Customer Reviews

Hasbro Elefun

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(87)
3 star:		(58)
2 star:		(72)
1 star:		(108)

 

 

I look for toys that are fun and easy to play with. I also look for toys that are educational or inspire exploration of the world around them. I want toys that are not really loud as well.

This toy fits many of these requirements.

My four year old son got this for his birthday and has loved it ever since.

Like the other reviewers, the trunk does not go all the way up when you first turn the fan on. However, that doesn't take away from the fun of the game. In fact, we just cut the top few inches off of the trunk and that seems to have made the difference.

Catching butterflies is harder than it looks. That is part of what adds to the fun. They also come out in spurts. You might get four butterflies and then one and then ten. All of this just adds to the fun. Catching the butterflies encourages eye and hand coordination and quick thinking.

My only complaint is that more butterflies would be fun. There are plenty of butterflies but it doesn't take too long to play because they come out fairly quickly.

However, this is great for young children who have a short attention span. You can finish one or two games and call it quits before they get bored.

We haven't found this to be a battery eater.

in general this is just a fun game with one or two small flaws that are easily overlooked when playing a game with your kids.

Enjoy.

My three year old son saw this advertised and asked for it as a present - the only time he has ever done this for any game or toy.

The game comes with:
* Large blue elephant fan base and translucent plastic trunk
* Thirty rip-stop nylon butterflies
* Several butterfly markers for keeping score
* Four mesh nets for catching butterflies

The unit requires 4 "C" batteries (not included.)

When powered on, a quiet fan in the elephant base pushes air up the elephant's trunk forcing the butterflies out. Players try to catch the butterflies in their nets. Our family has played this game and enjoyed it. Catching the randomly fluttering butterflies is an excellent eye-hand coordination activity. And even though the game is geared for younger kids, there is enough of a challenge that all ages can play and enjoy it. (One of the nicest things about the game is that it really does not matter who wins, the game play is fun enough in itself. We don't even keep score and no one minds.)

Elefun is not without its issues, though:

1. Plays quickly, but then it takes considerably more time to get it ready for the next round of play than it takes to actually play.

2. The trunk has to be extended manually even with the fan on at the beginning of play. Once fully extended, it will stay up.

3. Eats batteries like mad. The fan works best with fresh batteries and the quality of play goes down quickly (not all the butterflies will come out) if the batteries are not 100%. A DC adapter option would have been nice.

4. While the entire set is durable, the trunk is a bit suspect. Made out of a plastic a bit thicker than a plastic garbage bag, it is subject to holes as it gets repeatedly crinkled during normal play. Our son inexplicably took a scissors to it, but fortunately it was repairable (though we lost a bit of length.)

All things considered, the game is fun and a good activity for young children. What kind of value it is for the money is debatable - a friend gave us this game, so it's a win-win for us. Batteries are an issue, however, and I would seriously recommend purchasing a big set of rechargeables anyway for any parent who buys battery-reliant toys. Considering how fast you'll use up batteries with Elefun, you'll save money in the long run if you do so.

I bought Elefun for my 2 1/2 year old daughter, who is totally delighted at catching the butterflies. She squeals with joy every time the butterflies erupt. I handmade her a massive crop of new butterflies in girly colors out of tissue paper, and we have an absolute explosion of butterflies when we turn the motor on. I took one of the regular tyvek butterflies supplied with Elefun apart and used it as a tracing pattern and folded my tissue paper repeatedly into a thick square and it made 40 butterflies in one shot with the scissors. I simply twisted and crimped the butterflies in the middle by hand, and WOW, was it easy and fun. They fly so high because they are lightweight! My daughter liked to help "make" butterflies (she mainly smashed them up, but its tissue paper, so who cares if she's having fun!) and I had a crop of over 100 in less than 15 minutes, in all of her favorite pinks, purples, yellows, etc. We love this toy, and are having a great time seeing our daughter so darn excited!!

This is a great game that my 2 1/2 year old son loves. The 1st night we brought it home, I would have agreed with the other "bad" reviews. It took FOREVER for the butterflies to come out, one at a time, and there were a lot that never came out. After reading some old reviews here, and taking others' advice, it now works great. Although I would still say this is more entertaining for very little ones (like my son's age) as older kids will get bored with it very easily. Here is what I did to make it work good.

1. This is THE most important thing to do - I took each butterfly and sort of bent it's wings 'backwards' or 'inside out' to make them spread out so that they will catch the air. They will not fly properly the way they come out of the bag, all crunched up.

2. We were using it on a carpeted floor. We now put it on a hard surface (book, board, etc). There is a button on the bottom that has to stay pressed in for it to work (we actually just taped ours so it is always in). This also allows for better air flow around the fan (more power), and I would think this would also extend the life of the motor.

3. I put in good "name-brand" batteries instead of the generics I originally had. Most times I never notice a difference in toys, but this time I did. Maybe the ones I originally had were just "bad" though too.

4. Not enough butterflies? (...)
5. For good measures, I also rubbed the inside of the trunk with a dryer sheet to get rid of any static build-up that may cause the butterflies to get hung up in the trunk.

Hope this helps some people enjoy this toy a little more. Now my son really loves this game. I was very ready to return it until I read through all the old reviews and tried these suggestions. Now we will keep it!

My 4 year old daughter really likes this game. I agree with others that more butterflies would be nice and you do spend alot of time picking up the butterflies and setting up for a new game. It would be nice if each game lasted longer, but my daughter didn't seem to mind. We just kept playing A LOT of games in a row. It's very easy to set up for a new game and it's fun for adults to play along because catching the butterflies isn't as easy as you may think. We had alot of laughs and alot of running around.

I will start off by saying that I really don't agree much with the other reviewers. As a parent, you have to have a little sense in how to operate some of these toddler toys. They're not made of steel nor are they completely idiot-proof. Yes, the trunk does not go up immediately when you turn it on, that's why you're supposed to pull it up yourself, according to the directions. Also, the butterflies have no problem coming out of ours - you can see them when they're about to come out and if they get stuck, just tap on the trunk and out they come.

This is such a fun toy for a three-year-old and is marvelous in developing hand and eye coordination. Plus, all the giggles that it creates is just amazing and fun. I had a bunch of fun playing as did my husband too. It would be nice if there were a few more butterflies but all-in-all, I'd buy this for everyone I knew. It's just a great way to entertain children and teach them at the same time. It is very durable, even the nets but you have to teach the children not to treat them like they're made of flint. This toy is made to be realistic in the netting so it also is teaching children how to better care for their things. Buy this game, you certainly won't be disappointed.

We've had this toy for about 3 years now. It still works great for us. My kids are almost 2 and 6 and just love this game! There are constant giggles in the house when they play it. They love it when the butterflies blast out of the elephant's trunk and they get to catch them with the butterfly nets. They both love to pick the butterflies back up and put them back in the elephant. It's part of the game to them!

We have also had troubles where the butterflies don't come out of the trunk, but we've discovered the solution. Only the butterflies who have lost their string around their middles get stuck in the trunk. All you have to do to fix them is to tie another piece of string around their middles and cut off the excess string. Yes, it's a little annoying, but I've found that once I tie a string around a butterfly,it doesn't come back off. The factory string isn't tied very well.

My girls (3 and 1) and their friends really enjoy playing this game. It has taken some tinkering to get it to work smoothly, and I would like to share the results with you. (Note: "Butterflies" has been shortened to BF)

Problem: Butterflies get stuck against the inside of the trunk.
Solution: Rub a dryer sheet up and down the trunk. The friction between the BF and the trunk causes static electricity.

Problem: Butterflies don't fly.
Solution: Prime them. Unfold the BF and flatten as much as possible without undoing the stitching. This will give each BF more surface area and cause them to fly faster and higher.

Problem: Trunk doesn't inflate.
Solution: Hold it upright at startup.

Problem: Flimsy nets.
Solution: Be grateful that they are flimsy. We tried playing the game with real butterfly nets and ended up with some major owies. Little kids just don't seem to have "total body awareness" yet.

Problem: Not enough butterflies.
Solution: Order more from the manufacturer. OR Make some yourself out of lightweight paper. (We have made just a few extra and my girls get very excited when they catch the "Special mommy butterflies".)

We are very satisfied with this game. Oh, also I said this is educational becasue it provides an opportunity to learn colors, counting, cooperation, and coordination.

My daughter(4 years old) recieved this game as a gift.

Pros:
I think the game is appropriate for her age although she really can't catch the butterflies. A younger child (2-3) would be amused with the game, but probably wouldn't be able to follow the rules and actually "play" the game.

It's very cute and easy to understand.

Cons:
My daughter did not like the noise; it is a little loud.

She ran the batteries out of it after playing the game twice. It's kind of like trying to run a vacuum cleaner off of battery power. Not a great idea.

Also, in order for the game to work it has to be on a flat surface so that a button on the bottom is depressed. We had difficulty getting it to work consistantly on carpet.

Overall, the game is worth $15.00, but expect to buy many batteries.

My four year old son recieved this a birthday gift and it has been a huge hit. The elephant sprays out butterflies from his trunk while the kids run around with nets trying to catch them. It is definately a game that develops hand eye coordination. My only critism is that the game goes quickly. It doesn't take long for all the butterflies to fly out. The upside is that it took little time for the kids to figure out how to reload the game themselves so the play could continue.