My 2 y/o daughter has this set and loves it. they are quality blocks that I remember growing up with. They do seem to be ripe for painting if you decided you wanted them in custom colors.

Also, good luck with putting them back in the box the way it is pictured. They are just piled in the box at the moment. Best bet would be to take a picture of each layer if you want it the same. Or, look at it as one giant puzzle.

Is it just me or does that picture have way more than 60 blocks?

teevoo wrote:Is it just me or does that picture have way more than 60 blocks?

I tried counting two times and I'm having trouble telling the breaks in some of those background bricks, It's either right around 60, or maybe 70 in the picture. Part of the thing that makes it look like so much more is the huge box taking up so much room in the middle. Worst case scenario they are showcasing 65-70 in the picture but it's still pretty accurate.

Always Remember proper block cleanup

The friangles go with the friangles
the squares go with the squares
the funny looking shape should go with the other funny looking shapes

Edit: aww man the embed time didn't work. Video was supposed to start at 8:52

Same $39.99 at wootoff in August and at last woot in June:
http://kids.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=5048610

and woot in March:
http://kids.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=4926370

and previous post still applies, # of reviews and prices updated:

Toys R Us $69.99 (was $49.99) and 16 good reviews now (4.9/5 stars) (was 15 reviews):

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2267318#showReviews

Baby age: 3 good reviews, $53.48 (was $54.48):

http://www.babyage.com/toys/melissa-and-doug-toys/melissa-and-doug-60-piece-wooden-block-set-27552.htm#

and $69.99 there tonight at the product webpage, 12 good reviews:

http://www.melissaanddoug.com/standard-unit-building-blocks

and video:

ThunderThighs wrote:Why are the Rugrats greenish?

They had to invert the colour so the video didn't get deleted automatically.

Not a great deal if you have an Amazon prime membership. $50 prime delivered versus $45 Woot delivered. I am underwhelmed.

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-60-Piece-Standard-Blocks/dp/B00008W72D

Great reviews however.

I've had a lot of quality issues with Melissa & Doug's wooden toys. I contacted the company after all of things we bought from them this past Christmas fell apart but they never responded.

At least with these you don't have to worry about the paint chipping (a common issue with the M&D items) but my kids have gotten splinters from a few of their blocks.

These aren't a bad price but you'll be lucky if you still have these in full working condition by the end of the year. The Haba stuff is a bit more money but will last a long time with out causing splinters.

ssand23 wrote:I've had a lot of quality issues with Melissa & Doug's wooden toys. I contacted the company after all of things we bought from them this past Christmas fell apart but they never responded.

At least with these you don't have to worry about the paint chipping (a common issue with the M&D items) but my kids have gotten splinters from a few of their blocks.

Huh. We've got these blocks and they are smooth, precise, and awesome. I can't imagine what we'd have to do to them to get a splinter off. They're totally what you think of as classic blocks. And, by the way, paint chips off Haba toys, too. Although, admittedly, I trust the Germans' toy paint more than M&D's, which are usually made in China. But really, these blocks are totally fantastic.

Also, people must fall into the puzzle-ing vs non-puzzle-ing camps, because I find it completely satisfying to pack these things back in the box at the end of the day.

Picked up a couple of these a good while back. My wife runs an in-home daycare. The kids love the blocks, and they get daily use. They still look brand new. Great stuff.

They sell this exact set at Costco (minus the M&D branding) for less than $40. Got one for my kids a couple months ago. The blocks won't splinter, but the box they go in will.

So, what kind of wood, besides "hardwood," is it? The company's website offers forth no insight and has yet to respond, and we've a particular restriction as to what kinds of wood we can use.

CowboyDann wrote:I tried counting two times and I'm having trouble telling the breaks in some of those background bricks, It's either right around 60, or maybe 70 in the picture. Part of the thing that makes it look like so much more is the huge box taking up so much room in the middle. Worst case scenario they are showcasing 65-70 in the picture but it's still pretty accurate.

65-70 is fairly accurate, I just counted (out of boredom) and there are just over a few past 60.

shikemd wrote:They sell this exact set at Costco (minus the M&D branding) for less than $40. Got one for my kids a couple months ago. The blocks won't splinter, but the box they go in will.

Do you happen to have the brand that costco sells? is it the one on costco.com?
http://www.costco.com/64-piece-Hardwood-Blocks-Set.product.11663707.html

teevoo wrote:Is it just me or does that picture have way more than 60 blocks?

I was entertained by the varying opinions on block counts in the picture, so I decided to really check it out properly. I loaded the pic into a graphic editor and marked each block with a color splotch so I wouldn't count any twice and wouldn't miss any.

There are 89 blocks visible. There also appears to be at least one behind other blocks in order to elevate the stuff in back. That would make an even 90.

So, yeah. A picture of a 60 piece set showing 89 or 90 pieces is a little misleading. A third of what's in the picture isn't in the box.

Still, they are great blocks. My two-year-old already has one set and loves them so much that I bought three and now he'll have four sets. I expect giant skyscrapers to the the result. In a few years I might be introducing him to brackets and screws that he can use to make his structures permanent and load-bearing. Anything to create a young engineer.

mrgrogg wrote:I was entertained by the varying opinions on block counts in the picture, so I decided to really check it out properly. I loaded the pic into a graphic editor and marked each block with a color splotch so I wouldn't count any twice and wouldn't miss any.

There are 89 blocks visible. There also appears to be at least one behind other blocks in order to elevate the stuff in back. That would make an even 90.

So, yeah. A picture of a 60 piece set showing 89 or 90 pieces is a little misleading. A third of what's in the picture isn't in the box.

Incentive to buy multiple sets, perhaps? (Yes, we get what you're saying, yes we passed that onward.)

inkycatz wrote:Incentive to buy multiple sets, perhaps? (Yes, we get what you're saying, yes we passed that onward.)

For what it's worth, the pictures are Melissa & Doug, not woot's, 3 of the 5 from their product page. I'll repost the link:
http://www.melissaanddoug.com/standard-unit-building-blocks