Playskool's Alfie: A parent's review

Alfie's look comes from outer space and he has come to earth to help kids with their early learning. His face is cute and his body is full of bright large shapes, letters and numbers.

He has a humorous sounding electronic voice, which, thankfully, is not an irritating voice. Alfie has a wide variety of little sayings and phrases, including some cute asides. At one point, he needs help scratching an itch. A red light flashes on his body for the child to push and relieve Alfie of his itch. My granddaughter wanted me make Alfie itch over and over, so she could push the red light!

He comes with 30 different cards, and many more can be added. This is a feature that drew me to this toy. Alfie and my granddaughter can grow together.

Alfie helps her learn shapes, patterns and colors now, but when she is ready, he will also help her learn letters, numbers and words.

Alfie is a strong little robot. He stands up to being dropped, banged, carried around, and yes, slept with. Hasbro makes this toy and they have been making quality toys and games for children since 1923.

He has a little backpack to hold all of his cards. Fair warning, though. I am the one who always puts the cards away. For my two-year-old granddaughter, the process of putting all the cards together into the backpack is just a bit hard. As she gets older and has better fine motor skills, this will be no problem for her.

The only negative I can find with this toy is the cards. They are not particularly strong and do tend to bend too easily. I was sure they would fall apart and not work well after just a few uses. I was surprised, though. They have been holding up and even some of the slightly bent cards still work.

Luckily, the cards are easy to replace. With so many in a pack, even the loss of some of them still gives my granddaughter plenty of play time.

From Parent Steve:

My wife and I got this for our four-year old daughter. She's been using a computer since she was three and we needed something that was electronic that would hold her attention off the computer (preferably non-video game related). Alphie ended up fitting in perfectly. Despite the fact that she's a bit advanced for games and activities it has, it keeps her interested for quite some time. She's now showing our 6-month old how to use it, so it's likely to become a good starter for her, as well as an excellent bonding tool for the both of them.
...Overall, this is a highly recommended toy for parents looking to get their kid an electronic device without getting them hooked on video games just yet. As I said, my 4-year old is a bit advanced for the lesson part of the games, but it holds her attention just the same, and for a younger child that's learning, this would be even more valuable.

From Parent "A Regular Joe:"

If you grew up in the 1980's you probably remember Alphie - that fun loving robot that taught you all about colors, letters, numbers, math, and more. He is back - and better than ever with a new upgrade, this time sporting a much better animated face instead of the plastic face we all remember. My three year old son has been playing with Alphie for the last week and he loves him. He has an electronic voice that is a lot of fun and not at all as annoying as I imagined it might be. My son got mad at me a few times for "taking over".

The Best Toys for Toddlers is an online review club open to moms and dads everywhere. Write a review of your toddler's favorite toys. It's free, and you could even earn a royalty for the great articles you create.

More about us: Our goal is to helping parents raise the quality of playtime with their toddlers. It's not just about the newest toy--it's about sneaking education into your kid's playtime. Parents know: Playing is serious business! We're always on the lookout for the best toys for our little tots.