Hasbro Playskool Let’s Imagine Elmo Review

What little kid doesn’t flip for Sesame Street‘s most famous resident, Elmo? Last year it was Big Hugs Elmo, and this year Hasbro is banking on Let’s Imagine Elmo ($39.99), as the must-have holiday toy for two-to-four year olds. Hence the name, Let’s Imagine Elmo is meant to teach and spark imagination with three different interactive modes that encourage your child to count, identify sounds, and sing.

Meet the Monster
Let’s Imagine Elmo has the famous red furry monster wearing a cute yellow tee with a star on his chest, and in typical monster fashion, no pants. Don’t let the signature red fur fool you, though. Underneath, Elmo’s midsection and head are fashioned from hard plastic, so he’s not very cuddly, and thus not a comfortable doll to sleep with. And at 1.05 pounds, he’s heavier than your typical stuffed animal. Elmo’s arms and legs are soft and plush, but this means he lacks the rigidity to stand upright, but his flat backside lets him sit up easily.

Pull back the fur on the small of his monster back to reveal an On/Off switch and battery door, which is sealed with a Phillips head screw. The toy requires four AA batteries, and they’re included. There’s a small Velcro patch on Elmo’s backside to reattach the fur panel, but in practice, it didn’t hold very well, and that patch of fur was often dangling off Elmo’s butt as my son dragged him around the house during the testing period. Also, Elmo sheds. A lot.  As I write this, little bits of red fur linger on my desk, and Elmo is nowhere to be seen.

In the box, you get the doll along with three plastic hats including a yellow crown, a blue sea captain’s hat, and a brown cowboy hat. Each hat has a notch that you slide into a slot on the top of Elmo’s big, white, plastic eyes.

Similar Products

3.5

Good

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair

$79.93

See It

at Amazon

(Opens in a new window)

Read Our Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair Review

3.5

Good

Spin Master Sew Cool Sewing Studio

$74.99

Check Stock

at Amazon

(Opens in a new window)

Read Our Spin Master Sew Cool Sewing Studio Review

3.0

Average

Spin Master Zoomer Dino

$249.89

Check Stock

at Amazon

(Opens in a new window)

Read Our Spin Master Zoomer Dino Review

Let’s Imagine Elmo in Action
“Please put a hat on Elmo’s head!” the doll commands when you first turn it on. Snap the crown on his head, and he becomes Prince Elmo. Following directions is the lesson here. In a game of “Prince Elmo Says” he asks you to hug him, squeeze his nose, or tickle his tummy. He rewards you when you get it right, and encourages you to try again if you don’t. 

Pop on the blue captain’s hat, and he’s Captain Elmo, who sings about life on the high seas and asks your child to identify nautical sounds, including dolphins, seagulls, bells, and foghorns. The cowboy hat launches a countrified counting lesson.

You get the idea. You’ll get it in 15 minutes, and you’ll keep getting it over and over. Like many toys made for toddlers, it’s very repetitive, and there’s no volume control. Luckily, there’s the Off switch. And Elmo enters a Sleep mode after several minutes of inactivity.

While a little younger than the target two-to-four-year age range, my 18-month-old son really loved playing with Let’s Imagine Elmo. At first, he had a bit of trouble understanding how to get Elmo’s hats snapped in place to launch each of the modes, but after some help, he got the hang of it. He’s also a bit too young to understand all of Elmo’s instructions, but after a few weeks, he picked some of them up.

Children inside the recommended age range should have no problem mastering Elmo’s tasks, but they’re likely to get bored quickly. And since this Elmo isn’t ideal for cuddling, he’ll likely end up banished to the bottom of the toy box before too long.