Product Review: Little Einsteins Pat Pat Rocket

My three year old is a die hard Little Einsteins fan. I have seen every episode multiple times and we own all of the movies, as well. When I heard about the new Little Einsteins Pat Pat Rocket toy that was rumored to be one of the hot Christmas gifts for 2007, I thought it would make a perfect Christmas present. I rushed out in September while they were still on the shelves to buy one and put it away.

How it Works

Rocket is activated in three different ways: when your child begins patting (like on the TV shown), when your child rolls it forward, or if your child lifts it up to "fly" it. When Rocket is activated, you will see the flashing lights in front and hearing the same tinkling noise that it makes on the TV show. Then, classical music begins to play. If you roll the rocket faster, the music plays faster and it says "Allegro." When you roll the rocket slower, the tempo of the music slows down and it says "Adagio." If you want the music to play louder, you fly Rocket higher and you will hear "Crescendo." If you want the music to play softer, you fly Rocket lower and you will hear "Diminuendo."

Rocket comes with the four Little Einsteins characters - Leo, Annie, Quincy, and June. The top pops open and there is individual seating (with a picture on the back of the seat) for each character. When you pop the character into the matching seat, they talk in the same voice that they use on the TV show. There is a handle that folds out from the bottom to make it easier for your child to fly Rocket and there is also a fold out staircase for the characters to board.

Pros

Rocket appears to be very durable. Children love that the features make it seem just like the one that they are used to seeing on the TV show. My daughter has had a lot of fun coming up with her own missions and playing with the characters separately as well.

Cons

Rocket's top is difficult to open and younger children will need adult assistance. It also pops off easily (it is also easily replaced). Each character needs to be snapped into the corresponding seat to work correctly and it can be difficult to position them just right to snap it in. Older children will have no problem with this, but it will be tricky for younger kids. Also, if the characters are no snapped in securely, they will fall over when your child begins to move Rocket. Younger children will also need adult assistance to release the handle to fly Rocket.

The "pat pat" feature has been hit or miss for us. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Also, Rocket is very loud and there is no volume control. There is an on/off switch for the sound. Rocket is also somewhat heavy (approximately 3.5 pounds) which may make it difficult for younger children to maneuver.

Additional Information

Rocket retails for $39.95 and was initially sold exclusively at Target. You can now buy it through third party vendors on Amazon.com and on sites such as eBay.

There are additional mission play sets that you can buy (currently Alaska and Egypt) that will interact with Rocket. These currently retail for $14.99.

My daughter has gotten a great deal of use out of this toy, so it was worth the money in my opinion. I think it is great for preschool aged children (3-4). Younger children (2) will also enjoy it, but they will need more assistance to access all of the features.