The Kid take: I gave this to my four year old. He was ecstatic. He and his 6 year old brother got a lot of play about it and were a little pushy trying to take turns. They enjoyed testing out each "instrument" and were big fans of several of the "jams."
Here's the adult take: This is a pretty good toy. It isn't terribly loud even on the highest setting, and it isn't confusing or abstract. The onboard narration does a good job explaining things. There are three modes, math, music, and game. Personally, I think "music" mode is by far the most interesting, but the math and games are relatively engaging. I think this toy is fun even for a bigger kid, and I personally kind of enjoyed trying out the fifteen different instruments and their combinations. The music itself is not grating or horrible by any means.
I do have a few beefs:
1. I like that "music mode" allows you to mix in different instruments into a particular composition. But I wish the songs were longer, or even looped continuously. Instead, they all seem to time out after 2-3 minutes or so. Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" needs to last longer than this! Then you have to continually press the "music mode" button to cycle through songs again.
2. Another minor issue is that some instruments seem inexplicably louder or softer at particular times. Do they change based on song? Based on which Octopus arm they're placed in? Who knows.
3. There is storage room for two instruments on the rear of the unit. The arms hold 4. That means you need to find a place to stow the other nine instruments.
4. The big blue button in the middle is apparently the "Annoy" button. It causes the octopus to say pointless catchphrases, or make a record scratch sound. Why not give us something more interesting in that space, like a song selector?
Overall, I would recommend this toy. It's not perfect, and I think it could stand to be 20% cheaper, but then, I say that about most things. It offers a lot of interest and replay value. I'd say it's good for kids 1-8, while older kids will probably try to sneak some play in too while no one's looking.
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From the manufacturer
Get ready to rock—and learn!
Fisher-Price Think & Learn Rocktopus is a music-loving octopus who can’t wait to help your preschooler create awesome tunes and learn all about different instruments, patterns, counting skills, and more! This rockin’ sea pal comes with five different musical styles and 15 different instruments for kids to mix, match, and rock.
Let’s jam!
Think & Learn Rocktopus features three ways to play, to keep your kiddo busy playing and learning. In Math mode, preschoolers can practice their adding, subtracting, and patterning skills as they follow prompts from their rockin' buddy. In Music mode, Rocktopus helps mini-musicians compose their own songs by 'handing' the octopus different instruments and bopping them to hear them play. Kids can adjust the tempo of their creations and add fun sound effects, too. In Game mode, Rocktopus leads kids through five levels of awesome musical gameplay.
Features
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15 instruments & 5 musical styles |
3 play modes: Math, Music, and Games |
Add or subtract instruments |
Adjust the tempo |
Free Rocktopus app!
Download the app to create cool music videos to go along with their compositions. Available on the App Store, Google Play.
- Attention & Listening: Young “composers” follow directions from Rocktopus during fast-paced games
- Rocktopus teaches other math concepts too, like addition and subtraction
- Instruments & Facts: Rocktopus helps kids discover how different instruments sound
- Explore fun musical facts, and even lets them compose their own tunes!
- Rhythmic Patterns: When preschoolers create music with Rocktopus, they count & create patterns
Customer Questions & Answers
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2018
On the flip side, I expected my eight-year-old to pass right on by this toy. Nope! He has played all the games and loves creating new mixes on here. It’s really nice to have a toy that both kids can use together, though their idea of playing with it is different.
I was turned off by the price tag (which I still think seems a bit high) but I’m more comfortable with it now. Not many toys bridge that age gap and I see many years of play with it. I was worried about the size of it, but it’s actually a fairly portable/storable size… it just comes in a giant box!
I wish it came with some sort of storage for all the random instrument nobs. It really should for the price. There are far too many to be stored on the toy and they really hurt to step on! I recommend getting a Rubbermaid container for the loose ones or you’ll never keep track of them all.
Suggested age 3-6? We proved it’s 2-8!
By KWJ on September 6, 2018
Oh my gosh, my kids love this thing! I was thinking I would need to set it aside for a year until my two-year-old toddler got a bit older, but he has been playing with this non-stop for a couple weeks now. He can’t play the games included, but it’s really not necessary to enjoy it. He just loves placing and replacing the instruments and making it play music. For his purposes, it’s like a really fun puzzle!By KWJ on September 6, 2018
On the flip side, I expected my eight-year-old to pass right on by this toy. Nope! He has played all the games and loves creating new mixes on here. It’s really nice to have a toy that both kids can use together, though their idea of playing with it is different.
I was turned off by the price tag (which I still think seems a bit high) but I’m more comfortable with it now. Not many toys bridge that age gap and I see many years of play with it. I was worried about the size of it, but it’s actually a fairly portable/storable size… it just comes in a giant box!
I wish it came with some sort of storage for all the random instrument nobs. It really should for the price. There are far too many to be stored on the toy and they really hurt to step on! I recommend getting a Rubbermaid container for the loose ones or you’ll never keep track of them all.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
Packaged standard
By alisha on November 15, 2019
So this product will come in a brown box you need to click on that and say you want standard package not frustration free. Over all it came on time and in good condition it was bought for a sensory processing kiddo who it's 4. My son absolutely loves this and easy for him to do at 4 making different music and lights. If your kid loved beat bo as a baby he or she will love this toy. It's is very stimulating so little ones might be over whelmed. It had fresh batteries and worked like it was suppose to. I loved the toy was turned off and not sitting there playing music for a box. I would recommend this toy for ages 2 plus any gender. I feel any younger it might be too much but every kiddo is different
By alisha on November 15, 2019
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Top reviews from other countries
Angela
Great toy, more instruments makes it more interesting and creative; but regular price is too high.
Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2019Verified Purchase
cp
Great Musical Toy for Toddlers
Reviewed in Canada on February 9, 2020Verified Purchase
Michelle James
Hours of fun! Seriously.
Reviewed in Canada on January 8, 2019Verified Purchase
JN
Cool toy that teach about musical instruments and mixing sound
Reviewed in Canada on February 17, 2020Verified Purchase
MSS
My 1 year old loves it
Reviewed in Canada on March 13, 2019Verified Purchase
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