This review is based on my own opinions and experiences.
Playskool Tonka Bounce Back Racer 49 MHz Blue by Hasbro
Ages: 3 to 6 years old
Price: $34.99
I had been wowed by the commercials. A flippable remote control car, how cool is that? Now if it could only climb the walls…
But I’m getting ahead of myself. My husband still plays with remote control cars, although his are of the nitrous gas powered variety, so my son was already playing with remote control cars at one-year-old. We learned from these first experiences with remote control cars and the very young a few key features that must be in place for maximum enjoyment by all.
Must-Have Features for a Toddler’s First Remote Control Car: First and foremost, a toddler must have a remote control car and accompanying remote that are indestructible. That remote control car needs to be sturdy enough to careen off sofa cliffs. The remote control car remote needs to have large buttons, simple enough for new, awkward fingers to easily navigate. Lastly, the remote control car needs to be cool. If it’s not interesting enough for you to play with over and over, your toddler won’t want to either.
The Law of Supply & Demand: We found the Playskool Tonka Bounce Back Racer meets all of these requirements. Once we decided on purchasing this specific remote control car, we found it was sold out at every store we visited. The search was on, and after plowing through several stores, we made a special trip to the holy grail of toy buying in this area: Toys R Us. A whole wall of remote control toys, but no Playskool Tonka Bounce Back Racer.
Panic set in. In defeat, we approached the checkout at Toys R Us but, refusing to give up, asked an associate and found it where we least expected; in the toddler department.
Results: Anyway, we purchased the Playskool Tonka Bounce Back Racer several months ago and are pleased to report it has lived up to all of our excited expectations. First of all it’s Tonka, which means it is tough. The soft, squishy body has held up, the wheels are intact and the transmission is fine.
TIP-Buy Rechargeable Batteries: Like any remote control car, it takes a lot of batteries, I think 8 “AA” and a “C”, so make sure to buy rechargeable. Buying the rechargeable batteries for the Playskool Tonka Bounce Back Racer is going to cost nearly as much as the toy itself. So be prepared to double the price. That’s right. Double. And Toys R Us didn’t sell them, we had to go to Walmart. Having had the experience we’ve had with “adult” remote control toys, we weren’t surprised by the added cost for our toddler’s first remote control car.
Overall Rating: Really, having to power up the Playskool Tonka Bounce Back Racer is the only downside to our toddler’s first remote control car. He presses the buttons, wheels spinning full speed while he runs after it and picks it up and doesn’t get hurt. When other people drive the remote control car, he reaches up for the remote and whimpers. Our toddler loves it. We like it. The Playskool Tonka Bounce Back Racer a win-win.
