Elmo Live: Fun but Not Durable

We first heard about Elmo live when I received an E-mail from a friend telling me that there was a new, technologically advanced Elmo doll being released around Christmas time. She stated that some stores were letting parents pre-order the doll so that they were guaranteed to have one in time for Christmas as it was predicted they would sell-out fast. The doll was selling for around sixty dollars.

I did some research through the Fisher-Price website and I watched some You Tube videos showing what the doll was like. I was impressed but thought I would wait until Elmo Live was available in stores rather than pay extra shipping costs by pre-ordering. My son would turn 21-months a few days after Christmas and the age recommendation for the doll was 18-months to five years.

It turns out my husband and I did not have to buy Elmo Live for our toddler because his grandma gave him one as an early Christmas present. When her first opened the gift he was very excited. Elmo is his favorite character and the realistic features of Elmo Live was like having Elmo actually in our home.

Elmo Live does a variety of fun things. It sings, dances, tells stories, sneezes, sleeps and asks to be picked up when it falls over. The doll itself is very entertaining and our son loved everything it could do. The problem was he wanted to explore Elmo's moving arms and legs and was amazed at the mouth that opened up wide and closed. He grabbed the arms and legs of the doll, and wanted to hug it all the time. Unfortunately Elmo Live could not stand up to a 21-month old's curiosity.

A few days after he received Elmo Live the doll stopped working. We changed the batteries twice thinking perhaps that was the problem but we believe that our son's manipulation of the arms, legs and mouth damaged the doll. You can hear a buzzing when you press the doll's feet, back, nose, and tummy but no words or music. Sixty dollars is a hefty price to pay for something that a toddler can break in a few days. We our sparing his grandma's feelings by not telling her it is broken already.

As a toy Elmo Live is unique and pre-school children will have a wonderful time listening to all of the phrases it says and songs it sings. I think that Fisher-Price may want to consider raising the minimum age for this toy as I am not certain it is the best choice for a toddler. We probably could have saved Elmo Live had we told our son not to touch it, but the purpose of toys is to play with them. Elmo Live is simply not built sturdy enough for toddler use. I would whole heartedly recommend it for anyone over the age of three.