Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Joey Magnetic Dress-Up

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My 2 1/2 year old doesn't get enough of this toy. He loves to change to outfits and will stay entertained for anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes playing (a long time for this age group). Joey is a great addition so that little boys can play with dress up dolls without having to use girl figures, and he also enjoys the different costumes and pretends with us each character. For the price it is great. The only thing is that if he drools on it, the paper becomes soggy so be careful if your child is a drooler.

Pros: Melissa and Doug toys are great. My 3 year old son likes this toy. It has different professions (e.g., fire fighter, police officer) and fantasy roles (e.g., super hero, knight). It also is a type of puzzle because they match the outfits and make the pieces fit together. Adults can also enjoy it. It reminds me of my old paper dolls, but better because it's magnetic.

Cons: The box is awkwardly designed and all of the pieces don't fit in easily. My son has already misplaced some of the pieces. It would be better if the box was enclosed (e.g., had a lid) and all the pieces fit easily inside.

I love wooden toys, generally like Melissa & Doug, and I'm all about encouraging creative play. But this toy falls flat. Since the pieces are not terribly interchangeable it stifles creativity, as it's difficult to put all tops with all bottoms, etc. It's more like a really lame puzzle. My son played with it once or twice, then just didn't see the point. It's not like he's dressing a doll that he can then go off and play with or something. You dress it, you look at it, you move on. Yawn.

Plus, the lack of a cover or lid to the box is a huge negative. The little pieces are constantly getting separated from the rest, making this an irritating toy to keep clean. Further, I don't know how but my son managed to peel off the face from the guy so now it's just a faceless blah with several of the pieces who knows where.

This is definitely not a toy that is worth it to me to deal with, especially since it fails at inspiring true creativity. I just chucked what was left of it in the trash (after less than a year of ownership).

I picked this up on a whim when watching my 3 year old nephew the other day. We were taking him to a 'nicer' steak restaurant, and I wanted to make sure we had something to keep him occupied while waiting for the food.
It was a HUGE hit! The character and pieces were well sized for table-top play. He was almost sad to have to put it away when the food arrived! After dinner, he immediately started asking if he could play with it in the car on the ride home.
Only downside- I wish the tray was more of a box that closed so that you don't have to worry about loosing pieces. A lid of some sort would make it perfect for outings to restaurants, etc.

Before purchasing this toy I read through ALL of the reviews. Of all of them, I found only one mentioning a chemical smell. Therefore, I figured it was an anomaly. Nope. It really does stink horribly.

This toy is off-gassing something. Not only does it have to be some form of VOC-it actually makes your fingers smell like it too. I did not realize this until I had already allowed my children to play with it. I got both the Joey set and the Maggie set. The Joey set is much more stinky than the Maggie Leigh set by far. It is now sitting in the garage and I am not allowing the kids to play with them until I find out what is off-gassing so bad.

I got light-headed and my stomach became upset from the smell--this does not happen unless there is some type of volatile organic compound involved. VOCs are not good for anyone-especially kids- to inhale or handle. I had also bought some large wooden lacing beads and they do not smell anything like this. Actually, none of the other toys we have from Melissa & Doug smell like this. I wonder if it is the magnetic backing or some type of adhesive?

I put a call in to the Melissa & Doug company right after I opened the package and noticed the noxious smell. I explained my concerns with them and asked them to contact me with the information on what could be causing this smell. They were very courteous, concerned and they assured me that they would get back to me after checking it out-it is one of their best-selling toys. They also offered to replace the toy if they could not resolve the smell issues. I am confident I will hear something this coming week and I will update this review.

My family enjoys our many Melissa & Doug toys. However, this particular toy needs better testing.

Update: 8/11/10

No word yet on the testing results for what the noxious smell was. They were very understanding and professional. When I spoke with one of their consumer product reps she stated that the item may have been sealed before the paint cured. Still waiting on results though. Once they picked up the product that they footed the S&H on-they then kindly sent a small selection of age appropriate toys as replacement for the sets I sent back to them. I thought this was a really nice gesture on their part and very fair. They sent the large threading beads and an adorable sea life magnetic fishing puzzle. Our kids love them! Upgraded stars to 4 from 2 since I had to send it back for testing etc. but overall I am satisfied for the most part with how the issue was resolved- although I would like to know that they have resolved the smell issue with the magnetic dress-up toys.

I am a preschool itinerant teacher and all the boys and girls love
the many outfits they can place on Joey. It is great because
the children can relate to the different characters, policeman,
fireman etc. Very educational. (How about making a girl and
an African/American one too with all the career outfits.)

My son loves this toy. The clothes stay on very well and he likes that it isn't a girl toy. Super happy with this toy. So happy, I am buying another one for my nephew.

This toy is fantastic. Traditionally paperdolls and dress up were for little girls, but Doug and Melissa have created a version for little boys too. This toy helps kids with vocabulary (shirt, hat, fireman,etc), colors, and imaginative play.

I recently purchased these for my preschool classroom. The children and their parents have fun playing with them. Both boys and girls love dressing the dolls.

My 2 1/2 year old enjoys this, but some of the pieces (boots especially) are small and easily lost. As well, although there are several changes of outfit, the pieces mostly don't mix. The superhero top has a cape that extends down below the waist and prevents using most of the other pants, for example. The boots are of different heights that prevent them fitting with other pants, too.

It would allow better play if the parts were more interchangeable. Our typical game of me doing the wrong thing (e.g., fireman with pirate pants) and asking my son if it's right doesn't work here, unfortunately, and that's a shame.