Product Review: Playskool Spin 'N Pop Arcade

Last Christmas I purchased the Playskool Spin 'N Pop Arcade for my youngest daughter, who was 11 months old when Christmas finally rolled around. I'll tell you right now that this was, and still is, the best Christmas gift I could have ever purchased for her. I wish that Playskool had already come up with this wonderful toy idea when my oldest was this age.

The Spin 'N Pop Arcade is recommended for ages 9 months and up and retails for $24.99. The table is battery powered and requires three "C" sized batteries. It comes with four plastic legs that just pop into place and 5 colorful plastic balls. There is assembly that you will be required to do in order for your child to play with the Spin 'N Pop Arcade; pop in the plastic legs, pop in the ball ramp, add a few colorful stickers for decoration and you will need a Philips head screwdriver to put the batteries in. After that the Spin 'N Pop Arcade will be ready for your child's enjoyment.

This cute little table reminds me of a pinball machine. The table is very colorful and eye catching. The table is about twelve inches high once you pop on the legs but can be played with flat on the floor without the legs, which is great for the child who isn't quite standing and walking yet. The table is just the right height for the little ones who are pulling up into the standing position and it is very stable to prevent any tipping over when it is being used to pull up. As a matter of fact, our's has never tipped over or even come close to tipping over in the whole year that we've had it.

The Spin 'N Pop Arcade has two big push buttons on it that control all of the activities on the table. One button controls the ball lift which lifts a ball up so that it can roll down a little slide on one side. The other button controls a little pinball-like flipper so that your little one can swat at the balls that are rolling around the table. Both buttons will start the delightful music that plays. Both buttons will also start the center of the table that spins around and around making the balls bounce off of it and around each other. In another corner of the table there is a hole for the balls to fall into when they get bounced over to that corner. Once the balls fall into this hole they are held in a little space on the side where your child can grab them back out and plop them back onto the table. Kind of like where the balls go on a pool table when you hit a ball into the corner pockets.

The Spin 'N Pop Arcade from Playskool has won Creative Child Magazine Toy of the Year Award in the Toddler Category. It is a very creative and fun toy for your child. I think that it is definitely worth the $25 that I spent on it. My youngest daughter is now 22 months old and has had this wonderful Spin 'N Pop Arcade for almost one year now and still plays with it every single day. She will push the buttons and dance around with the excitable music and she will throw the balls around the table. She loves it best when the balls pop off of the table and roll across the room. Apparently this is VERY funny.

For your convenience there is a nice little on/off switch under the bottom of the table. This definitely comes in handy when your child turns out to be like mine and loves the Spin 'N Pop Arcade to the point of exhaustion. Or if the music just drives you crazy from all of the exciting toddler play time. But I suggest that you don't show your child this lovely little switch or you will hear the fun music very soon after you turn the swtich off. Those little toddlers learn very quickly how to make their toys work.

In the end, I would have to say that this has been one of the most loved and enjoyed toy to arrive in our household in a very long time. It has been a huge enjoyment to my toddler and I foresee that it will be enjoyed for a long time to come, unlike most toddler toys that seen to lose their thrill very soon after they are taken from their original packaging. I am always thrilled to find a toy that will be enjoyed for many days to come so I hope you and your child will enjoy it too.