Elmo's World

As an adult, I can objectively see how amazing this Elmo toy is (even if some adults might find him annoying), but introduce him to kids and it's whole different world. His recommended age is 18 months to 4 years and those in that age bracket absolutely go nuts for Elmo. Have you ever seen a toddler dance? It's hilarious and adorable. This isn't the kind of toy you take out on a rainy day when mommy wants some quiet, this is the kind of toy that will exercise your toddlers, have them giggling their heads off and dancing. Pop it down in the middle of a toddler party, press a button and record for Youtube/Viral video gold. Elmo's frickin' cute.

The first most important thing to do is make sure you've turned him from 'try me' to regular settings. Otherwise he'll just repeat the same things again and again. Elmo says far more when he's switched on correctly. There are two noise settings, one that's pretty loud and suitable for party settings and one that should be used under normal circumstances.

I noticed some other reviews thought Elmo was too loud, but on the lower setting I didn't find him loud, just energetic. I mean, you've heard Elmo, he has that 'kid's show' voice that's punchy and happy, but the basic setting isn't overly loud at all.

Pressing the heart on Elmo's chest, has some phrases and guidance, it changes colours as he speaks. The rainbow button on top of his head will cycle through a colour song, with slightly differing colours and lines each time. This teaches kids vocabulary and colours, all to a familiar cheerful song.

The music note button will cycle through different versions of the song 'Elmo's World'. Good or bad, this song is guaranteed to get stuck in your head. It's fun that it has so many different versions.

The last button (yellow) is songs about animals. Like the Colour button, this is the same song with the animal and lines about the animal changed each time, helping to teach and encourage dance at the same time.

His dance movements change to match the beat and while his pose stays the same and his legs are stationary, his arms move differently to each song. Elmo is a sturdy hard plastic that won't damage easily and can easily be moved around by grabbing his headphones. He's not really cuddly, but he's not a plush toy, he's not designed to be. Think of Elmo as a branded beatbox/dance toy. He's a toy to encourage kids to learn, move and express themselves all at the same time, while appreciating the cuteness of this popular Sesame street character.

I feel like the cost is fair. While it's easy to feel it's too expensive, it's definitely on par with other toys that are electronic in nature and have this amount of speech. In fact, I'd choose Elmo over many of them which are priced more and do less. Throw in the fact that it's Sesame Street (a popular branded toy) and is sure to entertain and I'd buy it at this price easily.

Comes with demo batteries and Elmo. He is kind of a pain to get out of the box, with lots of ties to be cut (as always I recommend nail clippers for easy removal without damaging the toy), but it shouldn't take more than five minutes.

It might be Elmo's world, but we were glad to be a part of it!