Because this toy is outstanding, I'm bothering to send a review. I never buy plastic toys - -but this one was an exception I'm glad I made! As a 8 month old, my baby loved to touch this toy and observe the effect. As my baby got older, he was able to use the box with intention and loved to repeat his successes over and over again! Never a dull moment - -grew older and more capable = so he learned to crank the key....and as a yearling, he loved to use the phone to call "grandma." My 3 year old invented a game with this box - play the music buttons and run in a circle around the box - music stops, he stops and "freeze!" and practice taking button pressing turns with his friend - he and his friend loved playing that with this box. Overall - buy this for your YOUNG child (don't wait for 18 months) and grow into it. Keep it longer than expected (3 and 4 year olds find this box entertaining)and become creative with it. It's STURDY - dropped many times and no cracks. If the noise level gets to you, put a piece of thick electrical tape over the sound vent to muffle it. The tunes are ones every child wants to hear again and again. Carrying handle makes it an easy toy to pass by and swoop up to put away - apart from 5 sorting shapes and a phone, quick and easy clean up toy, too. BUY IT and when your child is 4, pass it on to another lucky baby!

I put this on my son's Christmas wish list when he was just a year old. He is now almost 3 and it still works with no need to replace batteries and most parts in still working order.
My husband and I do not like this toy primarily because there is no volume control. The phone side plays a tune with different animals "singing" depending on what button you push. The song is long and very irritating to us, the kids like it though, so you have to listen to the song over and over again at an obnoxiously high volume. If the child pushes another button, it switches the animal and tune, which just extends the annoying noise. There is no way to turn off the singing once it has started. My husband found out the shortest tune is the center ringing phone button so we push that one if we need to shut it up, like when you bump into the toy in the dark and our son is sleeping. My son has shown little to no interest in 3 of the 6 sides. The gear side is pointless, the clock side with the numbers on movable pegs is difficult and frustrating. My son had no problem operating the button to make the bear pop up, but after a few times, he lost interest. The shape sorter side is nice and my son enjoys it but there is only 1 set of shapes (5 shapes). To get to the shapes after putting them in the shape sorter you have to unlock a door on another side with an attached key. The key is attached with a rope that can be winded back up inside (which my son has never done and has shown no interest in). The key's rope is just barely long enough to allow the key to fit in the door. This is very frustrating for young kids who need a little wiggle room to figure out how to get the key in. The key has to fit in exactly right to work. I even struggle to get the key in right with the short rope. We tried to keep the door unlocked but it easily slips back into the locked position so my son quickly figured out how to just take the door off at it's hinges. So far it hasn't broken off completely, but I'm sure it is only a matter of time. I'm surprised we have managed to keep all 5 shapes together! The unattached phone handset often disappears as it seems to be the most interesting part of the toy.

Based on the glowing reviews, I really wanted to get this toy for my now 5 year old when he was a toddler but just couldn't justify the expense. Now that we've received the toy as a gift for my baby, I truly don't get what all the excitement is about. My son does like the singing animal buttons but the shape sorter side is a source of total frustration. Obviously, he's too young to unlock the door so we leave it open. But then he has a hard time keeping it open to get the shapes out and ends up ripping it off it's hinges! I'm sure that can't go on for too long before it will be broken for good. The pop-up bear side is too hard for a little one to work and too simplistic to interest an older child. The other sides are mildly interesting to me but not at all interesting to my son. All kids are different and it turns out this one would rather play with blocks, cars, balls or pans (all alot cheaper not to mention quieter, with the exception of the pans!)

nice item, good shipping

I bought this item for my 22 month old. i was nervous about it not being age appropriate. I thought it would be too much of a baby toy... but I was wrong! She loves this toy nad takes it along in the car. Many acitivities to keep your little one busy!