Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Flapping Duck Push Toy

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was excited to find this duck because of the bird's attractive appearance and the concept of flapping, clacking wings. My 1 1/2-year-old son enjoys my old push toys, and I thought a new push toy would be a welcome addition to our familty. When the beautiful duck arrived, I couldn't wait to remove the packaging.
Unfortunately, the toy's design is a disappointment. It takes real effort to get the wheels to flip through the mechanism so the wings flap; if you don't push really hard, the wheels just stay put--particularly on carpet, since the carpet gives before the wheels do! Also, the balance is questionable; for the toy to stay upright when not in use, it pretty much has to be propped against something. Otherwise, the weight of the handle pulls the duck down. I'm not saying it's IMPOSSIBLE to stand the toy upright on its own, but kids who like things to be neat will probably meet with frustration if they try to stand the duck up without assistance.
I'm not planning to return our duck or the one we ordered for our nephew (they're just too cute), but I wouldn't have bought them if I'd tried them out in a store first.

Back to basic! Yet another high quality, well constructed solid Melissa & Doug creation. My 18 month old adores it. Contrary to some feedback, this toy is easy to maneuver. No annoying noises, battery free - simplicity at its best!

My son received this as a gift for his first birthday. He was very excited to hold and push the duck as he walked around, however, that excitement is long gone. There is a lot of resistance in the wheels which makes it difficult to push. I push the duck and my son smiles as it flaps its wings. Perhaps when he's is a bit older he'll be able to push the duck on his own. Until then, the duck just sits in the corner. On a positive note, the toy is well-made and is of the highest quality.

This is a hard toy for a child to maneuver. My son did not like it at first because it just didn't move the way he wanted it to move.
I realized that the elastic controlling the duck was to tight, so I removed it and replaced it with a nylon string instead. Now my son likes it because he can control it better.

In our house we call this the "poorly designed toy". As another reviewer pointed out, you have to hold the stick at just the right angle, and you also have to dig the wheels into the ground to get traction in order to make the wheels turn. In addition, the wooden ball at the top of the stick is too big for little hands to hold on to. Our 15-mo old daughter will grab for the toy but get frustrated that she can't push it properly. Sometimes she ends up just carrying the thing, but mostly she abandons it and finds another toy.

This is a beautiful toy w/quality construction. However, it is a toddler toy. My toddler, who is a very coordinated and efficient walker can never manage the right angle to activate the "flapping" feature on this toy. It's becoming a source of great frustration to him because he knows from my demonstrations what it is capable of, but is unable to accomplish it himself. I think by the time he's old enough to get the right angle consistently, the novelty of pushing toys will have worn off.

This is a beautifully made, old fashioned looking toy ... unfortunately, it's just not that easy to play with; as another reviewer noted, the wheels are very stiff, and it doesn't push easily. My son carried it around infrequently after we got it, but now it really just sits in the corner. It was a great prop for some portraits, though!