What's the WORST toy/game you ever bought for your kids?

[hsmom3tn]

It's getting close to Christmas (and there are birthdays all year), so it's always good to see the threads about this year's popular toys and recommendations for great gifts. I have seen many games and toys mentioned on this board that I'd never heard of before.

 

I was wondering, though, what have you bought for your kids that turned out to be a bad idea? Toys that fell apart easily? Games that your kids found boring?

 

I wish someone had warned me about those Moon Shoes. My DS wanted those so badly, so we got them for his b'day a few years ago. What a complete waste of money and effort. He couldn't do anything but fall over in those things. I wonder if anyone has had success with them....

[AnnetteB]

Our kids never played with the Erector set :( and the track we bought for their Hot Wheels saw little playtime. In a nostalgic moment I bought two Drowsy dolls and the girls couldn't stand them after just a few days. I have since donated all of the above toys.

 

The children enjoy their Lego and Playmobil sets for years and years. (although I mutter about the constant mess) The Electronic Snap Circuits was a huge hit and every couple of years a child will take it out and go through the book doing every project. I honestly have no idea what to get the dears this year...they don't "need" anything.

[Vida Winter]

I have regretted buying any art supplies with the name "Rose Art." I'm not an art supply snob. They are really bad.

[hsmom3tn]

I have regretted buying any art supplies with the name "Rose Art." I'm not an art supply snob. They are really bad.

 

So true!

[rwjx2khsmj]

Moon Sand. Bleck! My dd will never believe anything a commercial says because of the moon sand experience. Maybe that's a lesson that came cheap after all!

[hsmom3tn]

In a nostalgic moment I bought two Drowsy dolls and the girls couldn't stand them after just a few days.

 

 

I was so excited when Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony were back in the stores. I loved those as a kid. My girls didn't want anything to do with them, though.

 

They never wanted a Cabbage Patch Kid or Rainbow Brite doll .... and I can't get them to watch the Smurfs! How could you not love the Smurfs? :confused:

[hsmom3tn]

Moon Sand. Bleck! My dd will never believe anything a commercial says because of the moon sand experience. Maybe that's a lesson that came cheap after all!

 

Yep, one of my girls won a big bucket of that stuff at a party once. It quickly became an outside toy, and was very soon after thrown away.

[gardening momma]

Moon Sand. Bleck! My dd will never believe anything a commercial says because of the moon sand experience. Maybe that's a lesson that came cheap after all!

We were given Moon Sand, and while things that make a mess are not my cup of tea, it was ok since I only let them use it outside. I'd put a couple of folded towels on the cement patio for dc to kneel on, and then put out the Moon Sand, the tools and molds that came with the kit, a toy kitchen tray, a plastic placemat or two, and a couple of small plastic wash basins. Dc really liked it, and I'd either sweep up the sand that didn't go back in the containers with a stiff broom or let it sit there and wait for rain to wash it away.

[Vida Winter]

I bought two Drowsy dolls and the girls couldn't stand them after just a few days.

 

Drowsy was my favorite doll when I was about 5. I think my mom still has it. I wonder if the newer versions are the same - it was a very sweet doll!

[Tap]

DD10 begged for a Fur-Real Polar Bear (a mechanical stuffed animal) one Christmas. She played with it a few minutes and was done with it. She thought it would really feel like it was giving you a hug and would be soft. The loud mechanical sound, hard as nails body, and cold touch wasn't what she was expecting. I knew she wouldn't like it, but she begged and begged.

 

It was the last time that I gave in on a present that I knew would be a disappointment.

[kalanamak]

It was a gift, and it is a huge, gaudy metal and plastic bus that bursts into "YMCA (why don't you go to the....)" every time you lay a finger on it. Also, it flashes. If you back it up, it goes beepbeepbeep and then bursts into YMCA (why don't you go to the....)

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Candyland and Chutes and Ladders.....my dd17 and I decided that playing these games for eternity is the punishment in one of the upper levels of Dante's Inferno.

 

Leanna

[Blessedfamily]

Moon Sand. Bleck! My dd will never believe anything a commercial says because of the moon sand experience. Maybe that's a lesson that came cheap after all!

 

Unbelieveable. I had some in my hand yesterday and put it back. Glad I did, now.

[rafiki]

.

[Old Dominion Heather]

Play-doh Ice cream factory... no way to clean the thing. It gets gunked up and there is no way to get the dried play-doh out.

 

Erector set- fell apart immediately after ds put it together.

 

Chutes and Ladders- most boring game ever (Except for The UnGame! That one lives in infamy!)

[*********]

I wish someone had warned me about those Moon Shoes. My DS wanted those so badly, so we got them for his b'day a few years ago. What a complete waste of money and effort. He couldn't do anything but fall over in those things. I wonder if anyone has had success with them....

 

Someone got a pair for dss and dsd when they were younger. They REALLY wanted them, and were SO excited to get them. They tried them a couple times, with the same outcome as your ds. Total flop.

 

I have regretted buying any art supplies with the name "Rose Art." I'm not an art supply snob. They are really bad.

Um, yeah. 'Washable' my foot. :glare:

 

Moon Sand. Bleck!

My sil, who obviously doesn't care for me too much, got some for Zee when he was 3. I was like 'Thaaaaanks, that's great.' :glare: She was quite smug; she knew he wanted it, I had asked her, I think, not to get it 'cause it looked so messy. Zee was ecstatic when he opened it, of course. It was a total mess, and didn't work at all. I think he played with it once before I hid it in a cupboard, then eventually threw it away. I'm not a vindicitve person, but I threatened to buy my nephew, who is the exact same age as Zee, a huge bucket of it. No matter, someone else got nephew some, and sil eventually apolgized for ever buying Zee any, once she had some in *her house. :D

 

I was so excited when Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony were back in the stores. I loved those as a kid. My girls didn't want anything to do with them, though.They never wanted a Cabbage Patch Kid or Rainbow Brite doll .... and I can't get them to watch the Smurfs! How could you not love the Smurfs? :confused:

 

Oh, Rainbow Brite! I loved my Rainbow Brite doll! And My Little Pony, and oh what about the Care Bears! And I watched Smurfs all the time, too. Although I wouldn't let my boys (don't care for that, what was he, a witch? warlock? What was his name, Gargomel or something like that). Sigh. I wish I had a tiny little girl. :)

 

But, the number one most horrible toy I can think of is one that mil got for Zee last Christmas. It was this huge marble run thing, with a gazillion pieces, and it was too hard for the boys to use themselves. Of course it was something Zee specifically asked for. Wish I could remember the name of it; it was SO awful. It took me HOURS to put it together for him, and once we took it apart, I think it got played with like once or twice. Mind you, the boys already HAD a different marble run that they love, and they still play with. MIL's marble run got donated months ago, LOL.

[fivetails]

Funny to see Moon Sand make so many people's 'yuck' lists ~ we have some here and dd12 loves the stuff! She'll sit at the table with it, using various little shape things to build squares and rectangles and triangles and then put them all together in a castle or something.... then again, this is the kid who also loves playdough, clay, and any other 'mold it and make stuff' item....and slimey stuff, like the cornstarch/water mix. :)

 

Ds10 doesn't like it, mainly because he doesn't like the 'feel' of it (sensory issues) ..but he loves Floam --- or... wait... maybe it isn't! I just googled Floam to show you and the stuff that comes up looks a bit different than what we have... the stuff we have, I found at a thrift shop in unmarked bags...I just assumed it was Floam because it does indeed look like itty bitty beads. But this looks... gooey-er than what we have. That looks like beads IN a gel.. our isn't. It's not 'gooey' at all - it feels slightly sticky to the touch, but doesn't leave any goo or stickiness on the hands... and it sure doesn't look like this or this! at all! It's not slimey, not gooey, not glue-like, nothing. It's extremely dry!

 

Hmm. Wonder what we have! It was in blocks in the bag, looked like it had been bought that way and repackaged in a bag, then someone decided they didn't want it. Either that, or someone went through a lot of effort to make perfect rectangles of it before donating it..

 

weird.

[Julie in CA]

Moon Sand was without a doubt one of the worst ever!

 

BUT...

My son loved his moon shoes. Even company we've had has loved the moon shoes. They take a bit of practice, so yeah, it's pretty awkward on the first or second try.

 

Looking back on it now, the worst gift I ever gave was probably when I gave my sister's twin boys each one of those popcorn-popper type push toys when they were around two years old. I was young! I had no idea....:001_huh: My sis still loves me anyway. :tongue_smilie:

[LNC]

-Remote control car (make my special needs son scream if they don't go where he intends)

-Lego sets (ditto)

[Doodle]

Yep, one of my girls won a big bucket of that stuff at a party once. It quickly became an outside toy, and was very soon after thrown away.

 

YES! I hate the stuff. Makes a huge mess. Doodle got some for his birthday and it very quickly became an outside activity and was toss after being played with outside.

[NorthwestMom]

Anything VTech - too many noises and flashing lights. Very overstimulating.

 

My 7yo got Floam in her stocking a few years ago. After a few minutes of play, she got it in her hair and ultimately had to have a shampoo to get it out. It disappeared shortly thereafter never to be seen again.

[Cinder]

Ok, after reading this I'm glad I didn't get suckered in by Moon Sand.

 

One of our big flops was the AquaDoodle. It's a pain to refill the little pen thingy. And once the board is filled (which takes less than a minute) you have to wait for it to dry to use it again. What a waste!

 

 

Cinder

[Jen500]

Anything VTech - too many noises and flashing lights. Very overstimulating.

 

My 7yo got Floam in her stocking a few years ago. After a few minutes of play, she got it in her hair and ultimately had to have a shampoo to get it out. It disappeared shortly thereafter never to be seen again.

 

Ugh!!! FLOAM!!! Little bits of styrofoamy stuff stuck on everything. Then dh put a blanket w/floam stuck on in the washing machine.

[*********]

Ok, after reading this I'm glad I didn't get suckered in by Moon Sand.

 

One of our big flops was the AquaDoodle. It's a pain to refill the little pen thingy. And once the board is filled (which takes less than a minute) you have to wait for it to dry to use it again. What a waste!

 

 

Cinder

 

Well, *I agree about the Aquadoodle, but Zee and Moose still love ours.

[fivetails]

-Remote control car (make my special needs son scream if they don't go where he intends)

 

 

Heh. Reminds me of the cars that well-meaning relatives have given ds10 over the years at Christmas, the ones that you push a button or spin the wheels and off they go across the floor?

 

He's blind. Toys that run away are not exactly on his love list. ;)

[*********]

Heh. Reminds me of the cars that well-meaning relatives have given ds10 over the years at Christmas, the ones that you push a button or spin the wheels and off they go across the floor?

 

He's blind. Toys that run away are not exactly on his love list. ;)

 

Oh good grief, what an awful thing for your son!

 

But can I admit, I can see myself making such an insensitive decision as to give a gift like that to your son. I'm not perfect. I could see myself thinking 'well, *my ds loves them, maybe my nephew will, too' or something like that.

 

I had a boyfriend when I was 18. He had retinitis pigmentosa; a condition where your perifiral (sp?) vision slowly closes in on you until eventually you go blind.

 

He didn't see me handing him something once. I jokingly said 'What are you, blind?'

 

:001_huh:

 

Ugh. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I felt like the biggest heel on the earth.

 

He just said 'well, as a matter of fact, I kinda am'.

[AprilTN]

Crayola Glow Station

 

Moon Sand

[zaichiki]

Ds3 has LOVED Moon Sand ever since he got it when he was 2. It was a GREAT present. (He also adores playdough and clay.)

 

I think the trick is how you store it. We had a large cardboard box -- cut the bottom off of it to make a "tray" about a foot deep. The rule is that the Moon Sand and all the sculpting toys that he uses with it have to stay in the box. He plays with it in there. No clean up! It's wonderful. We just leave it in the cardboard tray (about 18" X 3 ft and a foot deep) when it's not being used -- up on a shelf.

 

In my experience Moon Sand is FAR better than Play Do. That stuff is awful: no one can ever get it all cleaned out of the sculpting toys, it dries out all the time and needs to be tossed, AND it crumbles into little bits which end up staining my carpet!

[zaichiki]

DD10 begged for a Fur-Real Polar Bear (a mechanical stuffed animal) one Christmas. She played with it a few minutes and was done with it. She thought it would really feel like it was giving you a hug and would be soft. The loud mechanical sound, hard as nails body, and cold touch wasn't what she was expecting. I knew she wouldn't like it, but she begged and begged.

 

It was the last time that I gave in on a present that I knew would be a disappointment.

 

We had the same experience, a few years ago, with a Furby. Dd insisted that she desperately wanted one, so Grandpa spent a LOT of money on the idiotic thing. She played with it for a few minutes and then abandoned it. It sits at the bottom of her closet... wish I could snatch it when she wasn't looking and give it away... But who would WANT it???

[zaichiki]

Anything VTech - too many noises and flashing lights. Very overstimulating.

 

My 7yo got Floam in her stocking a few years ago. After a few minutes of play, she got it in her hair and ultimately had to have a shampoo to get it out. It disappeared shortly thereafter never to be seen again.

 

Oh yes! I agree on both counts!

 

VTech has been outlawed in our home since oldest was a baby.

 

And that foam stuff made of beads? I detest it: those little sticky beads get EVERYWHERE and everything sticks to the ball of it (hair, carpet fuzz...). AND we have the variety with the glitter in it. (Yikes! Glitter stuck everywhere!) Unfortunately, my kids like it. Sigh! I'll tell you, though, as soon as I can snatch it away and make it disappear, I WILL!

[BikeBookBread]

Gonna sound weird, but the Little People Sweet Sounds Home was a complete bust here... it sat unused for two years before I finally gave it away to Goodwill. I know they thought the Daddy looked strange....why wouldn't he? He had a Dorothy Hamill haircut and their Daddy wears BDUs and combat boots every day. :lol:

 

Now both love Legos and Playmobil...and they are clamoring for a REAL dollhouse now.

[WishboneDawn]

Roboraptor.

 

It was the fact that it reacted to light and sound that got my daughter. Made it seem real. But it was hideously expensive, never got much play, and was soon broken by a visiting friend.

 

And now it sits on a shelf and takes up room and I can't get rid of it because it's to darn big to go missing.

 

Ugh.

[*********]

Roboraptor.

 

It was the fact that it reacted to light and sound that got my daughter. Made it seem real. But it was hideously expensive, never got much play, and was soon broken by a visiting friend.

 

And now it sits on a shelf and takes up room and I can't get rid of it because it's to darn big to go missing.

 

Ugh.

 

Ugh. Roboraptor, why didn't I think of that?!

 

Dss just *had to have one. You know, back when they first came out, and were insanely expensive. MIL bought it for him for Christmas. :glare:

 

I think he's played with it, oh, *maybe five times in the past three or so years?

 

I'm going to check if it's still up on his shelf, collecting dust. If we haven't donated it yet, maybe he'd like to pass it on to Moose and Zee. And then, you know, after *they play with it once in three years, I'll get rid of it.

 

Ugh.

[Tiffnkids]

The game Elefun . . . not so fun.

 

Electronic diaries

 

Remote control airplane

[*********]

The game Elefun . . . not so fun.

 

I literally LOL'd at this.

 

My boys have LOVED it. Me, not so much. That stinkin' fan is NOT powerful enough, the trunk is too long, it gets too crinkled up, and the thing eats batteries like crazy.

 

We've gone through two of them, and thankfully no one is asking for another. Yet, at least. Here's hoping they don't... :D

[gingersmom]

I bought my son a train table and train set. I don't think he ever used it. We still have the train table, I use it to do my puzzles on.

[Cinder]

Well, *I agree about the Aquadoodle, but Zee and Moose still love ours.

 

Uh, yeah. That's why we still have ours, too. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Cinder

[lynn]

floam, moon sand, goop all that stuff is EVIL! I lost a beautiful Christmas table cloth because ds put his good/slim on the table.

[Amy loves Bud]

That little car you sit on that is propelled by moving the handles back and forth.

 

Waste. of. money.

[Carrie12345]

I'm another one who hates Moon Sand.

 

Also, Aquadots. They're not called Aquadots since the originals were recalled, but they do still exist (minus drug chemicals, I assume).

Those things were AWFUL. Tiny little beads rolling and bouncing everywhere. :::shiver:::

[Mommy22alyns]

I bought Sylvia some Little Einsteins dominoes... they're oversized plastic domino shells that you slide different cards into to make a set. Horrible idea, especially since the cards slip right out. I think they're at Big Lots now - avoid like the plague!

[TN Mama]

Pixos. Awful. Horrible. Stay away! Not only do the beads go EVERYWHERE, but the little contraption that is supposed to deposit the beads into place does.not.work.

 

Baby Alive. My daughter asked for one for two years for every birthday & Christmas. Finally Santa brought her one. She played with it for a few weeks and then lost interest.

[WTMCassandra]

It was a gift, and it is a huge, gaudy metal and plastic bus that bursts into "YMCA (why don't you go to the....)" every time you lay a finger on it. Also, it flashes. If you back it up, it goes beepbeepbeep and then bursts into YMCA (why don't you go to the....)

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

What was the manufacturer thinking?

What was the giver thinking?

 

That is just insane!

 

Have you gotten rid of it?

[Heather in MD]

DD, 7, got got Moon Sand for her b-day last year and still plays with it. In fact, she had it out yesterday. The trick is to make it an outside toy, they you aren't always sweeping up bits of sand :) It came with an inflatable carrying tray and some molds, and she will play with it for at least an hour each time.

 

Now the Floam, that only lasted about a day. When I learned that it stains just about everything it touches, it was thrown away. She's never even asked about it.

 

Heather in MD

[Cranberry]

any puzzle made out of thin cardboard, for anyone under 5 or 6. Especially those puzzle books, where each page is a new puzzle. My kids hate them because you just can't fit the pieces together well or get the pages to lay flat. Yet I think every year someone gets one from a well meaning relative or friend.

 

One of those safari find the tiger things. It comes with a stick that you turn on and it's supposed to light up when it's near the tiger. So you hide the tiger and walk around with the stick until it lights up...fun...:lol:

Or you could just play hide and seek with a toy and use your brain to find it! :bigear: I felt so bad, the kids got one from SIL, she was so sure they would just go crazy over it. They pretty much thought it was dumb and just hid the tiger and took turns finding it.

[Tap]

The game Elefun . . . not so fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Too funny about Elefun. I bought it for $2 at Goodwill. DD3 LOVES it. She has only played with it twice. She pulled it out yesterday and the batteries are already dead....I thought maybe I left it on or something....good to know that it needs to go back to where it came from before I invest anymore into it.

 

That little car you sit on that is propelled by moving the handles back and forth.

 

Waste. of. money.

 

We love Chargers/Plasma Cars here (If that is what you are talking about). We have two and the neighborhood kids like them too. We live on an almost flat road that is free from cracks, so we do have a great place to play with them. I have 2 other friends who have them too. They use them in their garage and basketball court.

Edited October 22, 2009 by Tap, tap, tap

[nukeswife]

DD10 begged for a Fur-Real Polar Bear (a mechanical stuffed animal) one Christmas. She played with it a few minutes and was done with it. She thought it would really feel like it was giving you a hug and would be soft. The loud mechanical sound, hard as nails body, and cold touch wasn't what she was expecting. I knew she wouldn't like it, but she begged and begged.

 

It was the last time that I gave in on a present that I knew would be a disappointment.

 

My dd had the panda bear one and when it "cried" it used to creep us all out LOL. That didn't last long in our house either.

 

Others we've learned to steer clear of is Moonsand and hotwheel tracks. We'll stick with Lego, The LIttlest petshop and Playmobil.

[AnnetteB]

Drowsy was my favorite doll when I was about 5. I think my mom still has it. I wonder if the newer versions are the same - it was a very sweet doll!

 

The new ones were identical to the one my sister had years ago. My kids kept turning off or removing the battery, lol

[Jen500]

And I really hate toys with lead included. :tongue_smilie:

[gandpsmommy]

Ds3 has LOVED Moon Sand ever since he got it when he was 2. It was a GREAT present. (He also adores playdough and clay.)

 

I think the trick is how you store it. We had a large cardboard box -- cut the bottom off of it to make a "tray" about a foot deep. The rule is that the Moon Sand and all the sculpting toys that he uses with it have to stay in the box. He plays with it in there. No clean up! It's wonderful. We just leave it in the cardboard tray (about 18" X 3 ft and a foot deep) when it's not being used -- up on a shelf.

 

In my experience Moon Sand is FAR better than Play Do. That stuff is awful: no one can ever get it all cleaned out of the sculpting toys, it dries out all the time and needs to be tossed, AND it crumbles into little bits which end up staining my carpet!

 

:iagree:We use Moon Sand on a large baking sheet that has sides. It keeps most of it contained, and any stray sand is so easy to vacuum up. I know it can make a mess, but it's a mess that is pretty easy to clean up.