Customer Reviews

Giant Building Block 40-piece Set

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These are great, durable, fun cardboard blocks for your kids to build structures they can play in (for example, mine like to build walls under tables to make a fort or "rabbit hole" while they pretend they are rabbits, or they build towers around each other which they then love to crash down on their heads.) I like them because they are a nice physical toy that encourages the imagination. They are strong enough for kids to stand on (although I don't encourage it because they will weaken over time) and light enough that they aren't hurt if the blocks fall on them. And kids learn some spatial, balance, and construction concepts as well. Warning: assembly required, and you should take care when assembling to make sure you get them right (don't bend the cardboard in the wrong place or you will weaken them). Also,the best blocks are the larger red ones. The yellow ones are much harder to build with (no stability for height) and the blue (brick-sized) ones are nearly useless. I'm buying more of the red only, and I expect I will actually throw out the blue and yellow ones since they take up storage room but are pretty much useless. These blocks are expensive if you are going to buy enough of them. I recommend that your kids will need at least 30 red ones to really build things that they can play in (even building in an open-space brick-saving fashion)... and that gets costly. They can be stacked awayin a 2x3x4 area... it's helpful to cordon off a section of your room or have a big storage box that helps your kids figure out how to put them away. 5 stars for fun and child development, but I only gave 4 stars due to the expense and useless smaller blocks included.

I found it amazing that no product listing or review mentioned an obvious question that we had when considering this purchase. YES, as you might suspect, these cardboard blocks come as individual, precut flat pieces that you must assemble yourself. Also not mentioned is the distribution of sizes. In this set of 40 total, 24 of them are the small size (blue). Even with practice, assembly takes time. Plan on an at least an hour to do all 40 of them, unless you are very nimble-fingered.

Our 2-year-old found them instantly intriguing, but quickly became frustrated by the difficulty of stacking them without knocking them over. We are not worried about that, as we expect this to be a skill-building process in dexterity, balance, large-motor coordination, and so on. But it is worth mentioning that some children, depending on age or taste, may not instantly love these blocks; and we can't say for sure that our child will either, until more time passes.

I think it also important to note that the stackability of these blocks will depend somewhat on the precision with which you fold each one during assembly. There always seem to be a couple of blocks that don't fit together quite as well as others, leaving a bit more tilt than one would like to blocks piled atop it.

However, one does get a very sturdy block when all the folding is done. The design creates "walls" of cardboard within the body of each block, making it strong enough that a small toddler can lean or even sit on one without flattening it.

We will have to wait a while to find out if our child "grows into" the specific skills required to really enjoy these blocks, or if they remain piled in a corner somewhere. The immediate reaction has not been as glorious as we were led to expect from other reviews,

And we really felt that the "assembly required" issue should have been mentioned quite clearly. Although we assumed that these came in "knock-down" form, a clerk at the local [store] (where we would have bought the blocks if they had been in stock that day) said she thought these came pre-assembled. I think that example alone proves that the information should be included in the product listing.

My older two children had these when they were little. It hit me like a ton of bricks (haha) that my 3 year old would LOVE them. I knew I could depend on Amazon! Once you assemble one brick, it is quite easy to do. It is much easier to do it WITHOUT your child watching you, but hey, it is still fun. The imagination is great as you watch them build Billy Blazes, the Rescue Heroes, a new house.....line them up and make a road for their cars....build a castle...or just pile them up to knock over! My 7 yr old has created furniture for her American Girl doll wtih them as well! They are quite durable and you can even stand on them without crushing them. They do take up some room, so you might want to save a large box to store them in. Or, you can do what I do and line them up against the wall and pretend it is the fireplace I don't have. :-) I don't think you can go wrong with this good old fashioned fun! Hey, and the GREATEST thing of all....NO BATTERIES and they don't talk!!!!! I am off to order a second set while they are in stock! I think we might get the castle ones this time to add on to our set!!

We bought these for my 17 month old son, despite his lack of interest in Megablocks and Duplo.

They aren't too difficult to assemble, but the instructions could be better. By the time we had the first two blocks assembled, my son was already stacking them.

This is a great rainy day activity for the whole family (mom, dad and child). We spent several hours yesterday building towers and castles and knockling them down. My son also uses the pieces for imaginative play (who would have thought a blue piece + a yellow piece = a telephone?). I can tell these are going to be a favorite for years to come - I'm going to order more!

When I first saw these online, I thought they were great, but then I saw that they were made of cardboard AND I would have to put them together. My first thought was...how sturdy can these be? I went ahead and ordered them and my children absolutely LOVE them. And, believe it or not, they have held up beautifully. I've had them for two years now. They've been stepped on SEVERAL times, thrown MANY times and stacked and knocked down constantly, but they are still in great condition. They are definitely worth the time and money!!!

These blocks have been a hit in our house since our boys were old enough to crawl! They are now 4.5 and 2.5 and still love them. The only problem is that there are so few of the biggest blocks, which are the easiest to stack. The smaller blocks don't stay stacked very well. As for the assembly part, yes, it takes a few minutes. But once you get the idea, it goes fairly quickly. The blocks do come with an order form for ordering more of each individual size (not cheap--the big blocks are almost $2 a piece!) However, the blocks are sturdy and lots of fun!

This blocks set is wonderful...my 22mo twins love them and have played with them on and off for quite some time. The only problem is, they received them when they were 18 mo old and my little boy still but things in his mouth. They are made of strong cardboard, but several "bites" have been taken out of them. I would recommend your children be out of the "oral" phase before purchasing these.

We gave these to our 4 year-old son last Christmas. I had a set at my preschool many, many, many, years ago. When my husband saw that they were cardboard he was less than pleased. Now that we have had them for 5 months, he is ordering another set to add to this one.
Our son has stood on, stacked on, and even spilt liquid on them and they still look new. Also, they are big enough to build "real walls and houses", so he can play in what he built.
The only caution I would give is that since they are big, they can be hard to store.

In the age of electronics, what a refresher to have a basic toy that "builds" imagination, coordination and simple math skills. I have a one and a two year old and they BOTH spend hours with these blocks, and I have yet to find one that is damaged ... spit up on, but not damaged. They will play with these for a long time and I have no doubt they will last as long as the kid's interest in them.

I purchased these toys approx 6 years ago when my son was 3. I bought the large red blocks (not the colorful smaller ones). There were 16 at purchase. They have normal wear and tear now from 6 years but all still work and are together. They take time to put together but worth it. My son never stopped playing with these, when my 2nd son came along he LOVED them too. My kids are 4 and 9 now and I may buy more. At the time, I paid 24.99 for them. They cost more now. I have more than gotten my money's worth. Shop around, the larger red ones last longer. I stood on them myself (at 135 lbs). Some now have some caving in but only recently after years of use. Planning to buy some for my nephews now. Most toys stayed in the playroom but these stayed in the kitchen or livingroom always because ALL their friends play with them too and I got tired of pulling them out over and over again. A great gift for the kid who is hard to buy for.