Excellent toy that won't be grown out with for years (ELC Happy Street Emergency Centre)

Member Name: Gretta

Product:	ELC Happy Street Emergency Centre
Date:	06/01/01 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Durable, versatile, adjusts to suit your child

Disadvantages: Some bits can be pricy

Although this is an ELC product check out your local Sainsburies, as they sell a range of ELC toys, and often include them in the after Christmas sale. This is how I first discovered Happy Street, when I purchased the Village Green for £15 instead of the usual £30 with Christian's Christmas money, from Sainsburies when he was 13 months old. The set came with a track of about 15 pieces, park play mat, two cars, four figures, two animals, trees, traffic lights, a clock that chimes and has roosting pigeons that peep, a Post Office with a chiming door mat and ringing till and a phone box that rings.

All comes in bright durable plastic, which is easy to clean. The track is easy for tiny fingers to put together by themselves, and the noisy parts are easy for tiny ones to reach. The batteries just started to run out after over a year this week, but when I took them out and put them back in they have come back to life, which is amazing considering how much my son plays with it. ELC are always adding new bits, so it really is an ideal starter, great as a back up if people don't know what to buy for baby. We received some doubles this year, and the ELC were great about exchanging them, so no problems there.

With the age recommendation, ELC say 18 months plus, but once I had taken out the weighing scales there was nothing remotely dangerous. The solid plastic cars and figures would be fine for even quite a tiny baby, as they are moulded in one piece, and are much too big to be swallowed. Christian played with this quite happily from a year old, and friends with smaller babies found they really like the figures, which are chunky without movable arms etc., so very baby friendly. Also goes right up to as old as seven or eight years as provides opportunity for imaginative play. This will of course all depend on your child or baby, but I would have a look and see, as I think you'll be supprised at the excellent design that makes this possi
ble.

The range of sets is ever increasing, from a set of four cars (racing car, police car etc.) with four figures for £7 to a Channel Tunnel kit, which is huge and even includes replica Big Ben and Eiffel Tower, for £75. This kit is though on sale at the moment, for about £60. They Happy Tracks sets are totally compatible, and includes really great ideas, like a train which only moves when the driver is in the seat, a lot easier for tiny fingers then the switches on a lot of train sets. The goods train, which comes with carriages and costs £10, can be used on Happy Street road set, so you don't even need to buy the track.

Super quality, and if you shop around can be picked up for a reasonable price.

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