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" Brand: Fisher Price / Age: 12 months / Type: Learning Toy "
There are very few toys that we still have at home that were originally my son's. A strapping boy who is in reception class now, means he's done a lot of changing, not just physically, but mentally as well, over the years. One of the toys he received when he was a baby that we still actually have out of the toy box is this one. It was bought by his dad nearly 4 years ago, so no idea how much he paid. Still can be purchased today. Currently online on Amazon for £29.99.
Why was he bought this?
My son's dad bought this as a Christmas present to him when he was around the 6 months old age. He said he bought it because it looked fun, and age appropriate. It has quite afew 'bits' to it, which he thought would keep our son occupied.
What does it look like?
The toy comes in 5 pieces. You have the main vehicle, which in my mind has a slight tractor look to it (the front bit of it that is), an open top trailer/carriage, and three animal figures.
The main vehicle-
The main vehicle is chunky in look and quite big. Measurements are 10 inches in length, 7.5 inches in height and 6 inches in width. At the front you can see a yellow coloured bumper, with a blue circular shaped section sitting just above it. Small holes are in the centre of this section, and this is where the sound comes out. Above this, you can see a large green button that stands up right, and when pressed down will light up, make various animal sounds and play music. Next to this button is a small smoke stack (that's what Amazon describe it as!), which when pressed down has the same functions as the green button (if memory serves correct! ). There's a very small blue button that needs to slide from side to side. A little picture below it seems to show the vehicle in motion, but can't recall if this means there is a moving function to this toy with the help of batteries.
The main colour of the rest of the vehicle is red. Its open topped, and has two almost handle bar type pieces attached to either side of the top of the vehicle. Both green in colour, with two leaf shaped plastic pieces threaded onto it on each bar. In the centre of the vehicle there is plenty of space to stand the animals up. Not all at once as there wouldn't be any room, but one at a time. At the bottom of the area where you can place an animal, there are some shapes almost embossed into it. Similar in look to the leaves on the bars, and also some musical note shapes. Slightly raised in look but still quite flat.
At the back of the vehicle is a small hook which means the trailer can be joined onto it. Very close to the hook is a small blue sliding button that turns the volume off, down or up.
The main vehicle has 4 wheels, all yellow in colour. The back wheels are the largest, with a textured tread to it. The two front wheels are a third of the size of the back ones, and are completely smooth.
The trailer-
Mainly yellow in colour. Length of trailer is 12 inches in length, 6 inches in width and 3 inches in height (this doesn't include a bar on this. If included in height it works out at 8 inches tall).
The front of the trailer has an area on the edge to hook onto the main vehicle, so can be placed on it or taken off if and when needed. The trailer is segmented into two areas. The front is square shaped (6 inches by 6 inches) and the area behind it is a smaller rectangular shape measuring 6 inches across and 4 inches in width. As mentioned it is open topped, so these two areas can house the animals it comes along with or any other toys children may want to put in it. The front area can house either of the two larger animals, and the top of it is rimmed in the colour green. It has a small red bird attached to one of the sides, which when touched wobbles, as it must be connected to some form of spring mechanism. The smaller section of the trailer is rimmed at the top by a blue colour, and has a green bar arching its way over the top of it. On both sides of the bar are two small shapes that are yellow in colour and look like bananas.
The trailer moves by having 6 small red wheels on the underside of it.
The animals-
Elephant. Blue in colour with a purple tail and ears. Bottom of the elephants feet are four different patterns each one a different colour. Elephant is jointed, so the trunk can be moved around, the legs back and forth and the ears can be turned 360 degrees. Measures 6 inches tall.
Giraffe. Yellow in colour with orange spots all over. Like the elephant, the bottom of the feet are multi coloured and different patterns are on them. The neck can be moved backwards and forwards, and the legs can be moved using the same motion. Giraffe is 9 inches tall.
Monkey. Small in size and brown in colour. Not jointed at all, but does have its tail stuck out in a particular position, so it can be hooked onto the bar on the trailer.
Both elephant and giraffe can stand up unaided.
All pieces included vehicles are made from some form of plastic. Age suitability on Amazon suggests 6 months-3 years.
Requires batteries 3 C batteries required.
What do I think?
This is a great toy. The first thing you notice is how substantial it is. The vehicles, the animals, all elements are of a high quality and detail. Despite being designed for children from the age of 6 months, they haven't tried to dumb this toy down in any way.
The colouring I always loved. Not gender specific, but still bright, colourful and vibrant. Eye catching to anyone that looks at it.
The design is good for quite afew different reasons. The vehicles and the animals are all quite chunky in look, feel and build. It means they are easy for children to hold, and makes them much more robust when dropped, kicked thrown etc. I also find that toys built like these are much more tactile, and kids find touching and playing with them much more interesting and fun to do.
My favourite part of this toy for me are the animals because their limbs move and make a squeaking type sound, you can't help but want to play with them. They're fun and despite being very bold in colour (the elephant especially), they are instantly recognisable, but created to look alittle quirky and over the top.
When this was bought I had the one child, I now have two. So many different pieces to this means if the kids want to play with it they in theory don't have to share, and can use different parts to entertain themselves or to play with each other.
I did mention how robust this toy is. The animals are surprisingly a lot lighter than they look and aren't heavy at all. But, as my kids have discovered, if not played with probably e.g throwing them at each other, they really can hurt! The main vehicle is a touch on the heavy side, but it's the biggest piece in the set. My 2 year old can carry this but not for long. Her brother no issues. But in fairness most kids will push this along rather pick it up.
The music and the light element is a great sensory addition, on top of the general role playing any child would create while playing with this. Despite the fact we haven't heard the music from the vehicle section in a long time because of dead batteries, it was played that much I can still hear it in my head! It was very cute to watch a then 6 month old playing with this and seeing his little face light up when he pushed the huge button and the music would play. but when he realised the more he pressed it the more the music would go on, the more his parents looked at each other and thought ' why is this toy in the house?'. I guess it can be like that with a lot of toys that has sound and music connected with it. But despite how annoying it could be from time to time, the positives outweighed the negatives.
I don't remember the vehicle section being able to move independently. Maybe its something forgotten or maybe it never did. I just remember my son pushing this around using his own force.
Although not something the kids play with often, it still is something occasionally they will spend afew minutes pushing the vehicles around, but more so playing with the animals. It just shows the longevity of this toy as my son is closer to the age of 5, and he still gets enjoyment from it.
This obviously after being played with and owned for over 4 years does show signs of wear and tear. Some of the blue pain work has been scraped off. The batteries haven't been replaced in such a long time and probably won't in all fairness, but this set is still in a fantastic condition and still can be used and played with.
Would I buy this myself?
I would. It really is a good set. It's fun, looks great, easy to play with and perfect for a decent range in regards to age. It potentially could grow with a young baby to nursery, if not reception. Great toy to have if you have more than one child, or your profession is child minding/working in stay and play. Very well made and doesn't date.
This was a present for my daughter from her grandma (my nan). I chose this for her as she had previously played with it at a friends house and loved it.
My nan bought this in Costco where it was £25, you can also get it in Tesco and any large toy store. Most of my daughters presents were left unwrapped for Christmas day and I also took them all out of the packaging to save frustration on Christmas morning. This toy was a nightmare to get out of the box, every limb of each animal had a paper type tie around it which took an age to get off.
The train is made up of two separate parts which can detach from each other. The first is the engine of the train which is bright red, pink and blue with yellow wheels and the two carriages.
The train requires 3 x C batteries, which are included. The train is suitable for 6-36 months.
The on/off switch for the train is located behind the engine section, it has 2 volume settings, I have set it to loud as these things don't bother me I don't mind the noise and my daughter loves it. There are three animals included in the train, in the first carriage there is a giraffe, he has brightly coloured feet with different textures to them to amuse your baby, the legs of the giraffe are flexible, the back legs can be moved so the giraffe can be put in a 'sitting' type position, he also has a flexible neck. The next animal is an elephant which also has different coloured textured feet and also coloured ears which have a bumpy texture. The elephants ears and legs can also be moved around again the elephant can be placed in a sat down position. The final animal is a small monkey which doesn't move but when shaken has beads inside that rattle. Each carriage has a feature to it, the main one has leaves attached which can be spun around by your baby, the scond one has a bouncy parrot attached to a spring and the final carriage has banana beads attached which can be spun and moved by your baby.
The train opperates in two modes to grow with your baby, the first is the stationary mode the second being the moving mode to encourage your little one to go after it. To operate the train your baby needs to push the smoke stack at the front. This is large and easy to press it is green and flashes when it is pressed. The train then sings a song about animals and learning what they do, say and their colours and sizes. The train moves at a decent pace but also pauses as it is chugging. I have to be honest we use this in stationary mode as my daughter has no interest in crawling, she will walk along the sofa but she has made no effort to crawl, she will watch it chug off then play with something else! Beside the smokestack is a smaller button which when pressed makes different animal noises. My daughter misses this button completely and continually pushes the smoke stack so we hear the same song over and over, she obviously likes it as she dances to it when its on and claps!
The front part of the train has a sensor at the bottom so depending on which animal is placed there it sings a different song, the animals are quite weighty and even at 10 months my daughter gives up holding them after a short while, so I can't imagine a younger baby being that interested in them. The songs that the train sings are fun, but I don't find them particularly educational, this is more of a fun toy in my opinion, my daughter is more interested in pushing the one button and detaching the carriages and turning them over.
All in all this is a fairly decent toy for the money, the only two negatives are the weight of the individual animals and the fact that it sings about 'zeebras'! this is a pet hate of mine and I think that Fisher Price should adapt the toy for the UK market. For this I will give it 3 out of 5 as even though it does get played with I can't see it keeping aughters interest for long.
I purchased this item for my daughter (now six) when she was two for Christmas. I am so glad I did!
Being Fisher Price, I expected this toy train to be sturdy and hardy, which it was. My daughter on occasion lobbed the poor train and the accompanying animals across the room, and they all survived the crash! No splits, chips or breaks at all. The train was also sat on and 'ridden' many times and never failed to stay good!
The battery life is absolutely fantastic, I think I only had to change them three times in a year. This is probably helped by the fact that you can turn the train on and off, and also the volume has two settings; loud and quiet (a Godsend when it becomes irritating!)
The train is really bright, colourful, and has a loud cheery voice and flashing lights. It moves across the floor at a good speed, and even works on carpets. The train also emits some very lifelike animal sounds, which children love to copy. The train comes complete with a monkey, giraffe and an elephant which all are adjustable (heads, legs and so on). There is also a parrot on a spring. You can buy extra animals to go into the train as well.
The carriages fit onto each other and the train easily, so tiny people can manage it too.
A fun, highly recommended toy for children aged one to three (ish)!
It was my Nephews birthday and I wanted to find him a really good present that would last and take his heavy handed ways so I looked in the argos catalog and found the fisherprice train set with animals. I wanted to have a good look at it so thought I would go to the big tescos in banbury near where we live, there they have all the toys on a shelf so you can have a good look. I found that a lot of retailers sold it tescos was retailed at £34.99 which I did think was a bit steep for a childs toy but i bought it anyway.
The set came with the train itself which sang songs when you pushed the chimney down and pushed down on the platform inside the train. It also had a sound switch so you can turn it off or down when it starts to get annoying. The train also comes with a trailer that clips onto the train to exstend it, on the trailer it has a bar for animals to sit on and a wobbly parrot attached to the edge. You also get a selection of animals which include a Elephant, Monkey and Giraffe, all of which click as you move there head and limbs!!
All components are brightly coloured with different textures on the animals, all parts are chunky and easy to hold. They are also very solid so not likely to break.
The good thing about The Fisherprices train set is that you can buy addishional pieces to go with it such as extra animals and other vehicles too such as a boat!!
My nephew loved it and got endless fun from it and we still have all the pieces as they have been past through the family from brothers to cousins!
I would defenetly buy this again and recommend to others that are looking for a life long toy!!
This toy is brilliant. My little boy has a few things from the jungle range and he loves them all. All the animals are bright and colourful which small children love. The giraffe and elephant have movable parts and different textures. It also has a little red parent on the side on a spring which he spends ages just flicking it. You would never believe it would entertain them so much.
It has a big button on the front which plays music when you press BE WARNED you will be singing it all day. Also when you put one of the animals in the front of the train it presses down on a button and plays more music, there is also a smaller button which makes animal sounds on the front.
I also credit this toy with helping my little boy to sit up. When he could sit but not balance very well and kept falling over he could hold onto the bars on the front carriage and balance himself to stop falling over. It really helped. There are also little things on the bars for them to spin round and move up and down.
I would recommend this toy to anyone, very good value for money they get hours of fun out of it.
We got this train last Christmas for £25.00. I know alot of people with items from the rainforest range and thought them really nice looking and educational. This train is no exception. It arrived in a half box so you can touch and feel what the toy is like. I hate these type boxes as they are no good for storage but this box had bright colourful pictures of all the jungle animals. So we cut them out and made a nice collage which my baby loves.
The train itself comes in two sections. The steam engine and a detachable carriage. The main part is the steam engine. It is mainly red plastic with large chunky yellow wheels and blue decoration. It has a green funnel that the baby can press. When the baby presses it , it lights up.The train has a stationary mode for small babies and a motion mode for crawlers and older. When you press the funnel in stationary mode it plays two songs. The songs are sung by an American lady in an awful whiny voice. Eventually you will find yourself singing along in the same awful whiny voice. The songs are about animals.
When you press the funnel in motion mode the train move along a short distance by itself, which is entertaining and plays the same two songs.It does get stuck on the tiniest raised surface such as any rug you may have laid down. To switch from one mode to the other there is a small blue button next to the funnel.
Inside the engine sits a removeable giraffe. He or she is very nice looking with a big long neck and chunky long legs. All his legs neck and head move for pretend play. When they move they make a clicking sound that is supposed to entertain your child, but mind never did. His body has the giraffe skin with raised spots for yur child to feel and improve sensory skills. The bottom of his feet also have different colours and textures.
When you place the giraffe in the carriage his weight pushes the middle of the carriage down which activates more songs. Next to the funnel is a large yellow button that when pressed makes a different animal noise. My baby loves to press it an copy the noises. There are two bars on engine carriage that hold two spinnable different colour leaves for the giraffe to eat.
The second is attatachable to the engine by simply hooking it on. The carriage is split into two sections. The larger section is yellow with a green edging, red wheels and had a small red parrot. The parrot is stood on a spring and pings back and forth. Inside is a removable blue elephant. His limbs also move and make the same clicking noise. He has two big ears made of chewable textured plastic ideal for teething. He also has different colour feet.
The second section has green edging. There is a big bar on which swings a very cheeky looking monkey. The monkey has two bananas attatched to his bars. He doesn't do much except swing. The back of this carriage has a hook incase you want to add another. However I cannot find any extra carriages anywhere but online. They are very expensive at around £15 each. They would be a very nice addition but they are not really nessecary. My baby enjoys putting her own small teddies in there aswell.
What I like about the toys is it is suitable for all ages. Even when they are older as all the animals move in such a nice way they will be great for pretend play. This toy is extremly sturdy . My 18 month old has started to climb in and sit in the enigine. It is too small for her but she still tries every time.
This is a fantastic fun toys. A bit cheap looking for £25 but my daughter loves it.
Fisher Price Amazing Animal Train
This is yet another large toy that plays music that my granddaughter was given for Christmas. This one came from her other Granny (my husband's ex) but as step daughter has been living with us since November we are 'fortunate' enough to have it in our family room most of the time.
A great big box!
It comes in an enormous box with the individual items clipped into the box with those impossible to remove plastic ties so the first challenge is to remove the toy from it's over generous packaging. Once released you then discover that this toy requires 3 large C cell batteries which are not included so you then have to undo the compartment with a Philips head screw driver and put these in ( provided of course you have been savvy enough to have bought these prior to giving the toy). Once the battery is installed, provided the child has now not become more interested in the packaging while you were sorting the battery, it is now ready for play.
Hop on board the animal train!
This song does really get on your nerves after a while as the person singing has a high voice and an American accent and it just grates on me.
Let me take you around this toy so you get the full picture. It is all very brightly coloured and made to be attractive to young children. It is all made of good strong plastic with rounded corners and no nasty sharp parts. The entire thing is about half a metre long and the carriage that it comes with can be attached or not depending on the mood of the player.
The engine-
The train engine is a bright red with yellow wheels and buffer and blue sides and face. On the top you find a funnel which is clear green and when this is pressed lights up and you get the horrendous song ' Hop on board the Animal train...'and depending on which way you have a switch beside it this press can also make the train move forward. The engine has a box section that is designed for the giraffe to stand in. Once the giraffe has been put standing in this boxed off compartment then the weight of this animal triggers further ghastly singing in squeaky American voices. I believe there are three or four different ones but they do sound a bit similar although the tunes are based on traditional songs and they do attempt to sing about animals to educate the lucky owner about number of legs and animal noises I find that the tone of the songs just jars so much I switch it off whenever I can unless granddaughter actually asks for it. Thankfully each tune is only about four lines long. But yeah! Another yellow button on the top of the engine plays different animal noises when pressed which are not quite so offensive. Luckily there is a switch on the engine which turns the volume down or turns the sounds, lights and movement off and it didn't take me long to find that one I can tell you.
The carriage is yellow with six red wheels and has two compartments trimmed with blue and green. The bigger compartment is for the elephant and has a red bird attached with a spring on the side. The smaller compartment has green monkey bars either side with a chunky bunch of bananas on the rails which can be moved a little and this is for the monkey! Thankfully this does not stimulate any further noise production it is simply a carriage but despite having a few chunky beads on the rails around there is little to stimulate a child's curiosity beyond putting the animals in and out of the carriage.
The giraffe - is quite a decent size and suitable for small hands. It stands about 8 high and is bright "yellow with raised orange spots His legs, neck and head all move and as each part is moved it makes a clicking sound. At the bottom of each of his leg is a different coloured rubbery ended foot and each one has a different texture too. The giraffe can stand up but ours a bit uncertain of his feet and one of his legs is obviously a bit faulty as it doesn't stay put when clicked into a position and he has trouble standing. He can sit on his bottom or splay his legs and 'lie' in a most unnatural position, I have noticed that his ears are quite chewable as they stick out of his head at the end of his long neck.
The elephant is blue with purple ears and tail which is all a little odd really as I have yet to see one with this colour variation! The elephant is chunkier but smaller than the giraffe and his legs can move like the giraffes. His largish ears and his trunk both spin around and have an interesting texture too.
The monkey- is a much smaller and brown which is more sensible but none of its limbs move. About the only thing you can do with him apart from put him in the back part of the carriage is to make him hang from the rail of the carriage by his tail.
What do I think?
Well first problem is the ghastly singing in a really high cheesy tone and an American accent. I know Fisher Price are American so I suspect that is the reason for the accent but it really is cheesy and high pitched like cartoon children singing which is awful.
Second problem is that the train is meant to move forward when the funnel is pressed but it doesn't work on the laminate floor, the tiled floor or the thick carpet so the floor surface has to be very particular in order for forward movement to take place.
Thirdly the extra educational bits like the textures on the feet and things that move around the rails are very limited. The animals might provide chewability for younger children as the feet are rubbery and textured but once the child is old enough to use the toy and get it to sing and move then this element is a bit unnecessary. Maybe the chewing interest is for the younger child and they are meant grow into the rest of the toy's features. In my view it is trying to do too much and because of this failing to know what age of child it is aiming for. The bananas and beads on the rails are of VERY limited appeal and she has never actually noticed these.
The age it is aimed at is from 6 months which I feel is a bit young to really enjoy it. Our granddaughter got this when she was about a year old and it has entertained her to a limited extent. I think that she is probably the correct age though. She has enjoyed a bit of chewing of legs and ears. She quite enjoys the reaction she gets when she presses the funnel or puts the giraffe in his carriage. Her little bottom wriggles as she dances to the songs and she grins because she has made it happen. However after she has done this a few times the novelty wears off and she finds something else to play with.
Is it safe?
Yes this is a good strong toy with rounded corners and no small parts. The animals are very suitable for sucking and chewing and once again strongly made so no bits will come off. The batteries are safely screwed away in the compartment so there is no danger of little hands finding them accidently.
Can you keep it clean?
Yes you can wash the animals and the carriage but the engine can only be wiped because this has the battery compartment in it and water would rust the connections and make it unable to sing or move. Now that may not be a bad idea!! No I wouldn't do that to my little one no matter how annoying the toy was.
Wait there is more!
The only picture and details I could find were this sale on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fisher-Price-Animal-Train-plus-extra-animals-/140538487999 and as you can see there are several more animals and carriages available but you'd have to look on ebay as I could not find them anywhere else. Animals on offer are a lion, a zebra, a tiger, hippo, panda, pig, kangaroo and crocodile which each have their own individual features and can ride on the train.
Would you recommend?
Well even though our little one is reasonably entertained for a few minutes at a time I would NOT want to have spent £30 pounds on this. If you can get it second hand then it is quite fun but in no way is it an educational toy so don't be fooled.
The only thing it teaches is a bit of co-ordination when putting the animals into their spots and pushing the buttons. They also learn cause and effect, so when I press the funnel I get light and a song.
Whether the songs actually teach anything is a matter for debate. They do sing about animal noises, colours and numbers of legs but really I do doubt that the words really sink in especially with the squawky voices and American accent for a British child. This may just be my bias showing through so I'll leave that to personal interpretation after you have heard it, make your own mind up.
Soit is a nicely made toy with some entertainment value but not worth £30 in my humble opinion. Certainly own little granddaughter has played with it but it is by now way her favourite toy. She goes to quite a few others before this one and many of those are a lot cheaper. In fact the plastic water bottles in our cupboard are her favourite and they are just empty plastic water bottles that we keep to refill when we want to take water with us when we are going out. This is often the case, the packaging is more attractive than the toy it holds.
Thanks for reading. Hope this is of some use to you in making a buying decision. This review may be put on other sites under my same user name.
Ahh Grandma's don't they just have the best of both worlds, being able to give the baby back at the end of the day and being able to indulge the little ones with noisy toys and then not sticking around to have their brains turned to mush. Freddy's Grandma (well she prefers to be called Nana) is no different, she bought Freddy enough noisy, electronic toys for Christmas to completely liquefy Mummy and Daddy's brains and this has to be his favourite.
==All aboard==
The Fisher Price Amazing Animals Sing And Go Choo Choo Train (from now on known as the train) is a rather large pre-school toy aimed at babies and toddlers from six months to three years of age. To be honest, I can't remember how easy this was to remove from the packaging, I do remember some of the nasty plastic ties, but the train has so completely turned my brain to mush that I can't remember much more than that. The actual train comes in two parts, the engine and a pair of carriages. As I've already said, this is rather a large toy, far too large for a six month old (in my opinion) with the engine measuring approximately 25cm by 16cm and 20cm tall. As it contains a motor this engine is also relatively heavy, I really would be concerned that a baby at the lower end of the recommended age range would attempt to pick it up and be unable to hold it meaning that they hurt themselves.
Both the engine and carriage sections are very brightly coloured though, with bright reds, blues, yellows and greens. The engine runs on four wheel, which are not free-wheeling and features a light-up button on it's funnel. There are also a pair of rails on the engine each of which features a pair of beads that can be spun. The carriage is about twice the length of the engine and features two compartments. The larger compartment also features a bird on a spring, while the smaller has a bar for an animal to swing on. As well as the actual train there are a total of three animals that can be played with either with the train or on their own.
Although these animals are a little cartoon-like they are instantly recognisable (as long as your child has seen pictures of them before). There is a giraffe, who is fully poseable with all his limbs and his neck making a very satisfying clicking sound as they are moved. The giraffe also has a lot of different textures for baby to discover, with raised bumps on his neck and legs and then a different texture on each of his feet. I will say though that at 25cm tall he is again possibly a little too large for younger babies, which is a shame as they would have loved the way he rattles.
The next animal is a blue elephant, this animal is a much better size for younger babies and again he is fully poseable with clicking sounds and different textures to explore. The final animal is a small monkey, who swings from the bar in the last compartment. The monkey is much smaller than the other animals and far less interesting (to me at least), his limbs cannot be moved and he doesn't click, but he does rattle and his tail is a nice texture to chew on.
As I stated at the beginning of this review this is a noisy toy, and specifically it is one that plays of five different songs, or animal noises depending on which button is pressed. The battery compartment is securely hidden behind a screw fastened enclosure and this toy requires a total of three size C batteries which are not included. We are still on the first set of batteries though with extensive use over the last three months. There is an on/off switch on the underside of the engine, and this switch also allows you to set the sound to full or half volume. I will warn you though that even at half volume the songs will soon start to melt your brain. There are days where I start to feel as if I hear that "All aboard..." one more time then I'm going to need to call out the men in white coats.
All of the different sounds are easy to activate, the green funnel sets off the "All aboard..." song, while a yellow button sets off the different animal noises. Then placing an animal in the engine (or pressing on the platform) sets off yet more songs. While the songs are sung in a clear voice (there's no mistaking what's being said), I am slightly disappointed in some of the pronunciation, which is distinctly American (especially zebra). At the lower volume the songs are still loud enough to drown out the TV, and at the higher volume they are loud enough to be heard in another room though a closed door.
As well as playing tunes the train can be set to either stay still or move along the floor. Or it's supposed to be able to move, ours does occasionally struggle it's way along the carpet (which is in no way deep pile), but more often than not it just sits where it is. I don't know if that's because Freddy has somehow broken the mechanism or because ours is faulty, but I do find this disappointing from what I'd always thought of as a manufacturer of quality children's toys. When the train does decide to move, it's at a very sedate rate meaning that it never quite gets out of reach.
In the main part I would say that the train is quite well made and reasonably durable, that is of course barring the movement. It has been thrown around the room, chewed on and even tripped over without falling to pieces. I'm not too keen on the stickers adorning the sides though, these are already peeling. All-in-all as a parent I would give this train three stars out of five. As far as I'm concerned it's far too noisy (even at half volume), the songs just grate and the lack of movement is a disappointment, but I do think the animals are nice. But it's not just my opinion that counts is it?
==The Elephant Is Big...==
...the monkey's kinda small. Sorry, I told you those songs turn your brain to mush, didn't I? Freddy received this train as a present on Christmas day when he was nine months old and has played with it daily for the last (almost) three months. So it's safe to say that much as it zombifies me, Freddy loves it. Freddy finds it easy to lift the animals out of the carriages and loves to play with them on their own. He loves to make the animals legs click, and explore the different textures with his hands and mouth. In fact he's currently sat beside me thoroughly exploring the elephants ears.
Although he has tried to get into the trains battery compartment, he hasn't succeeded so far, meaning that I've no worries that he's going to be able to chew on batteries. Although Freddy is very good at pressing switches, he is unable to actually operating the volume control, meaning that he can't turn it up to top volume on his own (which can only be good). But this also means that he can't switch the train on, which does lead to a little frustration. Once the train is switched on, Freddy has no problem operating the different buttons and in fact picked up what did what very quickly (within five minutes). Freddy does particularly like to press on the platform in the engine and set those songs off, so much so that I do know those songs by heart. But even though the songs liquefy my brain, Freddy loves them and is starting to make attempts at singing along.
On the rare occasion that the engine decides that it's actually going to move, I must say that Freddy starts to look a little confused. Neither of us have really worked out what it is that makes the engine move, and Freddy can sometimes be seen trying to work out why the engine moves sometimes and then at other times doesn't.
This train is a toy that Freddy will pull out of the toy box to play with at least once a day and he will then play with it for extended periods. Even though he's quite lazy when it comes to crawling, the train is a toy that Freddy will make the effort to get to. Which I suppose says it all, I may at times want to throw this toy out of the window, but I'm pretty sure that Freddy would give it five out of five.
==The Learning Train==
I've said this before and I've no doubt I'll say it again, but no matter what toys you give your child or young baby they will develop new skills as they play. For all I moan, this train does actually provide quite a few different learning opportunities for your child, starting with the obvious of helping them improve their fine motor skills as the press on buttons, twiddle beads and ping the bird. Understanding of cause and effect is also encouraged as your child learns that placing an animal in the engine will cause a song to play and (if they're lucky) the train to move. The animals also encourage your child to use their hands and mouths to explore different textures and again encourage hand-eye coordination.
While the songs are highly irritating and the pronunciation not exactly what I would have liked, they do seem to be quite educational in their own way. There's a song about which climate animals prefer, polar bears like the cold don't you know. Then there's another about what colour animals are and one comparing sizes. Not that my little man is really old enough to actually understand these songs, but I'm sure he'll start to take more notice soon. The animals are also great for helping talk to your child about different animals. We're planning to take Freddy to the zoo for his birthday, so I've been talking to him about what animals we're going to see and what noises they make using these as props. It particularly helpful that there is a giraffe and elephant as we will be feeding these (fingers crossed).
As to the recommended age range, well I've already stated that I think the majority of this toy is too large for babies of six months. Personally I would say nine to ten months is a more realistic lower age range. As to the upper range, well while I'm sure that a three year old would play with this and possibly learn from it, I'm not sure that they would appreciate being given a 'baby toy' as a present. Personally I wouldn't buy this for a child over the age of two as the life-span would be severely limited.
==Final Words==
As far as making a recommendation goes I'm finding myself in a bit of a quandary. On one hand this toy incorporates everything I really hate about electronic baby toys. It's loud with an American voice and the songs really do start to grate after only a few minutes, but at the same time I think the animals that come with it are fantastic. Personally I really don't think it's worth the £32.99 that Amazon are asking for it and there's no way I would have bought it. But at the same time, Freddy adores it and there are days when he's seems totally obsessed and will play with it almost constantly (which is probably why I hate the songs so much), so in that context it's worth every penny that Nana spent. So am I recommending the Fisher Price Amazing Sounds Animal Coo Choo Train? Well I suppose I am, but I would also recommend that you either buy it for a child you don't actually live with, or you buy it to keep at a house that you visit so that you don't have to listen to the songs daily for hours at a time. As for the star rating, well as I said I'd give it three stars out of five, but Freddy would probably give it five. So I'm going to split the difference and give it four stars out of five.
This was brought for my son as a christmas present (he was 8months at the time) by his auntie and he loves it.
The train: The train has 3 different parts the front of the train and 2 carriages that all come apart from each other. Then inside each of the carriages is an animal that comes out, in the front a giraffe, middle an elephant and back a monkey.
The animals on their own also make great toys.
The train and animals are lovely bright colours and are chunky and look great.
The train plays different songs which are very easy to hear and understand and it also goes along when you press the button on the front.
You can set it to just play the songs if you want to.
My son loves pressing the button and then closely watches the where the train goes and has alot of fun doing this!! He also dances along to the songs.
The giraffe has different coloured and patterened feet and you can twist his back legs all the way around (which my son loves doing) and move its neck up and down.
On each carriage there is also beads on that you can slide around on the vines e.g. leaf beads, banana beads and one one there is a parrot on a spring.
The elephant is blue with purple ears and tail and also has different coloured feet with patterns on the bottom. You can move its legs forward and backward and its ears and trunk twist all the way around!!
In the end carriage is a little monkey that is also a rattle.
It is a great toy that i would reccomend as it has so much for them to do and is full of different colours, textures and songs!!
My daughter received this Fisher Price train for her first birthday. Her dad actually picked it out of the catalogue and I think the whole reason she got it as a present is because he really wanted to play with it himself.
This is such a fun train with lots of different aspects to it. It's a great way for kids to learn about animals whilst listening to fun songs and watching a train move.
The front part of the train, the engine, features a big green button on the front that you press to make the songs comes alive. This button also lights up as well so it provides something visual as well as audio for a child to see and do. There is a on off switch that you can move to different positions so you can turn the music off if you wish as sometimes the songs get a bit tedious if you have to listen to them 10 million times a day, but that is just no fun. When you press the big green button if the button on the bottom is on fully the train will move and chugs along as it sings it song. You can just have it set so that they music plays but the train doesn't move also which sometimes is nice. Pushing the button plays a song that starts with the phrase, "Hop onboard the animal train, come on everyone, learning about animals, it's really lots of fun! It's a really upbeat, fun song that kids will love but it does get a bit tedious listening to it all the time, it sticks in your head and you really can't forget it once you have heard it.
This portion of the train comes with a big yellow giraffe that you can remove from the train so you can play with it on its own if you wish. When you place the giraffe in the engine it will play different songs teaching you all about different animals. For example it tells you about the different colours of the animals and also whether they live in a place with hot weather or cold weather.
The giraffe is very cute and has legs and a head that moves about so you can make him go in different positions such as standing up and sitting down. The train also comes with two other animals, an elephant and a monkey. The elephant is blue with big purple ears and again has legs that move. He sits in the next carriage along. The monkey is brown and sits in the final carriage.
These two carriages are attached to each other but the engine carriage is separate. They hook onto the front engine and it's nice that you can play with just the engine on its own. The whole train is really bright and colourful. The engine has big yellow wheels and the back two carriages have red wheels. What I like is that they have themed the train in quite a good jungle theme too. For example on the back carriage with the monkey in there are bananas on the side for him to eat and play with. On the engine there are big leaves which look like big palm leaves, just likes ones you would find in the jungle.
It is fairly expensive, £41.99 in most toy shops but I feel that this is such a fun train with so many different aspects and one that will be played with for a long time in my house so is well worth it. You will need 3 size C batteries to work the noise and the lights.
In the early days of parenthood my boys seemed only to need fed, changed, winded and put down to nap and sleep. However as they got to the 4 months mark they suddenly needed entertained... cue the need to buy toys. One of my first purchases was the Fisher Price Amazing Animals Learning Train.
***What is it?***
The Fisher Price Amazing Animals Learning Train is a colourful plastic train with carriages carrying animal figures which moves and plays music.
The train has a main front carriage with two carriages further carriages that can be removed. The front carriage is very sturdy, it is bright red with a green light up button in the shape of a train chimney that can be pressed for the train to move or for the music to start. Inside of this carriage there is a bright yellow giraffe figure which has joints that move on the legs, base of neck and head. In the front carriage under where the giraffe sits is a pressure pad which when pressed (either placing the giraffe back in the carriage or with a hand) more music is played. On the sides of the carriage there are bars with plastic leaves attached. These can't be removed but spin around.
The second carriage is slightly smaller and made from yellow and green plastic. Inside there is a bright blue elephant figure which also has joints that move on the legs, trunk and ears. The ears of the elephant are textured.
The last carriage is made from yellow and blue plastic and is quite small. Over the top of this carriage is a bar for a monkey to be attached to. The brown monkey figure inside this carriage is quite small and has a curved tail to clip onto the bar, or can be carried inside of the carriage.
The train takes 3 Size C batteries.
***Suitable for***
The Fisher Price Amazing Animals Learning Train states it is suitable from 6 months to 36 months. I purchased this when my twin boys were 4 months old and started "playing" with it from then. Obviously at 4 months old the boys were too young to play with the toy on their own, but did enjoy watching the train move around the room and listen to the music that it played. On the other side of the scale, my friend who has a 4 year old little boy has commented that her son still plays with the train and the animal figures.
As you would expect as this is a Fisher Price toy the Amazing Animals Learning Train is sold by a number of retailers and outlets. Large retailers such as Mothercare, ELC, Argos, Toys R Us and Smyths all stock this toy.
The price of the toy varies I paid £35 from ELC (in May 2010). Online the cheapest price I have seen this toy new for is £32.00 from an independent online retailer.
***Using it***
The Fisher Price Amazing Animals Learning Train is very easy to use, something that you would expect from a children's toy. The train has two switches to set the mode of the train on the front carriage. The main switch has three options, off, on (half volume) and on (full volume). I personally really like the option to have two different volumes. Full volume is quite loud and will be heard over the TV or you will need to raise your voice if you are having a conversation. I set the train to half volume for the boys, that way the boys can still hear the music clearly however Mr Lools and I can still make telephone calls or talk to each other at a normal volume!
The second switch controls the movement of the train. You can set the train to static so it plays all of the songs but does not move or to full movement so the train moves around the room. The static function is probably best for younger babies who can only sit up, so benefit from the full range of songs, but the train won't move away from them when they press the buttons.
To get the train moving you press the light up chimney on the front carriage. This is a large button which is easy for little hands to press. When set on movement mode the train sets off after about 3 seconds of being pressed and lights up. The train moves at quite a slow speed and sings a song which lasts for about 30-45 seconds and moves about 2 metres (on my laminate floor). I have not used on carpet but have used the train on a rug and the train moves just as well. I do find that if there are obstructions this stops the train from moving even more so if the batteries need replacing. With daily use I find I need to replace the batteries every 2 months or so.
The train also sings three different songs about animals, where they live, their colours etc. if you press down on the pressure pad inside the front carriage. This is activated by putting something inside of the front carriage where the giraffe sits. There is also a little blue button on the front carriage which when pressed makes a variety of animal's sounds.
I do find the songs that are played are very catchy (and annoying when played over and over) but my boys love them, and because they are repeated the boys seem to recognise them . The songs are sung in English and the words are very clear.
The animals can be played with on their own as well as part of the train. In addition to the animals included with the train Fisher Price sell others separately. I have purchased the Fisher Price Amazing Animals Tiger for £5 and I believe you can also buy a polar bear. As a mother of twins my only criticism of the animal figures are that they are slightly large and heavy. For a single baby the figures do not present too many problems or danger but for two babies especially playing together you need to watch your children closely. This is because the animals are very easy to pull on top of each other (which are heavy ) and also my children often use the animal figures as weapons to hit off each other. Because of the sturdy animal figures we have had a number of tears over this!
However because the carriages and figures are made from quite durable material the complete toy looks as good as new even though it has so far withstood over 8 months of very rough play. Including being gnawed on (when the boys have been teething) being thrown and being dropped! I am very impressed with the overall quality especially as a number of other toys have been broken by the boys after withstanding less than half these activities.
Skills wise the Amazing Animals learning train is great for young babies and also toddlers as it develops a wide variety of skills. In the early days I found the train was perfect for helping with the boys motor skills and because of the large easy to hold animal figures, it helped improved their coordination by taking the figures in and out of the carriages. It also greatly helped with their physical mobility skills as I could set the train off moving and both boys would crawl forward to chase the train around the room.
For older babies and toddlers the colourful train, figures and music played all help learning about animals and colours. The train sings songs about animals which are educational and also makes animal sounds which you and your child can copy or identify which animal sound it is.
My boys love the train and have done since the day I bought it. In the early days it was great for keeping both or one amused as they would watch it move around the room. The bright colours make this very attractive for young babies. As they started to become mobile, the train was a great way for getting them to crawl, especially my lazier baby who needed some encouragement to move. Now they are mobile, I actually find them at the toy box and in a lot of cases one of them will have part of the train to hand, whether that is a carriage or animal figure.
***Overall ***
This is definitely one of my best purchases in terms of toys for the boys. Initially and quite naively I did think paying £35 for this seemed quite expensive, however since buying it at 4 months old it has been one of their favourites and we have had a number of fights over who is playing with it on a daily basis.
The quality of the actual train and animal figures are excellent. It is very durable and after 8 months of regularly "rough play" the Amazing Animals Learning Train still looks brand new.
A great toy to help your child develop different skills that will be played with by babies and toddlers alike. Top marks for Fisher Price, even if the music played by the train is rather catchy (and annoying!).
There are already a number of positive reviewsfor this toy, however I believe it is good enough to deserve one more.
My grandparents originally purchased this toy for my son when he was one year old. He is now 4 and my daughter is just turning one, this toy has never been boxed up and put away it has continued to live for those four years in my sons, and now my daughters toy box. I think that is a testament to the range of learning this toy provides.
The toy is made up of the front train with a hole to carry the included giraffe, it is then followed by two carriages joined together. One carriage holds the elephant and the other carriage has the monkey hooked on by his tail. The back carriage also has a bird on a spring which can me 'flicked' to wobble back and forwards.
The train part has a funnel which when pressed plays songs and lights up, the train also has another smaller funnel which when pressed plays animal sounds. The area where the giraffe sits has a loose plate at the bottom and when the giraffe, or any of the other animals are placed in the carriage it plays songs about each animal.
The whole train has two volume settings and an additional option to make the train move along. It is all made of strong plastic and the elephant and giraffe both have 'clicking' joints on their moving legs, necks and trunk. The train is bright colours and provides numerous variety and learning options.
I would highly recommend this toy as it is great value for money and any child would love it.
My mum bought this as a gift for my son for his first Christmas so he would have been around 5months and as soon as we got it working he was immediately drawn to it. The batteries which are require are 3x C ones which in some places are included and ours luckily came with them which is always a bonus. The train is motorised and can be set to two settings, one of which is for small babies and it remains stationary for them to sit and play and the other mode is for making the train move forward and it helps to encourage baby's to crawl and chase after it. My son loved when he could crawl after it and even when he could walk he would race it to the end of his room!
The train is very bright and colourful and features three train cars. The main section is the front which is where the on/off switch is and where the sounds and songs are all activated. When the chimney part is pressed it lights up and sings a song about animals which my son ended up learning and singing all the time and also depending on which mode is selected it will begin to drive forward. After an animal is placed into the driver part it will sing a song about animals and it has 5 different short songs which are played. They do not play one after the other so the animals do need to be lifted out and put back in again when your child wants another song to play. Another activity which is on the front car is another small chimney which is to the side of the larger one and when it is pressed is plays animal noises which my son would try to copy when he was a baby! Lastly there is a bead bar which has leave shapes on it that can be moved side to side and twirled around.
The middle section of the train has space for an animal and has a bird which can be flicked and pinged about but my son just always tried to pull it off but luckily he never managed it. The back car of the train features a bar which is used for the monkey to hang on and has banana shaped beads which can be lifted up and down and spun around to provide another activity for young babies to play with. An elephant, giraffe and monkey all come with the train but other animals can be bought an used with it as we bought our son a lion which came with a baby cub and he uses them with the train and each animal can be moved around into other train parts. Overall I think it is a great learning toy for babies and young children which is very sturdy and durable and can be used for a good few years as my son is now 3 and he still plays with it frequently.
The 'Amazing Animals Train' is another great toy from fisher price. My wife bought this on ebay for only £12 which is a real bargain. The train is very bright and colourful. Lewis has enjoyed playing with it over the last four months since we bought it.
The front of the train is the main part of the toy and the bit that makes all the music and has the flashing light. There is a switch on the front of the train so when you press the light it either plays some music and moves or just plays the music. Pressing the whistle on the front of the train makes different animal noises, this is one of Lewis' favourite features on the train. Inside the train there is a pressure sensitive pad that plays different tunes when you put one of the animals on it.
There are three animals that come with the train; a giraffe, an elephant and a monkey. The monkey is a rattle with a bendy tail that it hangs from the train by. The elephant and giraffe have moving parts that are safe and make a clicking sound while being played with and also tactile and colourful feet. The elephants ears are suitable to use as a teether.
We have quite a thick carpet which means that the train will only move if you take off the carriage but it works fine on hard surfaces. At the back of the carriage there is a hook so you can add other pull along toys. One of the main selling points of this toy is to try and encourage your child to crawl after it and this has certainly worked with Lewis.
The train takes 3 'C' batteries, as an aside this is something that drives me slightly crazy. So many toys take 3 batteries and it makes no sense when have you ever seen batteries in packs of three. We invested in a few rechargeable packs of each size of battery from Maplins in the sales and I would recommend keeping an eye out for any deals on rechargeable batteries.
While I have been writing this Lewis has started playing with this toy, he really does enjoy starting it off then chasing after it. When the music is playing Lewis likes to have a little dance but that is true of most music. This would set you back around £30 new which I think would be good value. If you want something similar but a bit cheaper then the 'Press And Go Parade' is a decent alternative.
my mum and her partner bought this as a second bday present it was larger than i expected it to be which was a lot better because it doesnt get lost in the toybox as much as some other toys the toy comes in 5 pieces front end of the train, trailer, giraffe, elephant and a monkey which swings by its tail from a bar at the back of the trailer the elephant and the giraffe have legs that are movable and they have textured feet the main part of the train actually moves my little boy loved chasing it around although it also has a button to keep it still for younger children who still arnt quite able to chase yet! there is a big button at the front which you press to make it go depending which setting you use it will play music and ride along or stay still and play music it only plays 1 song though which starts 'we went to the animal fair' this can get a bit irritating very easy to use for little fingers
Animals are amazing and so is this musical choo-choo. Place the animals in the engine car to hear delightful songs that help baby learn about wildlife. Little ones can sit and explore or crawl along with the moving train as it lights up, playing music and sounds. Each animal and car is full of rewarding activities such as movable, clicking joints, textured feet, chewable ears, rattles and more.


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During the past seven months, more than 1,000 stories about credit unions helping communities have been posted on CU SocialGood.com, a website launched by the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas of Bismarck, N.D., to share good news about credit unions across the country.
For example, the $391 million, 45,000-member ABNB Federal Credit Union in Chesapeake, Va., recently posted a story announcing that it will be donating $84,000 to the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters through the Children's Miracle Network with proceeds from its 10th Annual Fishing Fest.
Similar stories of donations, scholarships and other good deeds are daily fodder on the website, unveiled in January by CUAD.
To celebrate the site's 1,000th posting, CUAD recently announced that it is giving away 25 customized T-shirts to credit union employees that sign up to receive Spotlight – a weekly e-newsletter that highlights postings on CU Social Good. Winners will be randomly selected from all Spotlight subscribers and notified on Aug. 30, according to a CUAD press release.
"Credit unions give back to their local communities in an amazing variety of creative and generous ways, and credit union employees and members are well known for their volunteer work and charitable fundraising events," CUAD said in the release.
"The website can be used by all in our industry for legislative lobbying efforts, awareness campaigns and community relations, but above all, to help generate a new public awareness that will help us to remain successful in our mission for years to come," the league said.
CUAD encourages other credit unions to submit stories to the site by sending an email to email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Though the U.S. charts don't show the same influence, the Olympics effect is out in full force on on the U.K. charts this week. As Billboard and Music Week report, 57 of the Top 200 British albums and 66 of the Top 200 British singles this week are from acts associated with the Olympics.
Many iconic artists who performed at the Olympic Closing Ceremony last Sunday (August 12) have re-entered the U.K. album and singles charts. Chief among them is The Kinks, who released a well-timed compilation in the days following Ray Davies' Closing Ceremony performance of "Waterloo Sunset" (a performance that did not air in the U.S.). This new Kinks best-of album, also titled Waterloo Sunset, debuted on the album chart at No. 14. The song itself re-entered the singles chart at No. 47.
RELATED: Your Guide To Olympic Closing Ceremony Music: The Who, The Beatles & What NBC Didn't Air
Olympic covers helped bump up the sales of iconic hits, like John Lennon's "Imagine" and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." R&B singer-songwriter Emeli Sande covered Lennon's biggest solo song during the BBC's Olympic coverage and sent the original version back onto the U.K. singles chart at No. 18, according to the U.K.'s Official Charts Company.
"Wish You Were Here" received a pseudo cover at the Olympic Closing Ceremony from pop singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, who performed alongside Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. This launched the song to No. 68 on the U.K. singles chart – its first-ever placement on the chart.
Naturally, the crown jewel of the Closing Ceremony's musical program – The Who – got a chart boost from the Olympics. The band re-charted on the albums list with Greatest Hits and More at No. 62. Arguably their most iconic hit and part of their Olympic montage, "Baba O'Riley" made its first appearance on the U.K. singles chart at No. 55.
Additionally, ska band Madness, best known for 1982's "Our House," scored a high re-entry on the album chart when compilation Total Madness reappeared at No. 13. The band performed "Our House" at the Closing Ceremony.
– Jillian Mapes, CBS Local


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Excellent Cadavers DVD
Based on an explosive true story - only a fearless man would take on the Mafia in their home territory of Sicily. Those who die trying are called ' 'excellent cadavers.' ' But for Giovanni Falcone (Chazz Palminteri), it becomes an obsession for which he will risk his career, his marriage - and maybe even his life. Falcone finds himself targeting the Mafia when he uncovers mob ties to drug-dealing, government pay-offs and murder. But his biggest brek comes with the arrest of tommasso Buscetta (F. Murray Abraham) known as the "Godfather of Two Worlds." In exchange for falcone's promise of security, buscetta exposes the inner workings of the mafia and the secret multi-family commission that threatens the livesof all who seek to imprison them. Armed with that information, Falcone plans a massive assault on the crime families resulting in a trial with nearly 500 defendants and over 1,000 lawyers and witnesses, There is more than Falcone's career on the line, as every moment brings him either cloer to victory or closer to joining the growing list of Excellent Cadavers.
Read MoreLess
More Details
- Format: DVD [MOD]
- Rating: R
- Number of Discs: 1
- Run Time: 86 Minutes
- Region: 1
- Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen
- Language: English
- Studio: HBO Archives
- DVD Release Date: September 25, 2012
- Packaging: DVD Tray (FLP Snapper)
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Director: Ricky Tognazzi,Alberto De Martino,Roberto Giannarrelli
- Cast: Chazz Palminteri,F Murray Abraham,Anna Galiena,Andy Luotto
- Genre: Drama
- Color: Color
- Release Date: 1999
Availability: In Stock
Ready to ship in 5 - 7 Business Days


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Facebook allows porn sites? Yeah, it looks the other way. So I find it hilarious that a group of feminists managed to gain control of a facebook page dedicated to creepy content and give it a total makeover.
The Bra Busters page now has just over 3,000 subscribers. One admin spent an hour removing all the old content, including memes about women being "bitches" and "sluts," upskirt shots, creepy close-ups of bras and underwear, and a photo of Jennifer Lawrence's nip slip. ("She looked very unhappy and the guys on this page were laughing and joking about it," wrote one moderator.)
About a thousand members have so far "unliked" the new Bra Busters and complained loudly about the change in management, with such eloquent phrases as, "fack (sic) you bra busters new editor bitch!! … go scissor your buth biker slut girlfriend." The original male moderator seems to have disappeared.
Most ironically, after ignoring lots of sexist content that objectified women, when the new Bra Busters management started posting photos of men with their comments superimposed — their own public photos, with their own public words — Facebook finally stepped in and told them to stop that. I guess objectifying men is a no-no.
So the feminists moved those photos offsite, to a new page called Whiney Dudes. It's great to see these straight-up images of guys putting on their friendliest face…next to their words of hate.
But…but…they look so normal!
Unfortunately, there isn't universal cause to celebrate: it looks like the site takeover was by the transphobic wing of feminism, so hate's been replaced with a different flavor of hate.
(via Stephanie)


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Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Forbin, Feb 22, 2013.
Feh. It's something to kill time talking about.
So once this is settled, what's the prize?
Just making it clear that PTEN existed as an entity as well. Stations that had PTEN shows had to take all of them; they didn't pick and choose which ones they wanted like other syndication packages. (Of course, they could just throw them into the 3:00 AM death slot if they wanted). Some of the PTEN stations that switched to UPN also gave up the PTEN shows and other independent stations picked them up. In some cases, the stations kept both. Also, the department that formed the WB network was actually a separate division of the Time/Warner behemoth than the one that formed PTEN.
Your answer was one post ahead of your question.
A shot of whiskey and a gun.
Who get's the whiskey?
There can be only one...!
Whoever has the gun, obviously.
"This is the kind of conversation that can only end with a gunshot!"
Perhaps Future Guy can come and end this threa -- HEY...wait a minute...Future Guy? A guy traveling about through the centuries? Didn't they steal that idea from Quantum Leap? I guess Quantum Leap was decades, not centuries. Clever...they thought they could pull the wool over our eyes. But wait, they even stole the actor!!!
...and wait -- Quantum Leap stole their imagery from TMP!
Considering a Jump Gate is basically a comon occurance in the Babylon 5 verse what with it being a device to use their version of FTL on ships not big enough to do it on their own, whereas the wormhole was a super rare occurance that made it practicle to get to a distant and unexplored region of the galaxy and there are no other wormholes like that IT'S NOT A STOLEN IDEA. Their not even remotly similar except big blue thing ships fly through.
Man-made or not, two Stargate type space anomalies that spit out guests of the week sounds a little similar to me.
It's still a tenuous link at best, this really proves nothing. Heresay etc. The fact that they were already going to produce another ST sequel show anyway and also the fact that most of the in-universe stories are totally dissimilar really leads me to believe nothing was taken from B5.
You're all wrong.
It's not a ripoff of B5, it's a ripoff of Space: 1999. And I have the baseless claims to prove it.
... and two bullets.
Yes, I seem to recall that was a method of long distance Space travel in Buck Rogers.
It doesn't matter how something "sounds" to someone, or what people are "willing to believe." All that matters is what's true.
But you know that the truth is a three edged sword and once the avalanche has started, it's too late for the pebbles to vote.
So, pretty much exactly the same thing functionally, which serves exactly the same purpose in both shows, except for its origin.
My feeling, from 20 years of reading all the available quibbling, is this: jms presented his presentation to paramount. Paramount turned him away, but said to themselves "This is really a pretty good format. Let's develop something along those lines but put it in our Trek franchise universe." So you got the basic setup of the Casablanca-like atmosphere on a space station near a wormhole/jumpgate. Maybe some of the character beats were lifted or inspired from jms' treatment, with some changes to fit into the Trek universe.
Then once the show got started, the two diverged into their own things and went, mostly their separate ways.
Maybe B5 liked the defiant and came up with the White Star.
Maybe (probably) DS9 saw how cool the Shadow War idea was, and worked the Dominion War up.
As has been said, show biz ain't averse to borrowing from each other.
And just to be clear that I'm not trying to tweak the fight or troll or anything - I emphasize and reiterate that I still love both shows dearly, and I'm glad we got them both.
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© 2006 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Jocketty puts pieces together
Cards general manager built strong and resilient squad
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- A month ago, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty wasn't sure this night was going to come to pass, not with his team struggling to the finish line. "Just ask my wife, Sue," Jocketty said. "I was pretty grouchy around the house. But my job was just to support Tony [La Russa] and the players and reinforce what we were trying to do." What the Cardinals were trying to do was get into the playoffs, and they barely made it. But then Jocketty saw something else in Game 1 against the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series. "It all seemed to come together that first game in San Diego," Jocketty said. "We knew we had the talent but we had so many injuries and so many problems. But when we saw that team on the field with [David] Eckstein at shortstop and [Jim] Edmonds in center field, Chris Carpenter on the mound, it all came together. It was a big lift, psychologically." Thus began the run that finally ended on Friday when the Cardinals won their first World Series championship in 24 years by defeating the Detroit Tigers, 4-2, in the fifth and deciding game of the 2006 World Series. Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski was among the first to congratulate Jocketty, the 55-year-old native of Minnesota who -- early in his career -- had once represented the entire Oakland Athletics front office under owner Charlie Finley. He survived that, took the Cardinals job 12 years ago, hired manager La Russa one year later and finally, on Friday, achieved his goal of bringing a world championship to St. Louis. "This is what we all strive for as general manager," Jocketty said. "We've had a number of teams in the playoffs but we were never able to achieve a world championship. If nothing else ever happens to me, at least I can say I was once a part of a world championship club. "But, to bring a world championship to St. Louis, it's really special." They probably don't make it without some of the moves Jocketty made during the course of the season and he had to take special satisfaction in having Jeff Weaver on the mound for Game 5. Jocketty, with his starting rotation struggling with injuries, acquired Weaver from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on July 5 for Minor League outfielder Terry Evans. It may be that Evans turns into the next Edmonds or Albert Pujols. But Weaver was terrific on Friday night, holding the Tigers to two runs, one earned, in eight innings. "You try to put together a club in the offseason and then try to adjust during the season," Jocketty said. "You have holes that come up and you have to adjust but it can be very difficult to make moves. Weaver was a guy we liked. [Cardinals pitching coach] Dave Duncan had a chance to look at some video and felt there were some things he could correct. He was outstanding tonight." So was Adam Wainwright, the rookie right-hander who closed out Friday's victory by striking out Brandon Inge in the ninth inning. Wainwright was one of three players acquired in a 2003 trade with the Atlanta Braves for outfielder J.D. Drew and he stepped in as the Cardinals closer in mid-September. "We don't make that trade without Adam Wainwright in there," Jocketty said. There were other moves. Jocketty, the guy who brought Mark McGwire to St. Louis, has always been an aggressive general manager. Edmonds and third baseman Scott Rolen were acquired via trade. Eckstein -- the Most Valuable Player of the World Series -- was signed as a free agent. This season the Cardinals traded for Weaver and second baseman Ronnie Belliard and signed Preston Wilson after the Houston Astros had released him in August. They were all a part of Friday's celebration. "We had to make a lot of adjustments," Jocketty said. "We lost a lot of key guys. But like I said, it finally came together in that first game in St. Louis and now this. Tony and I, we've been through a lot of tough times together. But our goal was to bring a World Series to St. Louis and I'm glad we finally did it."
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies I-X' started by The Overlord, Feb 25, 2013.
Aye, so they should.
"What sunk the TNG movie franchise: Insurrection or Nemesis?"
Neither. I would argue that the over-saturation of televison and movies killed "nineties Trek".
It always amazes me when I see those numbers of posts...incredible. I've been here 14 years and managed to just hit 13,000. Even that number gave me a headache.
Nemesis was my first movie too. I had no idea what the heck was going on.
I couldn't have said it better myself. This is exactly, at the core, what was wrong with the TNG films. They all became caricatures of what they were in the TV series. Mostly at the expense of bad comedy, but also due to lack of vision.
I would have loved to see a TNG film of the enterprise and crew exploring some unknown world on a movie budget. Something along the lines of the game "A Final Unity" would have been awesome on the big screen.
Instead we get the tired plot of "a madman wants to kill many people we don't care about" for 3 movies.
Neither.. the TNG franchise literally had no where else to go. The Insurrection and Nemesis movies were great on their own...But they just didnt add anything to the franchise that couldnt be seen on one of the hour episodes. ..
Still wouldnt have missed either for the world though. Data wigging out, Commander William Babyface, Will and Deanna finally hooking up (on screen!), Picard driving a Subaru, Data making the ultimate sacrifce...and sweet sweet Anij..
I think the ball was dropped with GEN. That was one awkward, strange film that just doesn't sit right no matter how you slice it. And this is from someone who sees a lot of good in GEN. So, you had millions of people watching TNG, which was a character driven sci-fi drama thingy, and the first feature film is half about Kirk, who has nothing to do with TNG, Data plays with his emotion chip, and the ship you've identified the show with for 7 years is sacked.
They didn't do anything with the characters, and de-branded TNG somewhat by crashing the ship. Really, nothing significant happens with the characters until NEM, by which point those millions of people had long since stopped caring. They stopped telling their stories. Should have had the wedding and Data's death in the first film. And just kept giving reasons to care or be interested in these characters while the crazy sci fi thing is happening.
I agree that neither INS or NEM are to blame, but TNG had lots of places to go.
Yes, I also agree.
I'd say it was a combination of INS and NEM having their problems along with the cast just visibly getting older. Whatever you want to say about NuTrek they are all attractive young people.
Agreed. That made seeing picard go mario andretti in his subaru and Ellen Ripley (in insurrection) that much more hilarious
Can we say midlife crisis?
This is kind of what I mean. You raise a good point about the most significant parts of star trek happening with Nemesis.. But when you think about it, just changing the dynamic isnt really enough to say you're going into new territory.
-First Contact was great but would have been better if they used the Borg Storyline from Star Trek Destiny. Here would be significant "new territory" since it closes out the borg arc
-Doing something significant with the Q continuum (like they lose their omnipotence and simply become immortals stranded on the planet in innsurrection. Closure to the Q and plenty of material for the extended universe to play with.
-William Shatner wrote a book called "The Return" which was centered directly after Star Trek Generations. If you subtract the ridiculous borg origin story, the general premise of the romulans resurrecting him would have been a better centerpiece to Star Trek Nemesis..
My point is even ideas like those wouldnt come from the TNG writing team. Id wager they were just burnt out.. and when that happens to any show, sharks start to jump and pigs start to fly..
I also agree that by the time insurrection and nemesis rolled around, the general audience had lost interest in star trek. First Contact while the best of the new films, really did lose steam. Plus there was interest in other franchises to consider (star wars was hot and heavy, firefly was popular.. I think battle star galactica had spun up again)
Whats also sad about the newtrek movies is there werent really any memorable lines like in legacy trek ("KHAAAANNN!", "You klingon bastards! you killed my son", "You will, and always have been.. my friend")
Have high hopes for JJ Abrahms though.. Star Trek 2009 is in my 10 ten.. I cant wait for this summers sequel
Both. The fact they had two bombs back-to-back plus "Enterprise" disillusioning audiences on television.
That's the real problem with all four of the Next Generation films. None of them break new ground with the characters or the universe. They're simply two hour long episodes with a budget.
No where else to go ... but UP! Especially considering Nemesis followed a lackluster effort such as Insurrection (a title which was a misnomer btw). It took a special kind of ineptitude to drive away even the most loyal die-hards. Look at the box-office where it made little more than its budget WORLDWIDE! Not even the most staunch Trekkies could not stomach more than one theatrical viewing.
I'm sorry but that is over-the-top revisionism. I know box-office results are not barometers of quality but they do indicate to what level a film connected with audiences and reveals whether a film had "legs" (sustained interest of movie-goers). Nemesis was a box-office gimp. It did worse, far worse than Star Trek V: The Final frontier despite a substantially wider release (about +500 screens).
I agree with that. They didn't, but it's debatable to what extent (if any) that general audiences or fans want change in their "Star Trek." Much of the DS9 criticisms seems centered on folks not wanting any ripples upon the pristine waters of Trek.
Sorry, no credit for the "ultimate sacrifice" when Lt. Data has a (introduced within the same film) backup. That wasn't a foreshadowing of Data's impending sacrifice it was a full blown annoncement via mega-phone, "DON"T WORRY, WE'RE GONNA "KILL" LT. DATA BUT AS YOU CAN PLAINLY SEE WE HAVE A SPARE READY TO GO. SO PLEASE ENJOY THIS RIPE-OFF OF "WRATH OF KAHN" (MINUS, OF COURSE, ALL THE ORGANIC ELEMENTS OF DRAMA THAT MADE "WRATH OF KAHN" SO SPECIAL TO BEGIN WITH!)"
I'd have to say Insurrection sunk the TNG films. I don't dislike the movie, but it doesn't do anything for me. When I went to see the INS, it was in a full theater and I could tell it didn't do anything for a lot of people in the theater either, especially when I overheard people talking about what they thought afterward.
INS killed any momentum the TNG films had after FC. By the time NEM came around, four years later, no one cared anymore. The theater I went into was only half-full. There were also newer and better film franchises emerging by then. It's as simple as that.
Insurrection broke the Cardinal Rule of sequels: go bigger than the previous installment. And if you can't go bigger, go bigger in another direction.
When it's "just another adventure" people start wondering what's the point of going to see this story in theater when there are stories just like it on TV? It's what also did in TFF.
The only difference with the TOS films was that TFF didn't flop quite as bad as NEM, the TOS movies (excluding TMP) cost less, TNG was keeping interest in Star Trek not only alive but increasing, and there was a 25th Anniversary to make the audience nostalgic. The TOS movies also had the Genesis Trilogy to fall back on, so TFF looked more like a freak accident that people could forget. The TNG movies didn't have that same batting average to back them up after INS and NEM performed the way they did.
Data's emotion chip?
Riker and Troi getting married?
Riker moving on to a different command?
Data dying?
Enterprise being destroyed?
if you compare this to the TOS movies, TNG arguably did more stuff to change it up. In TOS, you got Spock's death which was quickly undone, Kirk's promotion which was undone eventually, Kirk getting a son which was undone, the Enterprise being destroyed, and... Sulu becoming a captain in the last movie.
^^^Three of those couldn't undone because they happened in the last movie. As to the emotion chip, they "turned it off" in the 2nd TNG film and effectively forgot it thereafter. Hardly any better a track record than the TOS films. Getting a new ship of a different design is hardly changing things up.
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Ginger Mango Grunt Recipe
These tender dumplings in a chunky fruit sauce are loaded with vitamins C and A, helpful in nourishing and protecting skin. Roxanne Chan - Albany, CA
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
- 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
- 3 tablespoons egg substitute
- 3/4 cup mango nectar, divided
- 1 jar (24 ounces) refrigerated mango slices, drained
- 1/2 cup reduced-sugar orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped candied or crystallized ginger
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine egg substitute and 1/4 cup nectar; stir into the flour mixture just until moistened.
- Place the mango slices, marmalade, lemon juice and remaining nectar in a blender. Cover and process until chunky.
- Transfer to a large skillet; stir in raisins. Bring to a boil. Drop batter in eight mounds onto the simmering mango mixture. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift the cover while simmering). Sprinkle with ginger and almonds. Yield: 8 servings.
Originally published as Ginger Mango Grunt in Healthy Cooking August/September 2009, p39
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text: Well here is my annual rundown of big snook me and my buddy managed to wrangle with this year from the bridges. The count for this year was 243 fish all released with the biggest fish being right at 46". I'm putting pictures of my best fish this year. Time to put the big ones aside and catch the slots! Hope you all enjoy. Cheers!


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KEXP Reviews
|Browse by one of the following:
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This former member of the Be Good Tanyas opts for a more muscular-sounding, rock-oriented sound on her 4th album and winds up with one of her strongest recordings to date. While still rooted in folk and other traditional styles, the fuller, more electric sound she employs here helps flesh out a variety of memorable songs while still making room for her fluttering, intimate vocals. Recorded in Portland with a stellar backing crew including M. Ward and Marc Ribot. 9/9/2008 - Don Yates
Other Jolie Holland album reviews:
Springtime Can Kill You - 4/19/2006
Escondida - 4/5/2004


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OCEAN CITY — The town brought in an expert to basically tell the Mayor and City Council that a massive overhaul to Ocean City employee's pension packages would be a dumb move.
Pat Donahue, President and CEO of Municipal and Financial Services Group (MSFG) and 10-year veteran of the Anne Arundel County Pension Oversight Committee, was invited to inform and advise the council on the rather complex issue of altering the town's pension packages for new employees to the town.
"The objective is always to hold down costs and improve the product and benefit that you offer to your employees," said Donahue, "but if you are really serious about making big changes to your pension program, I would advise, and you probably won't like this, to spend a few hundred thousand dollars and do an actuarial study to ensure that there are no unintended consequences."
Donahue told the council that the city is in good standing as far as the funding of the employee plan, which he called "pretty thrifty" compared to the city of Pittsburgh's "grossly under-funded" pension program.
"If you change your plan a great deal, you might save in the short term, but you need to look at what those changes are going to mean to salaries, and recruitment and retention of your workforce," said Donahue. "Certainly, your salaries don't compete with those on the Western Shore, but part of the draw of the Eastern Shore is to get away from the Western Shore."
During the budget cutting process, a few council members seemed more anxious than others to explore the idea of a defined benefits pension package for future employees to the town of Ocean City, making it clear that their intentions were not to change any employee's current plan.
"I took his presentation as very valuable information and that's what I had asked to get," said Councilwoman Margaret Pillas. "I left with a feeling that we maybe shouldn't alter the plan drastically right now, but he agreed that we should consider some changes. We'll have to keep exploring what those changes might be."
Councilman Joe Hall, who was also in favor of major changes to the plan, said that he is not against the rather expensive actuarial study that Donahue advised the council to conduct, despite the economic times.
"Sometimes, you have to spend money in order to save money in the long run," said Hall. "It might be hard to swallow to spend that kind of money on an actuarial study, but these types of studies have saved the town a ton of money over the years. The promises we make to our employees today when it comes to pensions, aren't really going to be seen for 25 years, so it's a hard thing to forecast."
Donahue also noted that if the town was looking to save money they may want to look somewhere else.
"Right now, everyone is in a bad spot, and it is going to be like this next year too," said Donahue. "Even if the economy turned around tomorrow, the next fiscal year is going to be tougher than this fiscal year and you have to make sure that you can sustain the services that you provide to your residents, your visitors and your employees with your revenue, which is essentially funded by tourism and non-resident property owners. I think your pension plan should be pretty far down on your list of changes."
Council President Joe Mitrecic said that there is a misconception that town employees are overpaid and receive more than generous benefits.
"Many of our employees have dedicated their lives to the town of Ocean City and I think that they should be able to make that money in their pensions," said Mitrecic. "So, to be frank, I thought that the most powerful thing Mr. Donahue said on Tuesday was that we needed to look somewhere other than the pension plan to make cuts and changes."


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The University of Oregon says it has booked the Dalai Lama to deliver a lecture at Matthew Knight Arena on May 10.
The Register-Guard says it will be the first time the world-renowned peace advocate and Buddhist monk has visited Eugene.
The lecture is open to students, faculty and staff, as well as the public.
The Dalai Lama has written more than 70 books. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 in recognition of his nonviolent struggle for the liberation of Tibet from Chinese rule.
His visit to Oregon in May will include several events in the Portland area.
Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com