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Disney Jr Sofia the First is one of the most popular new children shows on TV. Disney has never been one to be shy to capitalize on a shows popularity through aggressive marketing and has brought out a number of Sofia toys for fans. My daughter was very excited since Sofia the First has become one of her favorite shows (along with Doc McStuffins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. While the show is great this toy has a few short comings.
The Castle looks like a miniature version of Sofia's castle all the way down to the stained glass that Philip broke in one of the earlier episodes. Sofia's room has a replica window sill for her and Clover (and Clover can snap into the daybed and rotated for a little hide-and-go-seek. Each of the characters sit on the platform and play a variety of phrases.
Notes
Assembly is not to difficult but does take about 30 minutes
Requires 4 AAA batteries that are not included
Comes with a Sofia and Clover (the bunny) figures. Sofia is completely moveable (to the point that she bows) but she does need to be handled with a bit of care since her head can pop off.
When the figures are tapped on the platform they will speak a variety of phrases. This is cool and fun, but it does have a couple of flaws. First, it doesn't always work and, second -the character does not always use the correct character voice... at time Sofia sounds like Clover (and vice versa). While it is not a big deal it is a little disappointing that the product was released with this quality flaw (I have noticed other reviewers stating that they have had a similar problem). (I am taking off 1/2 Star for this)
The castle is well constructed with one exception the floor of the second level and the picnic pull out area are each made of flimsy paper/cardboard. Mine came with a slight bow that makes it difficult for the characters to stand worse if you happen to spill water on the surface it may be ruined.(I am taking off 1 star for this)
Lots of fun accessories that are included, although a few of them are pretty small (definitely not for children under 3). Included is a daybed, real bed, toy castle, a cake plater, a picnic lunch, glasses, plates, and a table.
One thing that is confusing is that you can purchase a separate Sofia Bed Playset but is a little too large to fit into the castle. It will fit, but it must be fit in (awkwardly) a bit sideways.
Final Verdict The Sofia the First Magical Talking Castle is a fun playset, but a little extra time and quality control would have made it a slam dunk five star product. As it is I think that is fun, and likely worth the money to any Sofia the First fan.... but if you are parent that happens to be looking for a castle playset (and you don't give a hoot about it being Sofia) you can probably find better values out there.
3 1/2 Stars
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Original review below. I wanted to post to all those disappointed with the first castle release that there are replacement parts for the castle now. Mattel will send you a Sofia (whose head stays in tack), a staircase (that doesn't fall off easy), a talking box (Roland and Miranda play royal entrance music, Amber talks, Clover still touchy, others say Sofia voiced phrases but that have to do more with their character), and some small parts that may get lost that come with castle. They will also send you a Sofia and Amber doll from Royal family collection. Overall, I'm happier with the product now. And my daughter is thrilled that not everyone speaks in Sofia's voice and that the heads stay on. To new purchasers I'm not sure what version Amazon is selling. Best to check the stores and get the newest release (the new one has a plastic 2nd floor).
orig post.
This is a product that I really wish would have been on the AMAZON VINE program and had some reviews before the "preorder" was available. My daughter (3 years old) has been so excited for this toy to arrive at our home since I showed it to her when I first preordered it (her birthday was in May and it was to be a birthday gift, why I showed it to her). She plays daily with her Fisher Price Loving Family Dollhouse (everyday since Christmas), and I knew a Sofia castle would be amazing to her and a toy that would get alot of use.
My honest advice. If your child does not know about this toy and you are merely trying to use this as a gift, don't bother. Your life will be much happier without this toy. Buy a Loving Family Dollhouse..I give that toy 5 stars. If your child knows about this toy and is asking for it, purchase at your own risk, you have been warned.
Pros: I think it's decently sturdy and easy to put together (minus the paper flooring on the second floor)
It's cute
Cons: (pretty much what everyone else has hit on)
Sofia's head popped off 3 times today ("Mommy, uh oh....her head came off...waaahhhhhhh")
Clover doesn't actually fit in securely in the little "hide go seek" window seat...he falls in to the hole ("mommy....waaahhh")
Out of about 20 tries, Clover's voice worked exactly once.
I fear for the destruction of the paper floor on the second floor.
I would totally return it if she didn't desire to play with it, but she played through the frustration all day. I also fear for the arrival of the Royal Family to our home in a few days. I understand that the characters don't speak correctly either, that King Roland and Prince James don't stand at all, and that they heads pop off the characters as well.
Mattel Please test your products before producing. Seriously. I knew this toy was in production since before Christmas, you have had plenty of time to show it to a small panel of kids and watch them play with it. This is the third toy we have purchased/received in a month with horrible construction from Mattel (specifically this toy, the barbie dream pool, and the Disney Princess MagicClip Aurora Carriage).
Disney Make your own toys. You are getting a horrible name by relating yourselves to these products.
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Bought this as a birthday gift for my 4 year old and she absolutely adores it. After reading all the reviews, I pre-assembled the set so that my girl could play with it immediately after I present it to her. Assembly takes about 30 minutes. You'll also need 4 AAA batteries and a small screwdriver to put them into the voice box. The doors and bridge are quite flimsy and felt like they would break when they were snapped to the main pieces. The castle is sturdy after all the pieces are put together, except for the stairs which is a little wobbly and was floating around 1/2 inch above the base of the castle. I guessed gravity did its job and the base of the stairs managed to level up with the base of the castle after 1 day.
I wrapped the empty box as a gift and watched my girl go from excited, to confused when she found the box empty, to surprised when I brought out the assembled toy. It was a hit and she played with it for the rest of the night. The castle set was also the first toy she played with the following morning.
Read about the head popping out a lot, but it has only happened twice in 2 days and my girl just laughed it off and popped it back without me showing her how to. The voicebox doesn't work well the first day, but my girl dropped it and somehow it responded much better to sofia and clover the next day. I bought the figure playset from disney store ($12.50 a set), since I read that the royal family from this series doesn't activate new sentences well and that james and king roland cannot stand on their own. The figures from disney are slightly smaller than Sofia from the castle, but they go well with the castle. And the big surprise we found today, the sofia figure from disney managed to activate the voicebox! My girl placed it on the platform and it managed to speak about 5 different sentences. Even Amber, clover and the animals spoke a couple of times each, but they didn't work as well as the sofia figure from disney. All of them spoke in sofia's voice though. I'm not sure if it works for all sets, just give it a try if you have the disney figures too. [Update: The magic base is faulty after the drop. I've counted about 30 different phrases activated by the castle set + tea party set and disney figures. It gives sentences by sofia, amber and clover randomly, regardless of which figure is placed on the platform. My girl thinks it's more fun now that the magic base is spoilt.]
The disney set is cheaper, much better constructed and less of a choking hazard for younger children, so I suggest you buy that to go along with the castle if your child is 4 or younger. The only con is that there are no moveable parts, so you can't bend or pose them.
Clover is able to play hide-and-seek on the daybed only if you fit him very snugly into the space, but my child has not been able to make it work without my help. We have since left that feature out and just use the daybed as a resting place for clover.
This is meant to be a talking castle, a lot of improvement is needed for the voicebox and I'm taking 1 star away for that. Otherwise, I'll recommend this for fans of sofia the first who are 4 and older.
Honest reviews on Disney Sofia The First Magical Talking Castle
The toy works when it wants too. Don't buy it, it's not worth it. It falls apart too easily and not sturdy. Poor quality
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Disney Sofia The First Magical Talking Castle
First please note that most of the reviews are negative before you purchase.
I gave two stars because the castle and characters look like the program. I think I received an alpha or early beta test item.
Things you should know.
You will Need some time to put together prior to giving your child.
The Sofia character does go on the base and it has Sofia statements
Clover the rabbit only occasionally has clover statements. Other times it has Sofia statements
Clover is too big to fit on the bed and will not spin to disappear
The additional characters, if purchased do not have there own individual statements and only repeat Sofia statements
Heads do frequently fall off
I am surprised at Mattel for releasing this untested toy and I am really surprised that Disney did not do a final quality review before allowing its name on the product.
To those that have already purchased, My recommendation is to call Mattel customer service to see if they have a later version of base or character they can replace without sending the entire castle back..I will be doing this tomorrow...Mattel.com
UPDATE: Called Mattel customer service..they have a revised base that recognizes the characters and will replace the bad one...also will replace dolls that have heads falling off..James,king and queen do not have their own voice but comments are Sofia speaking to them or about them...Sofia,amber and clover have specific voices..apparently bad advertising on the additional characters..hope this helps.
Amazon...you should stop selling this product until all items are corrected.
