Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Pound and Roll

by Melissa & Doug

Product Features

• Brightly Colored
• Smooth sanded wood pieces
• Helps build early shape, color and size differentiation skills
• Wooden Hammer included
• Recommended Age Rating is 2 Years and up

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 6.5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007CQ71C
• Item model number: 497
• Manufacturer recommended age: 24 months - 6 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,223 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Incredible value and superior craftsmanship make this item a top seller and childhood favorite. Brightly colored, smooth-sanded pieces help build early shape, color and size differentiation skills. Pound the four balls through the holes and watch them roll down the ramps! Wooden hammer included. Ages 2+ 7.5 x 5.5 x 5

Product Description

Hammer the four brightly colored balls through the holes with the wooden mallet, and send them traveling down the ramps to the finish! 7.5 x 5.5 x 5. Recommended Age: 2 and up

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This toy IS age appropriate, November 14, 2006

By 

Penelope "Si's Mom" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Pound and Roll (Toy)

Some of the other reviews annoyed me enough because of their low rating of this toy that I needed to add my own two-cents worth. My son is 23 months old and we have owned it for about for about 2 months now.

The reviewers complaining over the level of difficulty in getting the balls to go through the holes are complete correct in their assessment. Yes, it is not a particularly simple task, especially for a child who is 10 months younger than the recommended age for the toy. Melissa & Doug's recommend age is 24 months and up. My little boy, who is very physical, has bashed his fingers more than once using this toy but loves playing with it all the same. He enjoys having to whack the ball more than ONE time to get the balls to go through the holes. That's the fun part!

Part of the reason why manufacturers put a recommended age on their products is because they believe that is the most suitable age for their product. It is not to dissuade parents of younger or older children not to buy it. So when parents do not heed these suggestions, it seems a bit slanderous to say the toy is not "age-appropriate" or of poor design because it is difficult for a child who has yet to reach the necessary milestones to appreciate the toy.

Also, another reason why we chose to buy a wooden toy is because wood is a renewable resource. Once we create plastic, it is here forever. I don't feel as though our toy was cheaply made, but if for some reason it did start to loosen, we could find ways to fix it, as it is made of wood--something that we couldn't do with plastic. I'm stepping down from my soapbox now.

I just wanted to stick up for this toy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Had Trouble Too But Called Number, July 5, 2006

By 

Teacher Mom (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Pound and Roll (Toy)

My Son, Lives and Breathes Bob the Builder. He was starting to hammer the walls and the furniture, so off the store I went to find a product that he could bang on instead. I was so excited when I found a Melissa and Doung product. Usually they are well built. But....After banging and banging and my husband banging and banging and still no balls going through I was very disgusted. Instead of taking it back to the store, we called the number on the back and they were extremely nice and apologetic. They sent another one right away, within a week. The second one worked fine and now we have two hammers and 8 balls!!!! My son loves pounding on it and I love the fact that only occasionally,do my walls and furniture get whacked! Their response made me love their products even more!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My son LOVES this toy!, November 13, 2005

By 

S. Abon (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Pound and Roll (Toy)

I can understand the complaints about this toy. As it doesn't come with any directions, I was confused at first. But the balls are actually slightly different sizes with the yellow being the biggest - so it takes the most "hits" to get it through the bench. AT first, my son didn't take to it, but my husband and I would hammer the balls through and he'd just stack them in the holes. Then, after seeing us hit the balls through - he will now sit and pound on each ball until they go through. He loves it - and it keeps his attention for a long time, longer than most other toys.

I think it's great for hand-eye coordination. But at first, it IS frustrating because some balls take a while to go through - hang in there. The whole bench does loosen up after used a few times.

WONDERFUL TOY for the Money!!!!