Star Station Entertainment System
© 2005 Fisher-Price, Inc.
If you've ever plugged a video camera into a TV in real time, or walked by a camcorder display at an electronics store, you get the idea of this video camera/music player. By connecting the base to your TV by way of three RCA plugs, children can see and hear themselves on screen, as they sing and dance to Kidz Bop songs, including “Who Let the Dogs Out” (our favorite). They can play, pause and select a song using controls on the wireless microphone. As they sing, a series of five special effect lenses (clear, double vision, kaleidoscope, color warp and star) and be enabled, giving a new look to the screen. There is not much variety between these modes, and the picture quality is rather fuzzy; factors that contributed to children's loosing interest. Parents were not excited about the battery consumption -- the wireless microphone requires 3 AAA batteries and the base uses six C batteries. The system comes with one Kidz Bop cartridge additional cartridges are available for $10 each with different songs on them. This toy has a big novelty effect; but our testers soon lost interest.
$59.99, Smart Toy
Teaches: self-esteem, confidence, music, singing