Hungry Hungry Hippos
by Hasbro
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Our Price: $34.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.99 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Hungry Hungry Hippos
Customer Review: Not like the one when we were kids.
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this for my 5 year old, Christmas 2006. I don't like the way that the main part to this game comes in 5 pieces that you have to set up every single time. I also don't like the cheap plastic balls this comes with. I remember the original version coming in one main piece and having real marbles. I think they make it that way (the newer version) just so they can package it in a smaller box. When it came time to store it, it was difficult. The "push down levers" just stayed up in the box, so I can't get the lid down all the way and the levers are also making the top of the box bend because of it. I hope the packaging doesn't ruin the toy. I am also considering buying real marbles for it. Maybe they are using plastic "marbles" to make it more safe in case they pop up in your face. What is really aggravating when playing this game is that the "marbles" get stuck in the neck and they don't go through the hippo's body all the way when you catch them. Probably because of the fact that it comes in 5 parts instead of one and therefore, has to cross over a dip from the main part to the hippo part. It might also be because the balls are so light weight compared to real marbles so they have a harder time making it though. And because the "marbles" get stuck in the neck, they actually bounce back out of the mouth after the hippos eat them. When the game is complete, everybody has to take their finger and fish the "marbles" out of the hippo's necks. Half the marbles don't go down to your own tray like they are suppose to do. I've noticed that the quality of games and their packaging have decreased tremendously over the years.
UPDATE: I figured out how to keep the levers down while putting it back in the box. There are no instructions in the box to tell you how. You have to pull the necks out flat and there is a little tongue in groove connection to keep the lever down.
Customer Review: Great fun
Summary: 3 Stars
I have a two kids under the age of 6. It is simply a fun game, kids that age love pounding on stuff. They don't have to have any strategy like 'Connect Four' (which is another of their favourites) or know about spelling words for Scrabble, they just love to see how many marbles they can gobble up.
I read the reviews on this before purchasing it from a local store. I had to comment on the person who expressed her hatred for Hungry Hippos because her cousin almost died. I must express my sympathy for her cousin's awful experience but she cannot blame this on the game, where were these kids' parents? You DO NOT leave young children alone playing, especially with something like marbles. Kids are always experimenting but deciding to suck on the marbles, who in their right mind does that? I do not see the game simply "falling apart" I think they did not know how to set it up correctly (as I had a challenge trying to follow the instructions but I followed the box and it was set up in a flash) and ending up breaking it themselves. I think it is unfair for this person to advise people not to purchase the game because parents were negligent in watching their kids play. Besides the games usually warn parents of little pieces in games (like marbles) and other minature items that can be stuck up their nose and ears and mouth.
Sorry for your cousin's awful experience but my kids love this game and I supervise play and I stress about not putting marbles in their mouths, ears, nose etc.
It strange that only this person found the game not to work while others have had such great fun with it, perhaps if your parents and the girls' parents were supervising then it would have worked and you all would have had great fun as well.
Customer Review: Why Hate The Hippos?!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, I just have to say that all of you that are complaining about how cheap the game is and how "your cousin almost DIED because of this game" need to get a reality check. The girl who "almost died" was playing the game WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION (when the game clearly suggests it). And for all you parents that complain that the game is cheap and it falls apart when your kids play with it - could it be that your kids are simply POUNDING as hard as they possibly can on the game when they play? I know kids get excited and can hit it pretty hard (I used to play it when I was little and I remember my friends and I hitting it pretty darn hard, but it NEVER fell apart or broke), but it seems your kids are simply hitting it way too hard. There is no reason to be hitting it so hard that it falls apart or breaks. So instead of telling everyone that the game is cheap and not to buy it because YOUR kids break it, why not just go out and get a different game for them and let all the parents who have kids with self control buy this great family game so they can enjoy it and not miss out on such a classic.
I loved this game when I was little and I still think it's a great game. I'm planning on buying it for my little brother (age 3) for Christmas, and I have no worries about him breaking it or the game "falling apart." I look forward to playing this game with him and I hope that all the parents (or anyone else) who are/is reading this and are/is considering buying this game end up buying it and don't get turned away by the people who are complaining about this game- their kids were most-likely unsupervised, which I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND and neither does the game.
BUY THIS GAME! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
Customer Review: Great game but TOO POORLY MADE
Summary: 1 Stars
My son has wanted this game since he was almost 3. At that time, we got him a knock-off version that was less expensive yet similar to Hungry-Hippos, but he soon lost the marbles to it. He still begged for Hungry Hippos, so we finally gave in and got it for his recent 5th birthday. He was thrilled beyond words and I must admit that his father and I were a little excited too, since it had been a favorite childhood game for us as well.
Our excitement was very short-lived to say the least. The sturdy game from our childhoods is long gone. As we began to assemble the game, we noticed immediately that the hippos did not want to stay attached. The problem was much worse when we actually tried to play. The hippos were constantly popping off. And the marbles didn't want to roll quite right either. It was a big mess and a huge disappointment for my son. After several attempts at playing, it would always end up becoming too aggravating to keep it all going. So, now the game is sitting in the box waiting for our next yard sale.
But, I guess you might say that my son learned a couple of valuable lessons from the experience. The cheaper knock-off version we bought him 2 years ago played fine and was constructed much better, so we have pointed out to him that the toy that gets all the advertising isn't always the best. And he also learned that sometimes the things you want the most and for the longest don't always meet your expectations and aren't necessarily so great in the end!
Customer Review: GREAT GAME, TOO BAD THE PLASTIC CAN'T HANDLE THE HUNGER...
Summary: 1 Stars
Why is it that companies who decide to reissue classic games from the 50's, 60's and 70's seemingly ALWAYS do so using the cheapest of plastics? Gone are the days of thick precisely engineered plastics, strong metal supporting parts and ready-to-play-out-of-the-box sturdy construction. Instead, we get cheap inferior versions (Spirograph) and flimsy "assembly required" thin plastic versions that don't work properly (Hungry Hippos, Hands Down). C'mon folks, we're talking PLASTIC here...the stuff is plentiful and inexpensive: spend an extra 5 cents on the manufacturing end and give me a better product.
My beef with this toy is that it appears no one at the manufacturer bothered to play-test it. The lightweight plastic pellets go flying everywhere (you can't call 'em marbles anymore), the hippos get stuck or they fall off during play, and you can count on a plastic piece eventually breaking off or cracking, leaving you with crying children and extremely disappointed adults. (However, there IS satisfaction to be had after it breaks...go outside, place it in the driveway and stomp on it until it's reduced to nothing more than itty-bitty colored plastic pieces. Great for getting out the aggression this crappy toy provokes!)
Forget this rubbish, you're better off getting an original. Thank goodness for eBay, second-hand stores, and flea markets. Happy hunting!