Melissa & Doug Flapping Penguin Push Toy

I bought this as a 27th birthday present for myself, out of a spontaneous burst of nostalgia for the simple, non-3D graphic accelerated toys of my youth. I must say, it has definitely fulfilled its end of the bargain. It is easily the best toy I have ever owned.

The penguin design, complete with rosey cheeks, is adorable. The flapping action, carefully timed and controlled by the triangular axles on the wheels adds considerably to the enjoyment of pushing this around my kitchen floor, hardwoods, carpet, driveways, yards, over counters, up walls, windows, doors, or whatever. The slight squeak made by the turning wheels and flapping wings sounds like a bird, not too annoying, but perfect for tormenting my cat.

This thing is durable. I've had several friend's two-year-olds over head banging on the thing, slightly-inebriated web-programmers running over all kinds of surfaces, and a crazy cat pouncing on it whenever it is in use. The only wear after a year of rolling around the house and my office are some scuffs on the wheels from using it on inappropriate surfaces (or at non-toddler-driven speeds).

My only complaint is that the wheel design does not allow for very good cornering. It can roll backwards and forwards fine, but the wings jam when you try to do anything tighter than a traditional three-point-turn. If you try a U-turn with it the wheels seize and it will flip-over.

Got this push toy for my just-starting-to-walk niece. Although it's a little ahead of her current play capabilities, she liked the cute flapping penguin. It's a really well built toy, and, although made in China, the manufacturer certifies the paint is lead-free. All painting is done precisely and overall it reminded me of an old-fashioned toy. It has a very simple, yet durable, mechanism for creating the flapping effect and it's just darn cute. The teenage cousins had a ball demonstrating it for their little cousin. I've been recommending Melissa & Doug toys ever since I received this!

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I bought this for my child hoping it would help her walk if she had something to push. The handle is very short, shorter then I expected it to be. I think she understands if she pushes it the wings flap but she would rather sit on the floor and play with it than walk and push it. Overall it's a cute and durable toy.

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My great neice loved it too much and took to wacking people with it she was 2 at the time. It has been put away and not seen the light of day since a couple of days after I sent it to her. The product is hard wood and has a long handle that swings like a bat. So I would not reccomend it for children under 5 years of age till then understands this toy can hurt someone. Change the age group to a little higher.

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This toy must have some fault or something. One of the wings only flaps sporadically. I am going to try to lube it up so it flaps better, but honestly, it is hard to push for my 18 month old and even I have a hard time getting it to flap consistently. It is very cute and she does carry it around and play with it, but I just wanted a less annoying corn-popper type toy, and this one is just not flappy enough to fit the bill. I should have bought the PlanToys Plan Preschool Push-Along Frog, Push and Pull that was in Parenting or something.