Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Alphabet

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is one of the greatest toys I've ever seen. The letters are made of wood and the front is painted with a smooth, bright, shiny enamel. The best part is that the entire back of the letter is magnetic, not just a little piece like those cheap plastic magnetic letters. These will not fall off and they are plenty strong enough to hold artwork up on the fridge. The come in a durable wooden box with a clear plastic top that slides on and off. They are much bigger than the plastic alphabet magnets so they are easier for little kids to handle without choking. There are both upper and lowercase so there are plenty of letters to make words. My daughter loves playing with them on the fridge and dishwasher. We even gave a set to her 1 year old cousin as a birthday present. I would recommend them to anyone. Believe me, they are well worth the price and your kids will be able to hand them down to their children.

Like a lot of people, I grew up with those plastic alphabet letters on my fridge. So when my son was around 2 years old, I figured it was about time to get a set for our home. We were fortunate enough to get this set as a gift. I was truly impressed! This set is by far superior to any others I've seen on the market. They're large and colorful, and the entire back of the letter is a magnet. Not just one little square. They really stay put on the fridge! I also like that they're wood. Sure, bite marks would probably show up more on the wood than on plastic. But overall, I think the wood is far more sturdy and durable. All the letters come in a nice wood box with a sliding clear lid, making it easy to keep everything together. You really couldn't ask for more!

I thought these were SO COOL, then I had them tested at a local free lead testing for kids toys and they came back POSITIVE. Further research at Healthytoys dot org showed that the magnets contain a MEDIUM level of LEAD!!!. If you child is extra careful not to touch the magnet parts then I guess these are fine, but if your child is like mine and likes to touch the entire thing and then put his fingers in his mouth, these are too dangerous.

Healthytoys dot org lists lots of toys as both safe and unsafe, according to brand. It's good to be careful these days.

All I must say is that these letters are soooo durable. The back of the letters are all magnetic where as the plastic ones only have a little piece of magnet to hold them to the refrigerator, so everytime the fridge closes one always seems to fall off, but NOT these they hold on and I really like that. The colors are very bright and they have helped my 2 year old learn her colors. I only wish they made more differnt colors than just 4. Another thing I love is that these come in upper case and lower case so you have more letters to make into words. They do cost more than the other ones but well worth it.

The letters are large, the whole backside is magnetic, they are made of two pieces of wood stuck together. One piece is magnetic while the other has a piece of shiny paper stuck on it. Unfortunately, you can't wash them because the paper slowly detaches from the wood and they end up looking very ugly. I decided to remove the paper, and remained with the brown wood. If they were washable they would have been the best letters out there. My kid prefers the plastic letters because we get to clean them when they are dirty and still look attractive.
I am buying another set of letters and it won't be these ones.

My kids have both kinds of magnets, these and the plastic letters with the little magnets in them. They love to play with all of them, but they get frustrated when the plastic ones just slide down the fridge, or when the magnets fall off. The plastic ones end up under the fridge; their thicker profile and poor magnets are a bad combination. This kind is MUCH better; they're lightweight and completely covered with magnetic material on the back. They don't fall apart and they stay put! Less frustration for the kids, less hassle for me: It's all good!

Yes, they're a little more pricey than what you can buy at Walmart, but they're worth it. They've stood up to my 16-month old chewing on them. And best of all, no worries about a little magnet coming off the back and being aspirated or swallowed because the entire back is magnet. They hold on great. So, redecorate your fridge, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer with these great ABC/123 magnets.

Update -- The paper starts peeling off when your kid dunks them in the dog's water bowl. I don't think the manufacturer should be faulted for that. I still think they're great. We bought a second set because daughter has learned about the trash can and several letters were missing.

We put them on our fridge so the children have something to play with while I cook. They are an easy way for children to manipulate letters and learn with more than one sense. They are tactile in that they are cut out and the child can trace the letter with his or her finger and feel the letter. They are easy to play with and fun.

We have also taken them on trips with us in the car. I bought an old cookie sheet for each kid and they can use this as magnet holder while they play and manipulate the letters.

Enjoy.

I have purchased many Melissa & Doug toys, because I feel quality and safety is worth the higher price tag. But I was not pleased with the magnets. All of their other wooden toys are painted, so I expected the letters to also be painted. They aren't. Instead, it is a paper lining over the letter, which easily came off into my sons mouth moments after opening the package. My friend purchased cheap plastic letters at a local store, and is much happier with hers. I wish I had done the same. For now, they are packed up until my son gets over his sucking on everything phase.

If your child likes to put toys in their mouth, these letters won't hold up to the drool.

I like this set because it's a reasonable price considering the quality which is quite good...I would definitely choose these letter over the cheap plastic ones because the backs are a complete magnet which makes them hold on without drifting down...The colors are satisfactory...The coloring scheme is simply an alternation of red, yellow, blue, and green....You may want to refrain from giving these to a child who is still put things in their mouth because the paper fronts will dissolve and come off...

BTW...There's a set available with letters & numbers together.