Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Construction Site Jigsaw (12 pc)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We love the Melissa and Doug toys and have bought many. We generally find them to be of good quality construction and durable, as well as engaging and educational.

However, we purchased this and the Africa Plains 24 piece puzzle for our grandson for Christmas. When we removed the shrink wrap and started to separate the pieces, the bottom and top laminate layers on the edges of several pieces immediately peeled and/or snapped off. (One of our grandkids puts everything in her mouth and I could see these puzzle pieces causing a hazard if she picked one up.)

We really like the Melissa and Doug toys and have had great experiences with most of them. I'm hoping that this problem is just a fluke with a bad batch of glue; but this happened with 2 different puzzles. I've emailed them to ask them to investigate.

My 4 year old son got this puzzle and another M&D puzzle last week for his birthday. The graphics are wonderful, but that's all the good things I can say about them. The pictures are already starting to come off of the pieces, the pieces are really hard to get apart, and there are wood fragments coming off this puzzle like crazy. The ends of the pieces are sharp and it gives me the willies to touch them because of the wood shards that are sticking out of the pieces and board. I would have a cardboard puzzle over these any day.

Another great product from Melissa and Doug. This, and the similar On the Go Wooden Jigsaw, were my 21-month-old son's first jigsaw puzzles, and he loved them on sight! Because these puzzles are made of thick, sturdy wood, there are some not-completely-smooth edges. No biggie -- I gave them a little buffing with very fine sandpaper before I gave him the puzzle.

He worked with the puzzle, with a little help from Mom & Dad, until he had literally memorized it and could put it together lightning-fast. Now, at 24 months, he enjoys putting it together wood-side-up, too, so we're really getting our money's worth with this thing.

One thing to note is that, after much love and enjoyment, the paper is starting to wear at the edges. And my son actually managed to tear some of it off the puzzle in a moment of toddler curiosity. However, contact cement pasted the paper back on and all is well again.

The recommended age is 3+, but I think kids much younger than that can enjoy starting to learn how to work jigsaw puzzles. The look of pride when they figure out how to put them together is priceless!

Here is the timeline of this product:

After first two plays, little wood pieces starting chipping off;

In about two weeks, the pictures starting peeling off;

In about one month, layered wood started falling apart.

Will I still buy puzzles from this company? Maybe, no one else selling small puzzle set for toddlers. What choice do I have? But I do pray to God that somebody will be making a better product soon and drive Melissa & Doug out of business.

Got this puzzle for my son for Christmas. He loves it. He has it memorized and does it over and over again. Had to use wood glue to fix the frame and a few pieces that were separating almost immediately, but that seems to have fixed the problem. Now I noticed some of the picture is starting to come off one of the pieces, but my son has been playing with it multiple times every day for the past 2 weeks, so don't know if this wear and tear is normal considering the use that it has been getting and having a toddler take the pieces apart.

I have been a huge fan of Melissa and Doug toys for some time now. Lately, however, I have been disappointed a few times. This is one of several toys that the picture is peeling off. I have put a thin layer of thin glue over the edges of several pieces to make it lay back down and stay on. It also seems the pieces are made of an extremely thin wood which peels in some places. I really wish that i could continue to be super impressed with this company.

My 2 1/2 year-old son loves this puzzle. It has enough pieces for him to enjoy putting it together but is not so difficult that he can't put it together himself. He plays with it for up to 1/2 an hour at a time, taking it apart and putting it back together again.

I purchased this for my 3-year old. This puzzle does not meet my expectations. The pieces were not cut well so they were difficult to take apart and put together. Also, there were pieces of wood falling off the pieces when we took the puzzle apart.

I am a big fan of Melissa and Doug toys. I purchased this puzzle as a gift for my three year old nephew, and he loved it. It's a simple puzzle he can put together by himself, but keeps him occupied and he is always very proud to complete it. He has had this puzzle over a month and still using it.

This puzzle, like all Melissa and Doug products, is very well made, safe and has a good design that is not too frustrating for little kids to solve. My little guy took about half an hour to do it the first time, but now really enjoys racing through it. Once he gets good at a M&D puzzle, we mix up several puzzles to make it more challenging.

You won't go wrong with any M&D puzzle, but be sure and check the number of pieces. Kids should start with a 12 piece puzzle, but it is too easy for kids with some puzzle experience, while the 24 pieces provide a bit more of a challenge.