Fisher-Price Laugh n Learn Piggy Bank

Last Christmas when looking for presents for my then 10 month old Samuel, I came across the Laugh n Learn Piggy Bank from Fisher Price. Now he has had it for nearly a year I feel I can give a review on it!

About the Makers

Fisher Price was founded in 1930 where it began by making wooden toys - it has come a long way and is now a household name. It is an American Company and merged with Mattel in 1993.

What is it?

The Laugh n Learn Piggy Bank offers children a chance to learn, whilst having fun! It teaches counting, colors, animals and numbers. The Piggy Bank comes with 10 different colored coins, which fit into the slot on the Pigs back.

The Piggy Bank is aimed a 6-36 month olds and requires 3 AAA batteries, which come with the Pig when purchased.

The Pigs voice is female, and easy to understand.

Price and Availability

The Pig can be found in most toy stores, displayed at various prices:

Smyths Toy Store - £14.99
Amazon - £17.99
Play.Com - £15.99
Mothercare - £14.99

Appearance

As you would expect, the Piggy Bank is shaped as a pig! It is made of a hard plastic which can be wiped clean. It is pink, with a bright red snout and a red tail. It also has a smiley face, and underneath the mouth is a speaker. On the side of the Pig is a clear flap which opens outwards, and allows access into the Pigs tummy, where you will find the coins which have been put into the slot. On the clear flap are the numbers 1-10.

The slot on top of the Pig is blue, and with this is the control panel with the options of:

- Learning (123)
- Off
- Music

The pig measures 14 x 20 x 17cm, and weighs 998g. The space for batteries is on the underside of the pig and not accessible by tiny hands (unless they have a screwdriver!), also on the underside is a volume control button.

Packaging

The Pig comes in housed in thick blue and white cardboard with no front, so you can access the Pig without having to open the box. The coins are covered in plastic.

The box explains what the Piggy Bank is - and urges you to try it - hence the access to the Pig. The box is colorful and it stands out on the shelves.

Learning

As mentioned, the Piggy comes with 10 coins, there are 2 of each color including blue, yellow, orange, green and red. Each coin has a picture of an animal on it. The coins are big and chunky and easy to pick up.

Dependant on which mode you have the Pig on, it pig will say different words when slotting the coins into the slot. The 123 mode will count the coins as they are slotted in, and the music option will play a little jig each time.

Every time the plastic flap is opened on 123 mode to retrieve the coins the Pig says "Open" and when closed it says "Closed!". If on music mode, it will play a sound of a till being opened "Kerching!".

You can also press the snout, on both modes it will sing a song about counting the coins, and all the colors of the coins are included in this song. There are around 4 different songs on rotation, another one about a Piggy Bank. They are not songs that are recognizable and are distinct to this toy, apart from "Pat A Cake Bakers Man". You may also hear the piggy sneezing and then saying "Excuse Me!" or saying Oink Oink!

Our Experience

As mentioned, Sam was 10 months old when he got this toy and he started playing with immediately. At first he didn't understand what the coins where for, and just used to open the flap and post the coins in that way! With a bit of perseverance he soon learned that the coins where meant to be slotted in using the slot. His favorite mode seems to be the music option, every time he posted a coin there was a little burst of music which he used to wiggle along too, he used to do this all the time!

Now that Sam is 21 months, we have it switched to the 123 mode. He can now count to 3 using the pig, and identify several of the animals on the coins and do their noises. I'm really impressed that it has kept him entertained for all this time. He also dual uses the pig to carry some cars around which he posts through the flap! There is plenty of room inside and I often find all sorts in there, including his socks!

We are still using the batteries which where provided when we bought it.

Final Thoughts

I have rated the product 4 stars. The reason for this is I find the Pig very heavy and hurts if dropped on your toes! I suppose it has to be bulky because of the size of the coins etc, and on the plus side the weight does make the toy sturdy. It does look as good as the day I bought it. Another sticking point is the flap opening to get inside the pig, its very easy to open and the coins always fall out. I don't remember it always being like this, so maybe the looseness has come over time.

Overall, its an excellent toy and something which I will see Sam using for another year or so. The songs aren't too annoying, it looks cute, and its educational. A good buy!

Below is a picture of a very young Sam on Christmas playing with his new Pig!