Well...I almost don't know what to say. This toy gets pretty solid reviews, which I rely on when I am purchasing. I have a 1 year old and a 3 year old. This was purchased for the one year old for his birthday, with the thought, as we do with many purchases, that both would enjoy it on some level. The first one did not work at all, fan was broken. Second one works ok, but many times the fan is not strong enough and the balls get stalled blowing only at the height of the opening they are supposed to come out of. But, often it works well enough that if that were the only issue, it would be a worthwhile toy. Now, that being said, I personally find the toy extremely annoying even when it is working right, because the balls do NOT stay in the toy even remotely on a regular basis, they fly out consistently and have to be out back in. Since the toy is not for me, and the kids giggle and put them back in, even that is ok, even though the balls spend a lot of time being lost. My major issue is that my 2 boys, absolutely refuse to quit putting things that do not belong in the toy down the holes the balls are supposed to go in. Though I did not read all 500 reviews, I cannot believe that I am the only parent that has had this issue. We have a bent clothes hanger that we keep on-hand just for unclogging this toy. I also consider my boys to be fairly normal, and they play with other toys just fine, they way they are supposed to be played with. As a result, this toy spends a lot of time being out of commission. Although we spend a lot of time playing with our boys and their toys, we also encourage a lot of independent playtime. When we do play together, we color or use Play Doh or play a game with rules and pieces that have to be monitored, and this toy was purchased with the thought that they would play with it on their own. The only way it functions as intended (without lost balls and clogged ducts) is if we supervise. Therefore, it does not fulfill it's purpose in our home and I would not purchase it again. I would recommend knowing what your goals are for this toy before you decide to buy it.

My son played with this for a long time so we decided to give it as a gift for a 1yr old.

I bought this toy for my daughter last year for Christmas. She was 1 1/2 at the time and she LOVES it. The music is her favorite part. The air flow isn't great on this. It causes the balls to fly around and you have to pick them up and put them back constantly. Several occasions my daughter has gotten hit in the head and face by the balls. I've also had problems with it coming apart when she tries to pick it up and then I have to put it back together. You would think that Playskool would have made it so that it wouldn't come apart so easily. Overall though, it's a fun toy and my daughter ejoys it, she thinks that picking up the balls is just a game.

My husband bought this toy for my 11 month old daughter and she hated it. She is so used to playing with wooden toys that she just started at this toy because of the high level of noise it makes. There is a motor on it that is so LOUD. This toy has no educational value and I put it back in the box. I would rather buy a wooden toy that elevates her imagination and creativity.

My son learned that if he put the ball in one hole it will come out the other. (Cause and effect)He also learned that because the air is blowing one one hole it will be blown up in the air. He can see the motor moving when the machine is turned on. If you can put up with the vacuming sound it makes it keeps the baby busy for a long time. You'll have fun watching them play.