What you gonna do with all that junk inside that trunk! (Hasbro Elefun)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	Hasbro Elefun
Date:	03/08/09 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great kids game for all ages, lots of fun, can help with coordination and learning colours

Disadvantages: Not enough butterflies (make your own?), some butterflies get stuck in trunk

I brought Elefun for my nephews third birthday. I got it from Toys R Us (in the board games aisle) for £14.69. I choose Elefun as I remembered having lots of fun playing the very same game with my cousins about 15 years earlier. To my suprise the game hadn't changed at all, unlike many toys which seem to get facelifts and upgrades.

The game is recommended for children 3 years onwards (not 8 years as stated in Dooyoos description) which I would say is about the right age - my daughter who is 2 enjoys this game but can't seem to actually catch any butterflies! I'd say Elefun would be fun for children upto about 10 years of age but wouldn't buy for anybody over 7 years of age.

The game is suitable for up to 4 players at any one time.

Elefun requires 4 x C batteries, which aren't included - don't make my mistake! Batteries need to be inserted in the battery compartment on the underside of the elephant (small screw driver required).

The game comes packaged in a suprisingly compact cardboard box and has instructions inside. The box is decorated nice, bright, eyecatching and can be spotted easily on the shelf - it has a picture of a cartoon elephant blowing hundreds of butterflies out of it's trunk. The box is handy to keep and look after to keep all the bits in.

The game consists of:
- A blue, plastic, chunky elephant
- A blue, 4 foot long, plastic trunk
- 30 coloured butterflies
- 4 coloured nets (blue, green, red and yellow).

There are 2 ways to play this game, the first way is to pick a net and only catch the butterflies which are the same colour as your net (eg. if you pick a green net, you can only catch green butterflies). The second way to play the game is to just catch as many butterflies as possible - this is the easiest and most fun option.

Before you begin the game you should find a nice open space and everybody should grab a net. The butterflies then need to be placed inside the elephant and the trunk should be screwed on - an easy task for adults and children. The 'on' switch which is located on the elephant should then be flicked on and the trunk should be straightened out so it is perfectly straight - this needs to be done really quickly as the 'on' button sets of an fan inside the elephant. If the trunk is not perfectly straight the butterflies won't blow out properly. Young and inpatient children will probably need some help straightning out the trunk at first (plus the fact it's 4 foot tall) but will soon get the hang of it.

If you haven't already gathered the game works by shooting butterflies out of the elephants trunk and the players have to catch the butterflies in their nets.

Overall this is a brilliant game which is fun for the family and has stood the test of time. The kids get really excited when the butterflies start fluttering around the place and can usually be heard shrieking and screaming with delight! The educational aspects of this toy are that it can help with co-ordination, catching and learning colours.

The only issues I have with this toy are with the butterflies. There needs to be more butterflies provided as each game only lasts around 10-15 seconds and once the game has finished you need to scramble around on the floor and pick them all up again. If there were double the butterflies, there would be double the playing time and double the fun. A tip to solve this problem is to make extra butterflies yourself from coloured tissue paper (I think the butterflies provided are just made from tissue paper). My second issue is that a couple of butterflies always seem to get stuck inside the trunk, this can always be solved by giving the trunk a little shake but can become a little bit tedious, especially for children. Also, when the batteries start to tire the fan slows down slightly and has problems blowing the butterflies out.

Oh and the noise of the fan and the falling butterflies might also set the dog off!

Elefun is available from all good toy retailers and generally costs between £12.00 - £15.00 which isn't bad value for money as long as you have patience and are prepared to make some extra butterflies to throw into the mix.

Summary: Good fun.