Review of the Original Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker

This Christmas I got the kids the Original Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker. Now, the idea of Sno-Cones in December is not the most appealing one ever, so we decided that it would be a good toy to put away until later because they had way too many toys as it was. Here is a review of the Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker.

Yesterday, while cleaning out the garage, we came across the Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker and decided it was time to break it out. Truthfully, we had forgotten we ever got it for them.

Today, when the boy got home from kindergarten, we decided it was time to go for our initial run of the Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker. Now, when I was a kid, I wanted one of these and never got it, so I admit to living vicariously through my kids on this one.

The assembly instructions for the Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker were easy enough. I got the boy in to start shaving the ice and let's just say it was a slow process. So, I dismissed him and started doing it myself. Now, I know full well that part of the joy of Sno-Cones is making them yourself. However, we had a flag football practice in two hours and I was concerned he wasn't going to get done in time.

After I took over, I was concerned I wasn't going to get done in time. The crank to turn the blade to shave the ice was not the most well-constructed piece of plastic ever made. And the design of the handle left a lot to be desired. See, as I was turning the crank to shave the ice my hand kept hitting the table. I know, I know, it's designed for kids-size hands. But if they really wanted kids to make the Sno-Cones then they should have found a way to make it go faster.

The design had the ice shavings fall into a drum. Another problem was that the drum was opened face, meaning as you turned the handle to shave the ice, it inevitably fell out. Think of a clothes dryer running with an open door and that's pretty much what the Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker was.

So, to get around my knuckles hitting the table and the ice shavings falling out, I ended up holding the machine next to my chest, tilted at a 45 degree angle. This way I could turn the crank unimpeded and keep the shavings contained in the drum. It didn't make the process go any faster, though.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I had enough ice shavings to fill the two small paper cups they gave us. I poured on the colored sugar topping (purple, so I'm guessing grape) and gave the kids their first Snoopy Sno-Cones.

And the result? Both the two-year old and the five-year old asked for seconds. So, now I've got to make some more. Since the kids liked the result, I'll give the product two stars but I really wouldn't recommend this for anyone. The best thing to do with a Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker is to give one as a birthday gift to a kid (or parent) that you don't really like.

It's disappointing to think that Snoopy would lend his name to such a cheap product. It reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons when Bart confronts his hero Krusty about all of the terrible products that had the Krusty name attached to them. Krusty breaks down and admits that they offered him a ton of money and he wasn't made of stone. I'm guessing it was like that for Charles Shultz and his heirs with the Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker.