Customer Reviews

Tomy Pop-Up Pirate Game

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I'm a speech/language therapist, working with pre-schoolers age 3-5. They love this game! The anticipation of the pirate popping holds their interest (long enough to do their therapy) and they don't have to wait long for another turn. I wasn't thrilled about taking a toy with swords to school, but have only had to tell them once that "we don't fight with them, they're for the game." It has been frequently used, not treated too gently, but it is still in excellent working condition. I do not use the blue base included with the game, it seems unnecessary and only seems to make the game easier to tip over. The kids don't think they lose when the pirate pops, they think they won! Sometimes he jumps out on the first sword stuck in the barrel, other times it might be the last one! (I have no idea how this happens!) This is a very good beginner game, for learning turn-taking, although it is not particularly educational.

This game is a really good one. There is no reading involved and it goes by pretty quickly so you don't have to much whining in between turns. It is really funny to watch our kids (ages 5 and 9 months) scream in glee as the pirate pops out of his barrel. Set up is a breeze. The only problem we had is that one time we played and the pirate never popped out, even though all the swords were in place. We found out that someone didn't puch the sword in all the way, this would be something you would just have to make sure was done during wach turn. Other than that, this is a cool game and takes a pretty good beating with out breaking.

This game is pretty simple--you push down the pirate, put in the swords, and then take turns pulling out swords until the pirate pops out and someone loses. It has the same feel of Don't Break the Ice, but it doesn't require as much dexterity. This is the real beauty of Popup Pirate because it allows really young kids of 12-24 months to play with older kids and adults. Granted, our 2 and 5 year-old only stay interested for about 5 or 6 rounds, but that's 15 minutes of quality family fun time. ;-) Our kids ask to play this game with the entire family more than most of their other games. Another game similar to this for fun and ease of use for kids young and old is Crocodile Dentist (but that one's not for the overly cautious children).

My four year old loves this game. We bought it for him when he was three and having a hard time focusing long enough to play most games. He loved the idea of playing a game, but couldn't make it through Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders. He still laughs every time the silly pirate pops up!

It's been a couple years since we owned this toy but I thought it was worth mentioning what I know about it. When we had this toy we had two boys 5 and 4. They loved to play the game and used it quite a bit for a couple months. But after awhile they figured out which spot would make the pirate jump up and then it lost all use. So depending on how observant your kids are you might have limited play time. I do kinda wish I still had it because now I have a new set of little ones that would enjoy it...but I wouldn't buy it again.

I have two boys, ages 2 and 5, and it has been very hard to find games that my two year old could also play. We had really given up playing board type games until my two year received this for a Christmas present! This game is so easy (no reading and simple concept) and the kids love anticipating the pirate popping up! We call out the color of the swords and count how many we have put in etc. to bring in educational values. I admit I was hesitant about the game working since it requires no batteries (hooray) and I wondered about the durability. Well this game has exceeded all expectations and is truly a family favorite! GREAT GAME!

I purchased this game for my daughter's 4th birthday and she loves it. The object of the game is to NOT be the one to send the pirate sailing, but that is the best part! My daughter is thrilled if her sword sends him on his way and considers that she has won, so those are the rules we go by. It is such a simple game, yet it holds her attention and we play over and over. One thing about this game, parents can't "cheat" to ensure that the kids win....come on, you've done that. I do want to mention that the barrel will not stay on the base when you are inserting the swords because you do have to apply some good pressure to get the swords in all the way. We tried it without the base too, but either way you have to hold the barrel firmly while inserting the swords. Just make sure the little ones aren't leaning over the pirate while doing this, they don't need to end up with an eye patch too. Another thing is that you have to apply the stickers to the barrel and the base. No biggy unless you are very particular about such things, as I am. I should have cut them out with the backing still on to check the placement, but I didn't so the stickers on the top of the base are off center (spilling over the side) and don't match up as they should. While my sticker placement is not aesthetic, the game is still a barrel of fun!

This is a great toy the whole family can play! I have a 2 year old and a 10 year old they both love it. They think they win when the pirate pops out. Alot of fun and totaly worth the money!This game has also been knocked off the table a few times by the 2 year old and it is still going strong!

My children love this game. It's basically easy. There's a barrel that you push the the pirate down into until it clicks.Then there are 4 sets of different colored swords. So each player picks what color they want, and everyone takes a turn pushing a sword into the barrel hoping that they don't pop up the pirate. Finally, someone Shoots the pirate out of the barrel and that brings smiles to the kids faces. The anticipation is lots of fun and my kids changed the rules a bit! If the pirate pops up they yell "I WON" and want to play again. Since it's a game of chance, each kid will learn that they can't always win all the time which is a good lesson to prepare them to lose gracefully and to motivate them to keep trying and not to give up in real life situations. Plus, it gives Everybody that keeps playing more rounds a chance to win eventually because each time you push the pirate into the barrel, the slit that activates the pop up mechanism changes. So you can't memorize an easy way to win. 2 notes: make sure that all the swords are removed before you load the pirate, otherwise the spring mechanism that shoots the pirate out of the barrel won't go off and when you insert the swords make sure you push the sword with a little pressure all the way into the barrel so it will be sure to release the pirate. It says 2-4 players on the box but it can easily be played by one kid alone and can still be fun if they just wanted to push the swords in until the pirate jumped out.

I bought this game for my 4 year old son's birthday. I was looking for a game where the whole family could play, (mom, dad, 13 year old, and 9 year old). We have had so much fun playing this game and seeing who pops the pirate up. We don't really play by the rules, we play the winner is the one who pops up the pirate, that way nobody has to sit out. This game is a no-brainer, it can be played by one or all. We would definately recommend this fun game.