My four year old twins like this game, however it takes really fresh, good quality batteries to even get the butterflies out. Also, the butterflies fly out in about 15 seconds and then you have to refill it and that takes a couple of minutes. This toy need constant supervision until you teach the kids how to refill it. Pretty dissapointing considering the upper end price.

All three of my grandkids loved this toy, and it has lasted for over 10 years, which is pretty good. I bring it out to encourage cleaning up of toys after play time. The nets have all stayed in tact. You will need to be careful with the plastic trunk when packing. Sometimes the butterflies stick, but a gentle tap and up they fly. I will agree with others that the batteries are a drag and more butterflies would have been great, but the grandkids love it, move around with it, so I couldn't be happier.

I do home daycare and I have six children two and under! I actually bought TWO of these...because I needed six nets and more butterflies but THEY LOVE IT. It is great fun! YEs you do have to sit right there, to reload! BUT they all LOVE IT.

We just got this toy today, so I cant swear to its durability, but it doesnt look like it is going to fall apart after a couple of uses. I have to say that this looks to be one of my better purchases. My 2 kids a boy-3 and a girl-4 had an absolute blast with this one! We tried only trying to catch certain colors and let me say, A LOT easier said than done. But everyone was giggling and hopping around which means that to me, it just paid for itself. My kids were able to play with this toy for 45 minutes without hitting, pushing, screaming, crying, or fighting the ENTIRE TIME. Elefun DEFINITELY gets my stamp of approval!

My three-year-old son really wanted this for Christmas. Santa did not disappoint, even though I had doubts after reading reviews. As it turns out, we did end up trimming the trunk to allow the butterflies to escape a little faster as others suggested. (Thank you!) This game provided:
Fun- It was fun to see his excitement as the butterflies came spouting out again, and again, and...you get the idea.
Challenge- The butterflies are surprisingly hard to catch in the air.
Exercise- His jumping up and down, both to catch the butterflies, and in anticipation of their appearance, made this a rather physical game, too.

Bottom line: It's a little kids' game made fun by their love of repetition. If you can bear that, then this game is worth it. If that drives you crazy, then go with something else.

Well, my almost 3 yr olds like it but I'm not thrilled with the operation. Much like other reviews we have found it only takes about 30 seconds to play and just as long if not longer to set up for the next round. Most of the time there are about half a dozen butterflies that just refuse to come out, they just spin inside the bottom of the trunk. Not one single time have all of them popped out. It's definitely not a game you can just send your kids off to play. Plan on holding up the trunk and taking it off to reload every time. I think my kids have just as much fun cleaning up the butterflies and putting them back in the elephant as they do trying to catch them.

My 3 year old twins love this game... great to teach them hand - eye coordination. Friends come over to play too, and have a great time. My only issue with this is that at least a third of the butterflies get caught in the bottom of the system each time it runs. We have replaced batteries, and get same results. Overall fun, but expected to run a little better.

This is the kind of toy I'd wish I'd gotten a smoking deal on. It's not the worst game we have in the closet, but it wasn't worth the $25 we paid for it.

For starters, the butterflies do not fly very well once outside of the elephants trunk. The fan doesn't blow very well, so there isn't much extra help to get those butterflies going, either. The butterflies just come out of the trunk and drop. So the kids just stand there - not like on the tv commercial...

Also, depending on the age of your children, they're either going to be too good or not ready for the game. I have 4 kids plus their friends. And we've found that there isn't a lot of middle ground. Either they're great at this, or they have a lot to learn about catching butterflies... So having the good kids and the bad kids play together causes problems. Beware of this.

Anyway - if you read this review before buying, only buy this game if it's a super good deal (or your child is dying to have it) It's not worth the full price.

I bought this Elefun to replace one that we have had for 15 years and through 9 grandchildren. It is very durable, considering that it has been the number one favorite for every child who comes to our house. They don't usually use the nets, but they love watching the butterflies come out. It is a great way to encourage the cats to play with the 2-year-old also! Of all the toys we provide, this toy is the one that always comes out of the cupboard first.

I bought this game last year for my 3 an 4 year olds. The trunk on the elephant is flimsy and must be constantly adjusted during the game in order for it to work correctly. the butterflies will only come out if the are flattened so that the air will hit them and unfortunately all of ours seemed to be crumpled and creased. It does not work well on carpet and the butterflies don't fly out of the top hard enough so everyone crowds around the truck to get the next one before it falls to the ground. Frustrating! Disappointing. Buy Hi HO Cheerio instead!

we recieved this as a gift, and I just got rid of it. I would not buy it for myself or anyone else. It looks so fun, but is disapointing. We tried two different sets of brand new battries, then realized it was just a weak toy. I had to stand up the elephant trunk with my hands (while it was running) then all of the butterflies come out at once, then if there are any stragglers in the elephant trunk it doesn't have enough blowing power to shoot them out, they just spin around inside. So the kids really have only one shot to catch any butterflies. My kids really like to play with it, but it is frustaring when I have to turn it off, take the trunk off, and re-load the butterflies every five seconds.

This is a great toy that develops hand eye coordination. I learned about it because a friend who has a sister who teaches occupational thearapy to kids told her that this was the toy all OT people use with their kids. Just thought I would let people know that if they wish there were more butterflies (a common complaint in the other reviews), they can go to the Hasbro website and order more. One of my babysitters must have played with this 'cause when I took it out of the box, there were only 6 butterflies! I checked the Hasbro site and was pleasantly surprised that all parts may be ordered separately. Everything. The trunk, the butterflies, the nets, the plastic battery cover. This is the only company I know that does this: for all others, you lose a piece and your child loves the toy. So buy another one. Hasbro rocks. So even if you haven't lost butterflies, but wish there were more? Go ahead an order more. The website says it takes some ridiculously long time to get them; but we got ours within the week.

Okay, so let's cut to the chase. Elefun (hereby refered to in this review as Hellafun (cuz it is(i played it a lot so i know what i'm talking about))). Anyway, I will be rating this game on a 5 category system:

Story:
The story is that Elefun is an elephant living in the fields who has a problem: all the butterflies are escaping from the butterfly museum! It is up to you and your parents to rescue the butterflies in your net before Elefun expires. Overall a fantastic story rife with peril, adventure, and social satire.

Visuals:
Graphics are amazing. Hellafun sports state of the art 3D design, none of these 2D games popping up now a days. The elephant is a realistic shade of blue, and the butterflies come in vibrant and exquisite colors. I thought they were real at first!!! A beautiful game, but does the gameplay stack up to the graphics?

Gameplay:
Oh my god, there are no words to describe the immaculate experience this game provides. Butterflies fly out of the trunk of the elephant so quickly it is hard to keep up. I've had competitions that have lasted over 2 hours, one time we stayed up all night! Set-up is not as hard as everyone seems to think, it's definitely worth it to taste the glory of Hellafun once again. An absolute blast, something that I think our current government should look into.

Sound:
Good sound

Educational Value:
Here's the only caveat I have with this prestigous achievement in gaming; it is NOT for kids. There are adult themes throughout this game, and although it is oodles of fun, it is certainly not for minors. The gore content is only matched by the almost blatant sexual innuendo and downright brutal violence exhibited by this masterwork. Buyer beware: your children may be scarred for life. But I mean it is really fun so it's still worth it actually.

OVERALL:
This is the best game I have ever played. I threw away all of my things because who needs them when you have Hellafun! I played a lot of video games before, and none of them even compare (BioShock developers take note!) A+!!!

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 ;)

My 2-year-old received this toy as a gift. Immediately, I loved the idea, having never seen this toy before. However, the butterflies exit the trunk at the rate of about 1 per minute! After a while, they stop coming out altogether, even though there are many left. Ah well. I feel worse for the giver than the recipient: dd has plenty of toys, but it feels awful to give a gift and watch it not work appropriately.

Thought would be a fun toy for my 3 year old and that it would help him with coordination and motor skills but he is not very interested. My 18 month old nephew is more into it. My child prefers to watch others play with it.

We've had Elefun for about a year..My daughter loves it so much we have to keep it out of sight or risk playing it 24/7..:)Who wants to pick up those butterflies 20 times a day?! She is 3 now, but she loved it at 2 & she can play with her 6 year old relative (as long as he has to play on his knees for even competition). We've had to replace the batteries twice - they do weaken and some of the butterflies stop coming out. I have been meaning to cut a couple inches off the trunk- this should alleviate some of that problem. Even though it stinks to pick up all those butterflies, they should include more in the game.

Oh my God; I've never had to put so much effort into having fun! The motor is sooooooooooo slow. My son's hands were tired waiting for the butterflies to finally fly out.
It's ridiculous that a toy like this would sell for so much money.
Don't buy it. Or keep the packaging so you can return it the next day which is what I'm going to do right now.

This is a fun toy and easy to assembly. My 2 and half year old girl was very excited to catch the butterflies. It would be better if there were more butterflies to play with.

Our Daughter got this for Christmas when she was 3 1/2 and now is 4 years old. She loves this toy. It's fun to play alone or with a friend. She does need my help though to get the trunk on and off to refill with butterflies. The object is to see who can catch the most butterflies, but so far she doesen't seem so competitive with it yet. She's excited to catch any butterflies.

the kids love it, as long as it lasts, but it lasts only about 20 seconds and then you have to shut everything down and reload. kind of a pain with little kids who are very excited about catching the butterflies. like some of the other reviewers, we added some of our own butterflies.

My family loves this game. We adults sit and try to catch the ones the kids miss while leaping around. My kids are 5 and 10 years old, and they play it over and over, especially when we parents participate. Any game you can play with your kids while sitting down and not being bored to tears is a fantastic deal!

Great game for eye and hand coordination skills.
Not all of the "butterflies" come out of the elephant. You have to always fluff up the "wings" before putting it back into the elephant. Also, the trunk of the elephant always needs help in standing straight up. My children aren't tall enough to reach the top of its trunk - so if it's a game they're playing on their own - they always need assistance with that.

My son saw the commercial and wanted this too. But we love it. My 1 year old plays with it too. She sits on the floor and catches all the ones we miss. The games goes by fast, but part of the fun is putting it back together and playing again. My 3 year old can play this by himself with his cousins that are his age. It does eat batteries though. Rechargable batteries is a great idea.

We just bought this game so I can't speak to the battery issue. The trunk does need a little help to roll all the way out but it stays once it is out. It only takes a few seconds to collect the butterflies and refill the elephant. I have played this game elsewhere with a low battery and the butterflies are slower to come out or get stuck inside. My three year old son and his 5 year old cousins like this game. They usually last for about 5 rounds before they are done. Not much holds my sons attention for longer than that anyway. It seems like the novelty would wear off quickly for older kids but it is fun for the little ones. I would buy this again. If it burns batteries I will have to get rechargeables for this one.

Every kid who sees the commercial for this game wants it. Why wouldn't they!? My kids were no exception. They called me in to look every time the commercial came on.

A friend of ours gave us her kids' used Elefun game because she had heard my kids wanted it. She said she hated to see me waste good money on this game that her kids had not liked. Good, because I had no intentions of buying this. Glad I didn't.

The kids played this 2 or 3 times at most. Then, it set there. Nobody touched it. It's just not fun.

Finally, after about a year, I actually threw it away.

My suggestion...If your child can't live without this game, get it at a yard sale. Then you won't feel bad that you threw away good money on this crap. Hey, then sell it at a yard sale when your kid admits it's no fun.

I saw the Hasbro Elefun advertised on television before Christmas and thought it would be an interesting toy for my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter. She loves it! She can take the top off and put the butterflies back in all by herself. This game received so much play time the first day that the batteries had to be replaced. That is my only complaint, that the batteries expire quickly with extended use.

I purchased this item for my children for Christmas. They were both very excited about playing with it. The product works fine however the butterflies come out so fast that the fun is over in seconds. The head of the elephant is hard to remove so you must be there to assist your children with refilling the elephant and starting the game over and over and over again. Kids could play 50 times in 2 minutes which makes the novelty wear off quickly.

Great concept but the game eats batteries faster than our dog eats steak! Would be really awesome if it had a more powerful motor.

Could have been much better made. My complaints are the same as some of the other reviewers. The trunk has to be extended manually at the beginning of each game (maybe more flexible material would have helped). There need to be way more butterflies, especially since they don't come out right. At the end of each game there are still a few, if not many, butterflies left inside the bottom. It also goes through batteries pretty quickly.
Two year old loves this game so it is worth the bit of hassle for his enjoyment. I also think this is an excellent way to improve hand-eye coordination and reflexes. Definitely room for improvement but still a decent buy for the price.

My son loves this game. We did have to cut the nose down a little bit, and the butterflies do come out fast, but for a 2 year old, picking them up is almost as fun as trying to catch them. Lots of laughs.

I bought this several years ago when it first came out, it was in the trash a couple weeks later... The game doesn't let the butterflies come out consistantly. I found myself sitting with my then 2 year old unfolding butterflies because that is the only way I could get a few to fly out for her. She enjoyed it but I just couldn't stand it anymore! For the couple of butterflies that would pop out and the 10 minutes it took to unfold them all and then trying to keep the nets on the net handle this was too much of a hassle.

Both my 3 and 8 year old daughters love to play this together! It's great fun. It works much better if sitting on a hard surface versus carpet.

BUT it is very hard for them to get the trunk to stay up, so it isn't something they can play themselves. The nets want to come apart also

My 5 year old asked for this toy for Christmas. It has been played with every day by all three of my children (ages 3 5 and 7). They have no problems extending the trunk themselves, putting the butterflies back in at the end of a round, or not catching them. They are so excited when one makes it into their nets, if one doesn't they race to scoop them off of the floor to put them back in. I wouldn't cut the trunk, after the first burst of butterflies there are more that come out 1-2 at a time. I haven't changed the batteries yet so we will see how much it eats the batteries. It doesn't take long to set back up. The kids race to get the most butterflies off the ground, one pulls of the lid and they dump them back in and voila, they are ready to go again.....