Product Review for Play & Learn Funfair by Vtech

When my youngest daughter turned one, her grandmother gave her a VTech Play & Learn Funfair. Now that we've had it for three months, I notice that it gets more play than just about anything else in the house, except my kitchen cabinets and shoe rack, of course.

The Vtech Play & Learn Funfair doesn't take up too much space. It's about 18 inches long and about 12 inches high. It is nice and sturdy, and is not made out of the flimsy plastic you sometimes see on baby toys. It is not made, however, for baby to pull themselves up on; if they are still in that stage, you may want to make sure it is up against a wall. Like most of Vtech's playtoys, the colors are bright and the toy is easy to clean with a damp cloth.

The Play & Learn Funfair takes 2AA batteries, and Vtech does not recommend the rechargeable batteries. AA batteries are cheap, and we haven't had to replace them yet, anyway. You don't need to do any assembly; once you have released the Play & Learn Funfair from the many wires holding it into the box, and add the batteries, it's ready to play with. You don't even need a screwdriver for the battery insert; you can use a coin.

The Play & Learn Funfair comes with different colored balls that are slightly different sizes and they each have a cute face painted on. When dropped into the top of the toy carousel and pushed down, the balls go round and round and down a slide into the bottom where there is a little yellow door for them to slide out. This is also a little storage area for the balls when play is over.

The Vtech Play & Learn Funfair has five piano keys at the bottom, marked 1-5. Each ball has a different function and causes the toy to play a different song.

One ball has the shape function and will go first describe keys at the top of the carousel: cuddly teddy bear; round lollipop; big round balloon; shiny stars; yummy icecream; and then the 1-5 piano keys go through shapes. 1=circle; 2=square; 3=star; 4=triangle; 5=heart.

Another ball teaches colors: purples teddy bear; green lollipop; yellow balloons; orange stars; and red icecream. And the piano keys give the colors at the bottom. 1=purple; 2=green; 3=yellow; 4=orange; and 5=red.

Then there is a ball for sounds, and the toy will ask if you can hear the silly sounds: teddy bear laughing; three different whistles; and a star sound. The piano keys at the bottom play piano notes.

And a ball has the counting function: 1 teddy bear; 2 lollipops; 3 balloons; 4 stars and 5 icecreams. The piano keys count from one to five on this function.

The other side of the Play & Learn Funfair is a ferris wheel. It has three buckets, or seats. When a ball is in those seats, it will tip out and land on the slide, setting in motion the same functions as pushing the ball through the top, depending on which ball it is. There is a handle to turn the ferris wheel round and round faster or slower. There are lights and sounds and the song I could now sing in my sleep:

"We're going to play at the fair
There are lights and sounds everywhere
The ferris wheel goes round and round
Way up high, up and down!"

I don't find this toy to be louder or more annoying than any comparable electronic toy out there. My four year old even has a good time with it. The Play & Learn Funfair is compact, sturdy, cleanable, has lots of play functions and only the balls to clean up. I admit, the balls tend to get lost and roll under the furniture sometimes. But for around $20, available at Toys R Us and Target as well as other retailers, it's a good buy with good play value that engages the child at different ages and stages.