Birthday Party Reviews

This was such a hit at my daughter's party! What was planned to be an activity for the little girls in the crowd turned out to be the highlight among the "big girls" (mommies and aunties)! Everyone that could get their hand on one of the shirts were so intent on making the best and most original design! The "juices" were really flowing and we got some pretty awesome t-shirts. The guests were all told that their creations would be kept by the birthday girl as her keepsake. My daughter will have all these t-shirts to remember her birthday...she'll be dressing her Barbie with them for years to come!! I'm still getting calls about getting some more shirts out...and it's been a whole WEEK since the party!!

I bought this parachute to take to Ecuador, South America with me to use in the Elementary school. I found it to be a huge help witht the language barrier and the children had a blast. I left it at the school when I came back to the states and I plan on purchasing another one for my own classroom. This is such a great investment!

I bought this parachute despite not being sure of it's dimensions. The description did state it is about 9 feet but others I had found on-line (10 or 12 feet) seemed much more expensive so I expected something smaller. Anyway, I just received it today and I am quite excited. The parachute is actually 10 feet in diameter and has 12 handles. So it is much larger than I had originally expected. This is a great deal and I can't wait for my kids to wake up from their naps so we can play!

I bought two of these parachutes; one for my daughter and one as a gift. They have been a big hit. Kids come up with great uses for the parachute beyond the play pictured on the box. The parachutes make great forts to hide in and when draped over a window they give a room a bright and colorful glow that kids love. We have also used the parachute as a picnic blanket and strung it in trees to provide shade. You can't miss buying this parachute and Amazon.com's price is great. I have seen the same item go for over $40.00 on ebay. My kids are 3 and 4 and I forsee that they will be playing with their parachute for a long, long time yet. Loving our parachutes!

My daughter has been creating birthday cakes all around the house...when I saw this I just had to get it for her...she loves playing with it and it is durable...I like the idea of the toppings and candles however I agree with the 1st reviewer...should be frosting and blowable candles...but for the money, it is a great toy

In general I applaud the Melissa & Doug company for its dedication to simple, classic, durable wooden toys that are genuinely educational in that they invite imaginative play rather than recite facts to a passive child at the push of a button. The birthday cake toy is no exception. Since my daughter received this toy for her third birthday, we have baked and decorated dozens of cakes in her play kitchen, and thrown birthday parties for each family member, as well as all the dolls and all the stuffed animals.
However, I can't help feeling that this toy could have been a bit better. Basically it consists of a red wooden serving platter, and a cake comprised of six sections that velcro together to form a circle. Each piece is quite large -- almost as big as a real slice of cake. The set includes a cake server that can be used to cut the slices apart, which provides that satisfying velcro-ripping sound. The cake is painted white with blue icing swirls, and has velcro spots in concentric circles on top for the decorations. The decorations are painted on wooden discs that velcro to the top of the cake. The set comes with seven candles that can be velcroed to the top as well. There are only three different decorations -- strawberries, jellybeans, and gumdrops. I would have included icing flowers, so that the cake could be decorated like a "real" cake that a child might have for his or her birthday. Also, I would have made the candle flames detachable so that the candles could be "lit" and "blown out" by the child. Also, it is very difficult to cut out and serve the first piece of cake, as it tends to refasten itself to the pieces adjacent to it before it can be lifted out and served.
Still, this is a neat toy and a good addition to a child's imaginary kitchen. Two months after our daughter's birthday, she still plays with this toy quite regularly. It's constructed so durably that I'm sure my grandchildren will be playing with it, too!

Bought two of these sets for my daughter's 5th birthday party, and though the packages appeared upopened, all the sunglasses were badly scratched. I was unable to get a response from the company that makes the sets. Nothing but the box and the glitter glue bottles in the set say "Barbie." This all-around poor-quality item can be better substituted by party favor sunglasses from a party store and some stickers and glitter glue from your hobby store.

What a disappointment to order this Barbie sunglasses kit for my daughter's fifth birthday party and end up with glasses that were so scratched and hazy that I couldn't even see out of them. It didn't appear that the package had been opened, but the glasses were so poor in quality that I had to buy some (much cooler!) party favor sunglasses from a party outlet store as substitutes. I e-mailed Tara Toys but got no response. The only things that say Barbie in this set (besides the box) are the glitter glue bottles. If I had it to do over (and had the time before the party), I'd buy the stickers, glue, and "gems" at a hobby store instead. The idea is a great one, but don't take a chance on this set!