the game any less fun. If the fan were more powerful, the butterflies would all come out at once, and it would last about two seconds. My kids have learned to anticipate the butterflies and listen for more still in the trunk. This actually builds excitement as they attempt to guess when the butterfly will come out, and exactly where it will go. The whole game really helps with hand-eye coordination.
The only reason this game didn't get 5 stars is that I also share some concerns regarding the durability of the trunk since we store it in the box and the trunk is always rolled up and creased in the same spot.
Customer Review: Replacement for Bubbles indoors
Summary: 3 Stars
I like the concept of the machine - but it could be FASTLY improved by adding a loading feature on the side of the unit. Don't expect this to babysit your child it is a very quick game. I think the poor reveiws are due to the fact that it does not come with many buterflys making it over quite quickly and the fact that you have to pull the trunck off to reload is a factor - cause you doing that every 20 seconds. What you can do when making your extra tissue paper butterflies is to make them a LITTLE BIGGER than those that come with the unit - and once you twist the rectangular cut outs for your buterflies round off the edges. Bigger paper means longer air time. I got this to replace my daughters OBSESSION with me blowing bubbles inside. This is less messy and she likes to watch things fly. I would love to see some type of toy that has a child safe fan like this that the kids can put little skydivers on themselves without mommys help all the time. Mommy has a few other things that she needs to do - lol. And sometimes we need things kids can operate themselves. I think most parents were hoping this was one but its not. So just because its a nice idea and works PRETTY GOOD I am giving it a 3 - cause for $20 I expect a bit more than I got out of this - even though my Angel who just turned 3 loves it. I think it should have been about $10 just like my bubble blower.