Shining Stars by Russ Shining Stars Dragon

After purchasing the Shining Stars Dragon for a review on my website I was impressed with the quality of the toy itself. I have purchased many stuffed animals in my time and the quality of the Shining Stars toys are above average, although they are not perfect they are above average. The fur does not "tuft out" (come out in tufts when played with) like many stuffed toys do, the shedding of fur is minimal which is a definite plus as there is nothing worse than a bald stuffed animal! The only negative aspects of the construction of the toy for me were the presence of felt which in my opinion lowers the quality standard and the construction of the wings on the dragon. The dragon's "spines" and nostrils are both constructed out of the felt but since these aren't major aspects of the toy construction they don't worry me too much. The wing construction doesn't present a huge flaw, the stitching is the problem I have as it could and will be easily separated by a child trying to make the dragon "fly" but should the wings come unstitched that is no loss as they are still secured in a central location.

The website registration aspect of the toy is easy enough and the interactive backend of the "members only" section of the site is a fun process which can give minimal entertainment to a child as well as give them an opportunity to characterize their toy and give it a personality. While the star naming and star chart aspect of the Shining Stars may seem "cheesy" to an adult, I firmly believe it would be a fun and educational experience for a child.

Pros

Astrologically educational, Imaginative, Interactive and durable

Cons

Interactive website encourages sedentary activity.

My 7 year old nephew loves this toy. He carried it around with him and sleeps with it at night and talks to it. It's "fur" is fluffy and durable and sparkles like a star.

My nephew and I went to the website and assigned his dragon to the Draco constellation, named the star, and named his dragon; then we spent a good half hour or so enjoying the interactive website, where one can use points to "buy" a world for your shining stars pet to visit, and "buy" accessories for the world. We also had a laugh dressing up his virtual dragon as a pirate.

I think the best feature is the educational value of naming a star in a constellation you pick. He now notices the stars, and every night we go out and look at the various constellations and he asks, "Audra, where is my star at?" and I point out the general location. My other nieces and nephews can't wait for their turn to name a star in the sky after them!

Buy Shining Stars by Russ Shining Stars Dragon Now

I bought my teddy bear at Christmas Mouse, on discount, this August 2011. Now I know why. If you go to wwww.shiningstars.com, you are informed that Russ Berrie, licensor of the Shining Stars line, has filed for bankrupcy on April 26, 2011. You are also informed that the Shining Stars website is no longer maintained. If you are buying the toy just because it's cute, great. If you want the star registry print out, you won't be getting it.

Also, remember that the Star Registry is not really legitimate. Astronomers don't recognize the Star Registry. Hope this helps.

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My daughter got this for Christmas last year (she was 3). We only set up the web account and named the star last month. I've read reviews saying to stick w/webkinz and based on my experience with my niece and nephews i agree that webkinz is a more sophisticated site. However, my daughter, who has since turned 4, really likes the website. She is learning good basic computer skills and mouse coordination. She thinks the games are fun and since she doesn't know how to read, the more advanced games and interaction with buddies that is on webkinz is beyond her anyway. I think shining stars is a great introduction to webkinz. I am sure by the time she is 6 we will have moved on from this, but in the meantime I think it's a great starter program.

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This dragon is so cute and one of the sofest toys ever.He has little silver sparkles all in his fur and there is a shooting star on his left front foot.His scales are also soft and they are purple so if your child likes colors this stuffed dragon is a hit. I also like the naming of the star from the star directory its fun and teaches children about the sky and stars.I think this stuffed animal will be a good friend for my niece for a long tiime.