Customer Reviews

Hungry Hungry Hippos

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(29)
1 star:		(40)

 

 

Why is it that companies who decide to reissue classic games from the 50's, 60's and 70's seemingly ALWAYS do so using the cheapest of plastics? Gone are the days of thick precisely engineered plastics, strong metal supporting parts and ready-to-play-out-of-the-box sturdy construction. Instead, we get cheap inferior versions (Spirograph) and flimsy "assembly required" thin plastic versions that don't work properly (Hungry Hippos, Hands Down). C'mon folks, we're talking PLASTIC here...the stuff is plentiful and inexpensive: spend an extra 5 cents on the manufacturing end and give me a better product.

My beef with this toy is that it appears no one at the manufacturer bothered to play-test it. The lightweight plastic pellets go flying everywhere (you can't call 'em marbles anymore), the hippos get stuck or they fall off during play, and you can count on a plastic piece eventually breaking off or cracking, leaving you with crying children and extremely disappointed adults. (However, there IS satisfaction to be had after it breaks...go outside, place it in the driveway and stomp on it until it's reduced to nothing more than itty-bitty colored plastic pieces. Great for getting out the aggression this crappy toy provokes!)

Forget this rubbish, you're better off getting an original. Thank goodness for eBay, second-hand stores, and flea markets. Happy hunting!

Very cheaply made, hippos don't stay attached.
This was a christmas gift for my kids (4 & 5)
and even though they play with it (rarely), it gets
frustrating when the hippos constantly fall off. And
when you wack the hippo a few times, it gets stuck and
won't open to accept the marbles. Definatly not worth
the money. Too bad they don't make it like they did a
generation ago.

The nice thing about the hungry hippo game is that you don't even have to say that anyone "wins" or not -- I tell my daughter that her hippos must have been REALLY hungry if they eat more marbles than my hippos. This game works best if all 4 hippos are in action gobbling marbles (or else the marbles get stuck), but two people can easily operate two hippos, even young children. The hardest part about this game were the assembly directions of how to insert the cheap plastic marble flippers. It only takes two seconds once you figure it out, but be sure to just look at the picture on the box, not the damned directions which make it sound like a real production.

The game itself is easy to play, makes a good amount of noise (as the hippo heads knock the plastic) and entertains for long periods of time. It's a silly game, but it does promote counting marbles to see who wins.

There's something deeply satisfying about this game: Is it the allure of pounding a hippo's tail as fast as you can so that your hippo will eat more balls than its opposing hippos? I leave that to the psychologists...

This games provides a great release for toddlers and adults. Because of the intensity and noisy pounding, you may want to limit your own play to about ½ hour. Educational value? Well, the game helps with hand-eye coordination, learning how to be a good sport, and simple counting. But basically it's just a good way to get in touch with your inner hippo--let the pounding begin!

Me and my brothers used to play Hungry Hungry Hippos all the time when we were kids. Now that I'm grown, I play the game with my niece, and she likes it just as much as me and my brothers used to. The object of the game is to eat the most marbles to win. The game is fast paced and a lot of fun. It's a way you can teach any kid to count (when they count the marbles) and how to play a game that they will enjoy. Like most Milton Bradley games, it's a classic.

If you have any kids, a niece, nephew, etc. I recommend getting Hungry Hungry Hippos for them.

I had this game as a child. I remembered how much fun it was, how my sister and I would fight over which one of us got the Pink hippo. (Ha ha) I also remember that when it was only the two of us playing, we would both control two hippos (using both hands). That would be impossible with the game now.

This game was at the top of my daughter's list for christmas last year, and she did receive it. When I saw how small the box was, I almost thought her grandfather purchased the wrong game. It is definitely not made the same way it was back when I was a child. Back then the board was all one piece, and made of a harder plastic. We even added our own marbles to the game and it held up quite well even with the extras. The game now, barely stays together, it comes in parts that have to be assembled and taken apart each time you play. The hippos get stuck and you have to stop the entire game to fix it or else someone will get hurt trying to fix it or they get left out if they let it go.

I am extremely let down by how milton bradley has cheapened this product, and I feel its definitely not worth spending your money on.

I loved this game as a child and wanted to buy it for my 3 year old son. Great game, now made into a piece of PLASTIC GARBAGE!. The light weight marbles are terrible and the heads of my hippos don't even lift up most of the time.
It's truly a shame they have to ruin these type of games with cheap materials.

We recently purchased this game for our five year old's birthday. I remembered the game from my childhood and knew he would love it, too. It turns out that Milton Bradley has gone el cheapo on making this game. The game itself is very ugly and cheap looking, the balls are all white (the used to be orange or multi-colored), the pieces barely fit together enough to even play, the marbles get stuck in the hippos throat (which requires that you stop play to clear the hippo out), the hippos mouths don't open very wide, and they push-pedals constantly stick in the middle of game play. The box that the game comes in is also very, very thin and flimsy - which is a real problem with a game that is comparatively heavy. We had to duct-tape the box before putting it away after the very first play!

I would never, ever recommend this game to be purchased by anyone. I just don't understand it. What happened to the Hippos?

Parents, don't try to play this game with your child if you have a headache! It's noisy--but so much fun! Even my 2 year old loves this game.

I'm not sure how much educational value is in this game, but it's full of laughs and action. If you have active children, they'll love it. Parents--be forewarned--it's loud and pounding and bound to produce hearty laughter and squeals!

I agree with the other reviews in that this toy does not have the durability that it did years ago, yet almost every re-make has fallen victim to the "cheap plastic" sign of the times. My solution is to make sure that the toys are picked up and put away after each play time.

Now for the really important part of this review...Our 3 year old (well actually closer to 4) absolutely loves this game! We play it constantly. It is easy for him to understand and manipulate. The set-up and break-down is relatively simple and it is does fit back into it's square box! Our 7 year old has fun playing this too. It has been well worth the money for the amount of active play time it receives in our home. I would recommend this game for parents who are looking for a good first game with their very young. It is a good introduction to friendly competition!