that's the same little boy from the Woot shirt post 2 days ago!

i see he got a job at woot sketching their product manuals

I need to find these kids so I can find out what tomorrows kids.woot could be.

Hmmm, I think this canvas is too big to hang on the fridge.

Seems this bundle has everything a kid needs to play and test his artistic ability.

Melissa & Doug items are always so much more expensive than I expect - are they worth the cost?

So whats the difference between this art set and the old fold up Rose Art artists kit that was only $20, minus the easel?

We have an easel (not this one, though) and my kids love it. I can't speak for the quality of this particular set (although I've always been impressed with Melissa and Doug stuff) but easels are great for kids.

They have tons of benefits - they are more comfortable and more ergonomic; they promote better posture; build hand, arm and shoulder strength; improve fine motor skills and lots more.

This is a fascinating article about the benefits of "vertical plane activities" for all kids, and especially kids with developmental or learning disabilities. http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/38898.aspx

overpriced IMO. I've owned this model, and the ikea easel that has a chalkboard on the backside which has a roll of paper that mounts in between the two sides for easy paper access.

The Ikea easel is the preferred one in our family.
Kids age 7, 5, 2 all agree.

So who's taking bets on how long it will be before they're painting on the chalkboard side?

The easel is rated 4.6 out of 5 by owners.

The packaging photos don't jive with the "In the box:" info. Based on the pics, the easel comes with a smock, paints and chalk and there's another "accessories" box, with paint and chalk.

I assume since there's no disclaimer that the child comes with the easel.

w00tgurl wrote:that's the same little boy from the Woot shirt post 2 days ago!

i see he got a job at woot sketching their product manuals

Oh My Gookie! why do you pay such a close attention to these little kids??

The price of the accessories is worth it. The savings is $65.00.

This is well worth it. I got one for my kids about 8 yrs ago and they still use it. They are 11 & 12 now. I just got one for my grandson who is 3 and I expect he'll use it for many years as well. Melissa and Doug is really good quality stuff.

notice it doesn't have a funny way of saying kid not included.

well worth it, the price of the just the easal itself costs anywhere between $62-69!

Am I missing something? If this is just the easel, accessory kit, and smock, it's not much of a deal - Amazon has the easel for 49.99 and the accessory kit for 26.91, so you're basically just getting the smock for free and maybe saving a dollar or two no? I remember this from the last time this easel was on Woot, too, I think.

I used to work at a children's museum store and this was the one display toy that was not destroyed in my tenure. I wanted one for myself.

velvetmarmoset wrote:Am I missing something? If this is just the easel, accessory kit, and smock, it's not much of a deal - Amazon has the easel for 49.99 and the accessory kit for 26.91, so you're basically just getting the smock for free and maybe saving a dollar or two no? I remember this from the last time this easel was on Woot, too, I think.

I had the same exact thought, there is also the $8.40 smock thrown in. I'm still on the fence. It's been two Christmases that I've wanted to get an easel, but friends say they don't really get used that much and I'm not sure I'm that patient with such a potential for mess. If there was jumbo paint brushes though, I'd be (for some reason)

Were my child older, I might be tempted. I've been very happy with all of our Melissa & Doug toys.

As it is now, I'm pretty sure those spill-proof cups would not stand up to the tender ministrations of a determined 20-month-old.

thumperchick wrote:Melissa & Doug items are always so much more expensive than I expect - are they worth the cost?

If you have an IKEA go there. Much better price and quality is very good.

IKEA
easel 2 sided $14.99
apron long sleeve 3.99
chalk 24 pk 1.99
paint 8 colors 4.99
paper roll 30 m 4.99
white board pens 7 pack 1.99
paintbrushs set of 6 1.99

Total $34.93

All youre missing are the paint cups and a dry eraser. Wouldn't expect them to be $35.06.

The easel from IKEA is a little smaller 46 x 24 x 17.

Zyzyxx wrote:If you have an IKEA go there. Much better price and quality is very good.

IKEA
easel 2 sided $14.99
apron long sleeve 3.99
chalk 24 pk 1.99
paint 8 colors 4.99
paper roll 30 m 4.99
white board pens 7 pack 1.99
paintbrushs set of 6 1.99

Total $34.93

All youre missing are the paint cups and a dry eraser. Wouldn't expect them to be $35.06.

The easel from IKEA is a little smaller 46 x 24 x 17.

Seems like a quality post to me...

We have had this easel for years and our 3 kids (5, 5 and 7) love it. Good quality, as has been our experience with other Melissa & Doug products, and stood up to unexpected abuse: kids will try to sit on those trays that hold the paint. Whether you get this one or another brand, note that kids burn through those paper rolls quickly. We are constantly running out.

Isn't this the same thing without the smock for a few buck cheaper?
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Standing-Accessories/dp/B000WZI97Y/

And you can get a better smock with sleeves) for just a few bucks:
http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Factory-Cf-400020-Toddler-Smock/dp/B000NWF1RW/

How is this a deal?

Does anyone know if either the dry erase or the chalkboard side is also magnetic? I'd love for the kids to be able to make words using magnetic letters. Thanks in advance!

adult size now \ D:

Since when is Eminem a child's toy model?

I got the same easel at Toys R Us for $49. Not much of a deal here. The kids love it.

Listen up jerkface? Who would say that?

This bundle *might* be worth the cost, due to the number of extra goodies it has (the paints, paint cups, erasers, etc.-- we have all of these and they're quite nice). But, I find the easel itself it to be pretty overpriced. We have a very similar one from Ikea that cost $15 (there are a few things that make the M&D one better-- I believe it has trays on both sides, handy if you have two kids). But similar enough that we were happy with our Ikea alternative.

For your general question: I think Melissa and Doug is decent, but not amazing quality, usually. They usually are much more affordable for wooden toys, etc. compared to Plan Toys, etc. But sometimes the quality is a bit less. But we find it a decent compromise-- neither junk nor bank breaking.

I just looked up the same items on Amazon and came up with $78 and if your a Prime User, you get free shipping.

Easel $42
Accessorys $27
Smock $9

Amazons total comes to $78.

Woots $75 deal isn't much of a deal at all.

We purchased this for our son over a year ago and it is great. He loves it. It is not magnetic but has proven durable and has offered countless hours of fun for everyone!

integragirl98 wrote:Does anyone know if either the dry erase or the chalkboard side is also magnetic? I'd love for the kids to be able to make words using magnetic letters. Thanks in advance!

not magnetic

We have this easel, and my kids really like it. Two kids, so the trays on both sides are a must.

For anyone looking for paints - we gave up on liquid paint - not only is it messy, my kids can go through ridiculous amounts (like an 8 oz bottle only lasts 3 painting sessions!) But I found these paints:

Tempera Cakes

Cheap, last quite a while, less messy than liquid paint, and makes nice bright colors (not like water paints) Skip the sets with the trays, as they wont fit into the easel trays (plus, you get better colors going for the individual ones). The individual ones do fit into the cup holders (on the cup holder side of the easel)

This is not a deal worthy of Woot. This is not a good deal at all!!! That is Just My Opinion though.

stinkymcpeterson wrote:I assume since there's no disclaimer that the child comes with the easel.

LOL!

@lupin2010- Yea, but the Amazon one doesn't come with a free white kid. With that added bonus, the deal is definitely worth it.

lupin2010 wrote:I just looked up the same items on Amazon and came up with $78 and if your a Prime User, you get free shipping.

Easel $42
Accessorys $27
Smock $9

Amazons total comes to $78.

Woots $75 deal isn't much of a deal at all.