Gearhead Mom

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

That’s One Mighty Loud Rescue Center You Got There, Diego

Posted by Missy W. @ 8:43 AM

I’ll start by saying I was not going to be the kind of mother who let her daughter watch Go, Diego Go or Dora the (Totally Irritating) Explorer. I was only going to buy wooden toys and never let her within 100 yards of the golden arches. And then I actually became a mother and lookee here! My daughter is still alive after her first (and not last) hash brown and has clearly licked her share of plastic toys. I’m still disappointed in myself that I ever let her lay eyes on Diego and Dora. Not because I think their message is horrible (Lots o’ girl power! Learn about endangered animals!), but mainly because whenever she watches one of those shows, she wants me to sit right on down next to her and enjoy it, too. It’s 23 minutes I’d, uh, rather spend otherwise, but let’s just say I’ve written my share of reviews for this site while sitting next to her as we chant “...This rough and tough adventurer is workin’ all the time! Diego...Diego…Diego…Go, Diego, Go!” Excuse me while I go hit my head against the wall.

That said, my kid has actually learned a lot about the rain forest from Diego. The other day she looked at Roger and said, “Daddy, iguanas keep their food in their tails.” And she was right on. I am pretty sure neither Roger nor I knew that iguanas stored fat in their tails for hibernation. Diego:1; Mom and Dad:0.

So when Micky got Kara the Loud As Hell Rescue Center by Fisher-Price, Sy just about went nuts. She begged me to go to her house pretty much around the clock so she could play with it. I have to admit, while it’s one big ass piece of plastic, it’s a cool toy. Don’t tell anyone I said that, OK?

After watching Sy do a happy dance over this toy, I buckled and got it for her as an “early birthday present”. I’ve never seen Sy geek out in the way she did when she saw what was waiting for her in the living room one morning. She immediately dove for it and proceeded to ignore us for the rest of the day, and subsequent weeks. The thing about the Rescue Center is that even Sy’s pals who don’t watch Diego like to play with it. It has vines, an elevator, a zip cord and countless other nifty gadgets to play with. Who cares who Diego is? Well, my daughter cares a LOT for one. She creates her own story lines around the Rescue Center and will seriously play with this thing for an hour at a time. I am NOT invited (unless of course she needs help with the zip cord).

Here’s some particulars about this huge hunk of plastic:
Includes articulated Diego figure,
5 animals (spider monkey, Baby Jaguar, Mama Jaguar, a snake and one sassy macaw),
All-terrain vehicle with little shelfy thing in back for the animals to hitch a ride and a helicopter.

The observation deck includes a talking computer command center with flashing light that plays phrases in English & Spanish and real animal sounds from the show. Diego and animals can ride the working rescue elevator and fly in the helicopter by pulling on the tree lever. Slide Diego down the vines and zip-cord to reach the animals. Includes lots of animal care and nurturing accessories (uh yeah, including a weird box of animal “food” that looks less than appealing), and even plays the “Go, Diego, Go!” song! Sy has figured out how to play it over and over and over again.
Approx. 23½” H x 17” W. Requires 3 “AA” (LR6) alkaline batteries (not included).

Micky read some reviews that said the pillars came apart and the second story fell down, so she just superglued the whole thing together before she even gave it to Kara. I did not do that and have had no issues with it. Sy is very precise in the way she approaches toys, she is certainly not too rough and tumble with this one. Her friends are a bit more hands on and I still have had no issues. I’m ready with the superglue if it does start to come apart.

My main complaint is that there is no Alicia action figure. What’s up with that, Fisher-Price? She’s a huge part of the show and an awesome big sister. What gives? Sy pretends that Dora or one of her other Diegos (from other sets, I’m not proud) is Alicia, but it’s just not the same to her. When we talk about wishes at night, she often says, “I wish I had an Alicia doll.” Poor kid with NO toys, wishing for just one. Naught. But I do agree with her; Alicia should be there, running the Rescue Center like she always is. I’ll write a letter to Fisher-Price and see if I get a response. I’ll keep you posted.

Snapshot:
• This thing ain’t small and it has a LOT of pieces that go along with it. If toy detritus makes you nuts, this toy is not for you.
• As I mentioned before, Diego’s compound is loud as hell and, alas, it comes with batteries. How often do you wish batteries were not included? I was so not going to show my child the on/off switch, but since she’d already played with it elsewhere, she was on to me.
• Donde esta Alicia, Fisher-Price?? So much for the girl power I was talking about.
• If your kid is even slightly into Diego, this is a toy that will be warmly welcomed.

Share: Email   |     |