Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Abby & Emma Deluxe Magnetic Dress-Up Set

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Now, if you're going to create a cool toy like this, why wouldn't you provide a lid on the box so people can store it properly?

My 2-year-old daughter loves this set-- so much that I bought another one, too. The dolls are colorful and fun for her, and she pulls this out to play with it almost every day.

The lack of a lid is a real problem, because the pieces are all over my house since there is no good way to store it, and the small pieces are a secondary problem. My daughter doesn't stick them in her mouth, so I'm not very concerned about choking, but it's just very easy to lose the little pieces.

I see no reason why this couldn't have been designed with two shoes on one longer block, for example, or with shoes sticking out from under the skirt, so there wouldn't be so many little pieces. Especially because then the company could remove the warning that it's not for kids under 3, when it's clear from the reviewers here that 2-year-olds are using these dolls plenty.

We received this set as a Christmas present for our almost-five year old daughter. She actually already has another variation of it, but this one has two dolls and more outfits and so she was immediately taken in. So were the rest of us - by the intense sinus-burning odor of VOCs, presumably formaldehyde.

Melissa and Doug call their toys 'wood', but the majority are made of MDF - which is only wood in the loosest possible sense. It consists mostly of resin, and sawdust (enter the term wood). These are manufactured in China, and as the Melissa and Doug reps have told me in the past when I've questioned the smells their toys emit, there are no regulations on the amount of formaldehyde and other VOCs in their toys - or as they spin it in a positive light, "Our toys go through rigorous testing and meet all CPSC regualtions." There are no CPSC regulations on formaldehyde in pressed-wood products, like those made by Melissa & Doug.

In my experience, formaldehyde can cause lightheadedness and confusion, as well as sensations of burning in the eyes, nose and throat. This toy is no exception. The smell was so strong, I could detect its presence from clear on the other side of the room.

So what if your kids are exposed to a little formaldehyde, right? And if it were only a little, sure - I suppose (though I don't think it should be in their toys). But it's in virtually everything, from clothing and bedding to shampoos and soaps and baby wipes to *any* pressed wood furniture, household cabinetry, and the list goes on and on.

My children developed a clear sensitivity to it early on in their lives, when they began experiencing chemical-induced eczema from their clothing (imagine the thrill of locating formaldehyde-free clothing). So my gripe with this toy is rather personal. It's very clearly made of a poison and one that can have nasty consequences with prolonged exposure. Permanent damage to lung tissue and eventually, cancer can be long-term side effects.

So, while I understand that people wanting to bury their head in the sand will rush to click 'unhelpful' I think it's worthwhile to reach just a few people out there who believe their kids deserve better and that manufacturing toxic junk for our children is a practice that will only stop when the toxicity of these ingredients are exposed to the general public and the consumers put down their foot and say these business practices are unacceptable.

Perhaps if we all worked to make this information part of the 'general knowledge' like lead paint and BPA, well-intentioned relatives wouldn't usher these toxins into our homes.

Much more fun than the coloforms that my daughter had - gave this to my 3 year old granddaughter for her birthday- it's great, especially that it has its own case for all the pieces. She spent hours changing outfits and having fun with this - a great one!

paper dolls tear, these will not! for added fun, stick to your refrigerator. better yet, trace your dolls and tape the outline to the fridge where your kids can play dress up in a different environment. super cool toy.

This is a really fun toy, but when I opened the box the strong chemical smell really threw me off. I thought it would be for just a few seconds, but it lasted and after a while I started to get concerned that it was unsafe for my children. I removed it from them but I ended up sitting next to it for a bit longer myself (not by intention, just happen to be), and I got a headache and almost threw up. I decided to put this toy outside for the smell to disseminate. Eventually I felt it did go away, but I regret not having done that right away -- my children and I all ended up inhaling the smell when it was the strongest. Even if the smell seems to go away with time, it still makes you wonder what could have been the source of that smell -- it just can't be anything good.

This is a neat toy and my 3 and 2 year old daughters really like it. The magnets on this toy are not strong enough though and the clothes don't stick very well. Also the case that the toy comes in does not have a cover so all the clothes pieces fall out easily.

Brilliant idea but yet again poorly executed. My daughter loves playing with this, but I do have concerns about the safety. As soon as you open up the plastic lid, the VOC's/chemical smell is really strong. Aired it out for 2 days outside and it still wreaks. Wish Melissa and Doug would stop outsourcing their products to China because the quality is obviously not good. Also, wonder about the lead content because again, it's another piece of junk made in China and we all know several Melissa and Doug products have been recalled for lead.

My daughter has fun playing with the dolls, but the clothes are poorly designed. Some of the tops don't "fit" with some of the bottoms. I think they should have used a stanard size for shoes, tops, bottoms, and hats. Other then that, there are a few pieces we removed from the set just to be free from any sort of choking concerns. This isn't a fault of the product, our daughter is younger than the recommended age. The outfits are very colorful, and to those whom it matters reflect a very modern sense of fashion (belly shirts, mini skirts, bikinis). This isn't an issue for us in our house, but I imagine some with more conservative tastes they may want to remove these pieces ahead of time.

Update: as time's gone on, I dread when my daughter or her friends break out this doll set to play with, because they don't enjoy it any more. All the kids get frustrated because of the clothing issue mentioned previously. I wish M&D would pull this one and create a new one that the pieces actually form outfits effortlessly, because we've had girls from 2-8 at our house that all share the same frustration.

My 2 year old grand daughter recently broke her leg. It's been hard to find things to keep her busy. I found this toy by accident at Kohls. She loves it! She sat and played for a couple of hours. Her 5 year old brother loved it too. Dolls solidly made. The clothes stay on. She even colored one of the dolls with crayon and it wiped off. 2 snaps for this 5 star toy!!

First, this toy says it's for children 3 years and older and it's true. There are some REALLY TINY PARTS in this set. See those little feet on the figures? There's teeny tiny magnetic shoes for each of those teeny tiny feet. My daughter is two and she owns tons of toys for older ages and is fine with them, but this set, I won't let her have a large portion of the little magnetic pieces for fear they will be mistaken for a raisin, or even eaten by one of our dogs.

The magnets aren't as strong as I would have expected, but they do okay. You can't layer clothes, and if you prop up the doll in the pink stand, the clothes sometimes slide down the body a bit. However the pieces are well formed, nice quality, rich colors. My daughter calls them "bodies" and likes putting on and taking off their clothes (and playing with the clothes on the refrigerator and other metal surfaces).

Like others have said, this box (and most items I have gotten from Melissa & Doug) needs a lid! It's a lovely pink tray for the toy, but without a lid it's pretty pointless.

I am happy that the girls are different ethnicities, and are built like real little girls. The clothes are pretty fun - cute prints, styles that can't be associated with a certain decade and are fun and not sexy or mature.

Amazon was having 50% off Melissa & Doug toys near Christmas and I bought this on a whim. If I could do it again, I don't think I would buy this. It doesn't seem as though it was well thought out (teeny tiny pieces, unable to layer, magnets not even as strong as those for M&D wooden magnetic letters).