Its not what it seems.

Doesn't this look like fun?!

Okay its hard to tell from this box. This is the Gazillion Bubble Launcher. You stomp on the launch pad and swoosh up go the rocket with tons of bubbles trailing it. Yeah. You get this thing home and first of all, get it together. May not seem hard to some but I had a tad difficulty, of course it would have been easier if I hadn't misplaced the directions...moving on.

Finally you get this together, you get the bubble solution in, set the rocket in. Your anticipation is higher then your kids. You are expecting a gazillion bubbles to shoot out and fill the sky. Your son hovers over the launch pad, looks at you with big eyes and a wide smile. Three, two, one...nada. Nothing. Niente. Zip. Okay, so he didn't stomp hard enough, he is only 40ish pounds. "Try jumping sweetie". Three, two, one...okay up it goes. Wheres the bubbles? Oh of course, silly us, the solution came undone during the first try and were never set in again. Re-do rocket, make sure solution is all set...okay third time the charm. This time an adult is going to take over the launch. Watch this! Three, two, one....up ten maybe twelve feet, ten maybe twenty bubbles. Splat. Over. Done. How to explain it. Its like chocolate cake without sugar. Coffee without caffeine. I mean what is the point in a bubble launcher if...it doesn't launch. And if it doesn't spew bubbles that amaze you? Seriously. And lets talk about being cheaply made. Okay lets not because we will be here all night. Lets just say you are not getting your money worth.

This goes for a lot of kids toys though. Honestly. I can't think of how many things we have bought only to be broken not long after normal use. (by a toddler not an adult). For example, he got this flying disk thing last summer, you put the disk in push the button and wooo out flies this disk...yippee. Broke after a week. No joke. Lets see here, he had another bubble thing (kid likes bubbles), put the solution in like a water gun, and it shoots bubbles, lasted a month maybe. Piggy bank that counts, didn't last a day, though to be fair that could have been adult error.

On the other hand, he does have toys that he has literally had since he was a baby. He has this counting pig that he has had through three moves and since he was a baby. That not only still works, has never had batteries changed! Playschool I think. Good quality stuff. I think that is the trick. you have to find a company that builds quality affordable stuff.

But then, you get the 'some assembly required.' and a new parent thinks "No problem, we can do that." Ha yes you can...but you risk your marriage. In fact you risk your marriage, the potential safety of the product, and a few fingers. We tried putting a kitchen together for him one Christmas (oh did I mention you have to do this, at night, quietly, the day before holiday/birthday). It took four hours, and the damn thing was (ta da) cheaply made, not good quality at all, never quite worked right. Whether that was our poor putting together skills or because the product sucked, we will never know. The kids on the box seemed to enjoy it.

Tricycle...you know the plastic ones? Big Wheels or whatever? They don't come put together either, gotta put those together too. And if you are unfortunate enough to buy these things with your child. THEN get them home and have to have your child wait while you figure out how to put it together...God Help you! Honestly.

The worst thing about all this? After you have sliced your fingers getting the box open, after you have destroyed a pair of scissors on the plastic tie wraps. Once you have gotten blasted thing together, batteries in the right place, etc. Your child will play with it for all of ten minutes, and the grow tired of it. He/she might love it and play with it daily, or weekly or not at all. While you are left with cut fingers, broken tools, and  the promise that someday, they too will have children.