Customer Reviews

Discovery Exclusive Will C. More ™ Baby Visual Developer

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bought this yesterday (12/9/06) for my son's 1st birthday later this month. The store clerk at the Discovery store was nice enough to put batteries in one so that I could see it work. (I was torn between Will C More and Ann B Dexterous). After seeing the 2 of them side by side. I had to get Will.

The concept itself is really neat. On the screen, there are 2 films that scroll. One is the background and the other the foreground. Depending on the stage / age of your child, it will be different. For example, if your child is in stage one, the background is one of several red or black patterns and the foreground is the opposite of whichever background is on. You can switch between 3 subjects: People, things that go, and Animals. This is true for every stage. My son is stage 3 (11months). An example of stage 3 might be Peekaboo, where the child presses on the screen to find a person hiding behind a bench. When he presses it, the background will scroll so that he can see the person. It's really cute. Although I think the age is a little off.

The problems I have with the toy are mechanical. When I first put the batteries in, it didn't do anything. I took them out and repositioned them (jiggled). It worked. Then, my husband and I took a look at each stage. When the images first started to scroll, reels would catch slightly and the toy would vibrate. I told my husband that maybe it needed to loosen up a little. Once we got to stage 3, it seemed ok. But, then I turned it back to stage one and the reels have to rewind. It got stuck and began to vibrate again. When it couldn't go any further one way, it would stop and the reel would go in the other direction for a frame or two. Then it would try again to go in the original direction. It got stuck again. I turned it off, but it still kep trying to right itself. I took the batteries out to get it to stop.
When I put the batteries back in, it didn't work again. I noticed that if I tightened the screws completely on the battery cover, they don't work. This is also true if you simply press your hand on the battery cover. And, the battery compartment is very cheap construction.

Also, I noticed that it only has one speaker, the left one. The speaker holes on the right side are just for show. And, something else I was disappointed to find was that the screen is not backlit. It stays lit for stage one, then cuts off for subsequent stages. The lights behind the screen will only flash when it is ready for the child to push the screen. It would have been so much better to have the screen stay lit. It's pretty dark.

I really wanted this toy for my son and drove 2 hours to get one. (I wanted to see it in person before I payed for it). I am going to take it back to the store and see if I can get one that works properly. Maybe I got a lemon (I noticed that one of the film reels was torn).

If you are going to buy this, I would suggest finding a Discovery Channel store so that you can test it out first.

The concept is good. There are many mechanical problems with the .

The "touchscreen" should be renamed the "hit-screen", as I found it difficult to touch it...I had to press very hard to get it to work. My son, who is only 7 months old, cannot make it work.

My son enjoyed it from 3-6 months, until it broke. The screen froze and the motor kept on trying to rotate the picture. I took the batteries out and back in again, and it still didn't work.

I called the Discovery Channel and they said because it was not bought from them, I would have to contact the store who sold it to me. I contacted Tuesday Morning, and they had a 45 day return policy and said to contact the manufacturer. For a $80 toy, Discover Channel should have some type of warranty...I still have the receipt and box and they wouldn't do anything. For a toy that is less than 6 months old and in great condition, I think this is very unfair. I will never but from them again.

I would not recommend this toy or any other from this manufacturer. The quality was horrible. It is designed for a child from 0-36 months but the toy will not stand on its own ,is very bulky and hard to handle and does not do what it says. From the minute it was taken out of the box the touch screen didn't work and it did not advance through the pictures. By the 3rd use it wouldn't even turn on. My son is only 4 months old not exactly able to handle it roughly.

Not only is the toy shoddy quality, the manufacturer will not stand by their product. Since this was received as a gift there is no receipt and can not be returned to a store. I was given the run around by the customer service department and told unless I can show it was bought directly from them they would not accept a return or issue a credit for their store. At $80 per toy this is hardly worth the money or the aggravation. I will never buy another of their products due to the "policy" they have about not standing by what they make.

We hoped this would be a fun, stimulating toy for our then 10 month old. Christmas morning came, we tried it, and the touch-screen buttons didn't work. Received a new one and the buttons worked but only if you pressed very hard on one particular spot. Also, there is not a lot going on, gets boring and redundant very fast.

Since day 1 the scrolling screens slip and click. It randomly scrolls back to the beginning. Wheels are off and screens dont match up. Contacted Discovery Channel and they would not offer any assistance unless I purchased online and had an order number. Got it as a gift. At $80 it feels like my parents wasted their money.
If it worked it would be wonderful.
The touchscreen is impossible for a child to use. My son is 11months old and still cant push the screen to interact.
They dont sell this online at the store any longer for good reason.

I bought this from Tues. Morning and was excited about it. I paid 29.99 there so it was a good deal. I got home and started messing with it and was very disappointed after seeing how it worked. The concept is great! But the follow through is way off. The "touch screen" is not a touch screen. You have to press very hard to activate the screen. Like, so har, that you finger gets sore from pressing. The monatage of pictures for the babies are beautiful with lovely sounds and great graphics. My vision impaired son loved it and liked the sounds it made. But when you moved the toys on tot he next stage it was not back lit. It only lit up and flashed which was annoying and it would wait for you to press the screen for a response. Not a kid friendly toy at all. I don't know why they don't have parents test these things out.

Love how this toy keeps our baby's attention. We've had no problems with durability, and our baby is not gentle with toys. I highly recommend this toy!