Fisher-Price Sparkling Symphony Compose 'n Play Orchestra
© 2001 Mattel, Inc.
This colorful plastic toy plays five classical tunes in three arrangements— voice only, voice & music and music only. Babies experiment with the music by putting in and taking out five clear plastic characters from the progressively smaller holes found across the toy. Though lower in price than Neurosmith's Music Blocks, the toy is much more limited, as the plastic characters can only be placed in one specific sequence. A more significant problem is the fact that babies' actions are not consistently related to the way in which tunes are played, making it unlikely that they'll stick with the toy. On the upside, the toy is very bright and easy for babies to manipulate, and our testers' parents appreciated having an alternative to nursery rhymes.
Smart Toy
Teaches: music, cause and effect